• :
  • Member Center
  • :
  • Make This Your Home Page
  • :
  • Special Offers
HealthWebCenter

Local experts provide the latest information on Healthcare issues that matter to you

MyHomeImprovement
Portland local home improvement experts are here to provide home improvement tips and ideas!

Stay-in-shape trends predicted for 2008

12:13 PM PST on Wednesday, January 2, 2008

By MEGAN K. SCOTT / Associated Press

You're not going to win the war on your holiday boozing and bingeing alone.

So call the drill sergeant, channel your inner Spice Girl or get better acquainted with your new friend, the stripper pole. Fitness experts say 2008 is going to bring some innovative exercise programs that go beyond steps, balls, stationary bikes and stretching in overheated rooms.

We're going to salsa like we're on "Dancing With the Stars" and try countless types of "fusion" as workout options become both more diverse and more personalized. Bored of body sculpting? New classes will feature "Temple Dance," childhood favorites like hula hoops, or daredevil moves on suspension ropes.

AP photo
The success of "Dancing with the Stars" has boosted the business of fitness.

At the same time, technology has led to more individualized workouts, as more people download workouts, pair running shoes with their iPods, or find workout buddies on fitfiend.com, says Carole Carson, author of "From Fat to Fit."

So what's going to be hot in 08? We polled some fitness gurus to find out.

Dance is back

Thanks to "Dancing with the Stars," we'll be dancing through 2008, says Kathy Smith, author of "Feed Muscle, Shrink Fat Diet." Gold's Gym is introducing Stripaerobix, a class that will have you "moving across the floor like a cheetah." 24 Hour Fitness has a new cardio dance workout, with salsa, hip hop, and cowboy boogie. Equinox is offering Temple Dance, "a powerful, exotic and sexy workout guided by candles and colorful scarves." The Sports Club/LA has new Zumba and bellydancing classes. And if you'd rather look like a dancer than dance like one, try Gold's Gym Dancer's Body Workout.

Kids hit the gym

As the childhood obesity crisis continues to grab headlines, kids will be finding workouts outside of gym class. More parents are hiring trainers to help their children lose weight, get in shape, or become better athletes, says Joe Moore, president of the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association.

Fitness campaigns

We're going to see more public campaigns to fight the bulge, such as Dr. Ian Smith's 50 Million Pound Challenge, says Carole Carson, author of "From Fat to Fit."

Fusion-fusion

One workout doesn't do it for us anymore. "We need a little bit of cardio, mixed with a little bit of strength, mixed with a little bit of flexibility and we have to be creative about it," says Leslie Sansone, fitness consultant for NutriSystem Advanced. 24 Hour Fitness, for example, has a new 24Pilates Fusion class, with exercises based on traditional dance and pilates. Bally's Total Body Class features resistance training, breathing techniques, Capoeira (Brazilian martial arts), Kwando (kickboxing) and yoga. Yoga fusion classes, such as Yoga Core and Yoga Abs, will also be popular, says Beth Shaw, founder of YogaFit.

Retro

Expect more classes based on childhood experiences, such as rebounding, where people bounce on a mini trampoline, and hoop dancing. Fitness guru Denise Austin has a retro aerobics workout on her new "Burn Fat Fast: Cardio Blast" DVD, with grapevines and ponies. Equinox is introducing a new full body conditioning class that uses a Sandbag.

Specialty fitness

Bye Bye Health Club. Hello small fitness center. Curves may see a slow down in growth, predicts Jesse Cannone, a certified fitness trainer in the metro Washington, D.C. area. But more people are going to choose small boutique centers, including pilates and yoga studios.