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The future of fitness

By MEGAN K. SCOTT, Associated Press Writer  Tuesday, January 01, 2008

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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 s.jpg, 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.

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 belly dancing 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. Also watch for more children and teens to start doing yoga, says yoga teacher Mary Kaye Chryssicas. Yoga is being used by some schools to combat stress.

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." "One of the big trends that you are going to see in the coming year is corporations getting on board to help support their employees in getting healthy," Smith says.

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. (And just in time to wear your trendy new leg warmers.) 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 ce.jpgied fitness trainer in the metro Washington, D.C. area, referring to the 30-minute workout fitness center for women. But more people are going to choose small boutique fitness centers, including pilates and yoga studios. (The perception is those classes are better than ones at mega health clubs.)

SUSPENSION CLASSES

The daredevils among us may push, pull, lift and lower in suspension classes -- what Crunch is calling one of the biggest trends for 2008. Crunch's Anti-gravity Yoga uses a flowing hammock as a soft trapeze, and in the BodyWeb class, participants hang from ropes and do Spiderman moves.

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