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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, January 10, 2008

Fitness forecast

How do you keep fit? Visit our discussion board to share health tips, diet secrets and physical activities that help you stay in shape.

By Megan K. Scott
Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

From hula hoops to retro aerobics to fusion workouts, experts say fitness will see innovative changes in 2008.

MARY ALTAFFER | Associated Press

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Lara Benusis, right, conducts an exercise class at the Equinox gym in New York. Workouts are becoming more diverse with fusion options.

MARY ALTAFFER | Associated Press

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Associated Press

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Associated Press

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Associated Press

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Associated Press

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Associated Press

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You're not going to win the war on overindulgence all by yourself. 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.

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 www.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 outlets in some locations are introducing Stripaerobix, a class that will have you "moving across the floor like a cheetah." 24 Hour Fitness has offered a new cardio dance workout, with salsa, hip hop, and cowboy boogie. Another gym, 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.

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 Carson. "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," says Smith.

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 slowdown in growth, predicts Jesse Cannone, a certified 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 AntiGravity Yoga uses a flowing hammock as a soft trapeze, and in the BodyWeb class, participants hang from ropes and do Spider-Man moves.