What it is: Fan of the Bar Method? Step into the latest ballet-inspired workout, Ballet Beautiful, designed to make "a world-class ballerina's lean, graceful, and strong body-type accessible to everyone." Started by former New York City Ballet dancer Mary Helen Bowers, it's targeted to provide non-dancers with the techniques to quickly build and maintain the beauty and strength of a ballet dancer's form.
What it costs: $25-$40 per class
Why it's fun: Bowers was behind Natalie Portman's "Black Swan" physique, so it appears she knows what she's doing. And while her studio is located in New York City, you don't have to live there to take a class. Videos are rumored to come soon, but in the meantime you can register online to take it via Skype at her Ballet Beautiful online studio. (It's amazing what they can do with technology these days, huh?)
What it is: Remember when Pink sang while dangling from within a piece of material at the 52nd Grammy Awards? Well, you can do the same if you've got the guts (though hopefully you'll take it to less of an extreme). This technique, created by former gymnast Christopher Harrison to help relieve his back pain, is more than just proof that hammocks aren't just for laying around in. It blends traditional yoga with acrobatics, gymnastics, Pilates and calisthenics and is available at gyms across the country like Om Factory and Crunch. Find a location near you.
What it costs: Class rates vary; we found them for as little as $10 to as much as $35, depending on the gym. (You can also get an inversion swing for about $130 for home use, but we recommend taking the classes first -- duh.)
Why it's fun: Um, aside from the fact that you get to defy gravity? You get a total body workout designed to relieve stress, and improve coordination, strength, flexibility and joint mobility.
There's nothing like the feeling you get after a good, adrenaline-fueled workout -- your endorphins are high, your body is tingling and you feel way better than you did before, even if it was a total pain to motivate.
But while falling in love with a fitness routine can be amazing, falling into a rut can be a drag -- especially if it starts taking a toll on your waistline. Sure, there are tons of incentives to join a new gym at the beginning of each year, but sometimes the holiday-fueled gusto behind your New Year's resolution wears off; other times, you're just over the gym and ready for a change of scenery. Most of the time, it's just that: time. There's not enough of it, and you don't enjoy your current fitness routine enough to make any. So bottom line, it's all about change.
Fortunately, getting out of said rut isn't as hard as it seems. There are a million (OK, 12) great reasons to put down the potato chips, drag your butt off the couch and start getting excited about working muscles you never knew you had.
In DVD, class or downloadable form, these popular new fitness routines take their inspiration from dancing, yoga, boxing, boot camp, even childhood activities. Some are the secrets behind the sculpted bods of celebrities such as Natalie Portman, Hilary Duff, Sofia Vergara and Kelly Ripa. All were created to kick your butt, improve your confidence level and make you a healthier, slimmer person. Trust us, you'll actually want to get up early after trying some of these. Check out what we deemed the 12 coolest ways to sweat off calories -- until the next great workout routines come along.
