An increasing number of women are getting involved in fitness trends that revolutionize traditional gym routines. The mindset is that if you love the type of exercise you get, you are more likely to keep up with it on a consistent basis. New exercise trends include an array of group workouts, from Jazzercise to pole-dancing classes. But are these revved-up workouts really comparable matches to old-school gym sessions?
Elizabeth Helmke, owner of Charlottesville Jazzercise, expressed the importance of finding one's workout niche.
"I love Jazzercise and that's why I do it ... The key is just to have fun," she said. "If you find something you enjoy doing, chances are you're going to keep doing it, whatever it is."
Helmke said her company offers hour-long classes with a combination of cardio, strength-work and stretching. The workout incorporates jazz dance, yoga, pilates and kickboxing.
Another local workout option is Shergold Studio's exotic fitness program, E-Fit Dance, created in late 2003. Today, the E-Fit program offers a wide variety of classes such as pole dancing, exotic dancing, belly dancing and even lap dancing workshops geared toward getting in shape and boosting self-confidence.
Erin Kerfoot, a psychology graduate student and E-Fit dance instructor, first began the program as a student.
"I was originally attracted to E-Fit because I was looking for an alternative way to work out since I'm not a 'gym person,'" she said. "E-Fit classes work your whole body, but you don't even notice that a whole hour has gone by because you're having so much fun."
For students who are interested in increasing their workout without leaving Grounds, the AFC can do the trick, according to first-year Nursing student Julia Martin.
"The AFC gives you a more quality workout," she said. "More cardio is what does the trick."
Participants in the E-Fit program believe its benefits go beyond the physical, strengthening a woman's mentally, as well. Christina Leftwich, a registered nurse at the University Medical Center and member of E-Fit, said, "To me, it is a great stress reliever, because you are doing something that is generally taboo, but you get to let loose all your inhibitions and just be a woman."
Fourth-year College student Kristin Lambert said she recently decided to try the E-Fit program and found it offered physical and psychological benefits.
"I tried E-Fit because I was looking for a way to change up my AFC routine," she said. "You not only tone muscles, but the classes also make you more attuned to your body language and movement, and on a personal level, that's empowering."
E-Fit program director Erica Shergold said one of the greatest benefits she has seen her students achieve is a new sense of self.
"The program boosts self-esteem and self-confidence," she said.
This bonding element of exotic fitness when done in a group may have some medical grounding, as well.A study published in the British Medical Journal examined the benefits of group exercise on breast cancer patients. The Dec. 2006 study, conducted by a research team of the University of Glasgow, found that after 12 weeks women with breast cancer who participated in group exercise received both psychological and wellness benefits from performing physical activity in a group.
Erica Perkins, University director of fitness for IM Rec Sports agreed that a group workout dynamic is valuable, but expressed concern about some forms of exotic fitness, such as pole-dancing classes.
"We want to teach people to appreciate their bodies and value themselves," she said. "We can teach a dance class that gives them freedom of movement and expression of their bodies without inserting promiscuous insinuation."
Current group classes offered at the AFC include Kukuwa, Zumba, hip-hop, and yoga dancing.
"Our goal with group exercise classes is to teach people what exercise can do for you physiologically [which is to] reduce the risk of disease," she said.
As for boosting self-esteem and self-image, Perkins expressed that IM Rec encourages women to love their bodies and embrace their curves, while avoiding insinuations that stray from healthy lifestyle choices.
Carol Spry, marketing and publications coordinator for IM Rec Sports, noted that part of IM Rec Sports' mission is to "promote alternatives to risky behaviors."
She said classes are a service paid for by student fees, so IM Rec Sports tries to offer activities in which the parents of these students would want their children to be involved. Spry contrasted the forms of exercise offered by IM Rec and E-Fit.
"Where does a [traditional] group class lead? Where does a pole-dancing class lead?" she asked.
One IM Rec offering is personal trainers. For an exercise program, University personal trainer Lia Bradley recommended "whatever works for you and you're going to keep up with regularly."
As for having a workout plan consist completely exotic fitness exercises, she said, "it is better to have a variety and incorporate some cardio and some strength training."
Many E-Fit students do mix it up. Lizzie Clark, co-owner of Bikram Yoga, which offers hot yoga classes, commented on the crossover.
"A lot of [E-Fit] students come here and ours go there -- both work to strengthen your flexibility and they work compatible muscle groups," she said. "The more you do one the 'deeper' you get into the other."
Martha McKechnie, M.D., after hearing a description of the various aspects of exotic fitness, commented on some of the medical gains that might result from unique exercise classes. In terms of the strength training, she said, "muscle mass, when it's increased, will also increase your metabolism, which helps with weight control," adding that "any exercise will elevate endorphins in your body, which will reduce depression."
While workout trends have evolved over the ages, their main mission is to get participants into a routine of working out on a regular basis. Groups can provide extra motivation to keep up this routine.
"People like to exercise in a group because there is an intangible energy flow throughout the group," Perkins said.
Fads may come and go, but the intent of many exercisers remains static: to get exercise in whatever way you feel most comfortable.
--Sarah Peeden contributed to this article.
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