Since the new millennium rolled around, it seems like the ancient practice of yoga has been mixed with almost every form of exercise, from the Pilates hybrid Yogalates to kickboxing's Koga. A new yoga mashup is making its way into the fitness world: yoga and spinning. Before your third eye conjures up images of holding a downward-facing dog while clipped in on a stationary bike, let me explain Read more

Stirred by Black Swan, Natalie Portman's dramatic body transformation, and my regular practice of the Bar Method, a ballet and dance based strength training and toning program, I recently ordered my first pair of Capezio shoes since childhood and signed up for ballet. The class, which was offered at my gym, promised to help me "discover my inner ballerina" with classical ballet technique for Read more

Inspired by the fact that I'm typically the adult that won't get out of the bounce house at kids' birthday parties and jumping reviews of San Fransisco's trampoline park House of Air, I recently expanded my fitness routine's heights with an Air Conditioning trampoline class. The park touts the class as the "most exciting workout you can get in public," so my workout buddy and I went in with sky Read more

Now that Black Swan is out in theaters, Natalie Portman's dramatic body transformation is on a lot of people's minds. To train for her role as a prima ballerina, the actress followed an intense fitness regimen, training for five to eight hours a day, six days a week, for more than a year. The training may seem crazy, but Natalie was conditioning herself to the lifestyle that many professional Read more

What do you get when you cross aerobics, yoga, and martial arts in one? intenSati. Curious about the fitness craze that has taken Manhattan by storm, I jumped into a class here in San Francisco to see what the buzz was all about. After 55 minutes, my sweaty red face and shaky legs told me part of what I needed to know — it's a good workout! But there's more . . . intenSati goes deeper than Read more

The ladies of new toning method Barre3 rolled into NYC this week from their usual base in Portland, OR. Their most famous client, Madonna, was also in town to work on her new movie and promote her new clothing line — coincidence? I didn't ask the ladies last Thursday night, when they hosted a private class to teach their moves to a handful of fitness folks and friends. Being a novice to Read more

While I am unclear of the origin of the name Gyrotonic, I am clear that this form of exercise is truly a tonic for a tight body. I began my day with a 60-minute Gyrotonic session with a master trainer at Sports Club LA and it was way better than a second cup of joe. Gyrotonic method of exercise is most often compared to Pilates, but it's more multi-dimensional. Pilates tends to work mostly in Read more

In my experience, if the word "power" appears in the title of a fitness class, be it yoga or weight lifting, be prepared for a challenging workout. My expectations were in no way dashed when I tried Power Pilates at Sports Club LA recently. This was definitely a Pilates mat class on steroids. Classic moves like the 100s and single leg stretch definitely made an appearance, but only after many, Read more

Yoga isn't just for the mat anymore. Nowadays, people do yoga moves while cradled in a ribbon or hanging from the ceiling, in between hiking hills, and while balancing on a paddle board. Need another yoga trend to try? Slackline Yoga involves doing yoga poses on a tensioned rope or slackline. Talk about challenging our sense of balance. I had the opportunity to try this type of yoga at a Read more