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Arias belongs to a growing coterie of personal trainers who are building empires on Instagram. The fitness universe on Instagram is almost incomprehensibly vast there are hundreds of millions of photographs with hashtags like #fitness, #workout, #fitfam, #fitnessjourney or #fitlife, featuring people in various states of undress, lifting weights, making and drinking shakes, demonstrating techniques and documenting inches and pounds lost, all alongside messages about staying motivated to hit the gym and eat right. Its as inspiring and vapid as anything else on social media and somehow manages to invoke awe and envy at the same time. In a way, fitness Instagram is just the next iteration of a business model that began in the 1980s and 1990s, when workout gurus like Richard Simmons and Jane Fonda created their own empires by selling VHS workout tapes (and eventually workout DVDs) to people who wanted to learn to exercise from the comfort of their living rooms. Those products were marketed in health magazines, on daytime and nighttime talk shows and in infomercials. But as streaming-media sites like YouTube and Netflix matured, businesses built on the backs of older media dwindled. And as social-media sites like Instagram grew, people like Arias realized they could sidestep the traditional machinery that ruled the fitness world to tap into new audiences, especially those the fitness industry has often ignored.

Arias told me that she started working out as a holistic way to treat chronic depression. She documented her fitness journey online, which held her accountable and allowed others to participate remotely, if they wanted. After weeks of working out, she posted a photograph of her sculpted abdomen, which went viral. She gained several tens of thousands of followers overnight. People started asking me how I did it, and how can they do it, she said. She became certified as a personal trainer, so she could start teaching and dispensing advice, and began doing workout classes in Central Park. Eventually, she started posting short videos on Instagram, teaching people quick routines they could do at home. She began creating 30-day workout and meal programs that people could sign up for on her website; for a fee, they could get access to Arias and a digital community that was also working out that month. Her Instagram functions as a marketing tool, driving people to her website and paid services. And it works: Arias told me that between 1,000 and 2,000 people sign up each month to receive personalized workout advice. She also works with brands that want to reach her 2.2 million followers on Instagram to advertise, say, a supplement or active-wear company, and that advertising makes up about 20 percent of her income.

Arias has benefited from the fact that social media has become a place for people ill served by most traditional industries, and fitness is no different it allowed people to more easily find trainers, lifestyles and information that were previously more difficult to access. As Jessamyn Stanley, a yoga teacher with a large following on Instagram, put it to me: Its about making something accessible by making it visible to lots of people. Stanley said she was able to find an audience online that would have been hard to build offline: There was a niche community of people waiting for a yoga book written by a queer, fat, black person. It was just about finding the means to reach them. But as much as Stanley credits her successes to social media, she noted that the performativity and stylization popular on the internet can quickly get out of hand. It can create molds and archetypes that become bigger than the activity itself, she told me. She gave the example of an Instagram clich: a handstand at sunset on a beach. Its so idealized, like, your life must be perfect if you can hold a balance posture on the beach, she said. But the actual practice of yoga isnt about that at all. The image isnt important. The practice is.

In a 2014 article for BuzzFeed, Katie J.M. Baker wrote about the complications of documenting a lifestyle online. She examined healthful-food blogging on Instagram and wondered about its relationship to disordered eating habits. Its impossible to tell whether these exquisite bowls are a product of calming ritual or unhealthy obsession (or both), or whether their creators are actually eating the artwork they profess is so delicious, she writes. But onlookers will always judge young women for what they choose or dont choose. Bakers article reminds us that performance can pervert; Stanley told me that social media, for all of its benefits, is a place that can still replicate a lot of the same body-image pressures that the world at large has long put on people. Aspirational lifestyles are still that aspirational. She also pointed out that what tends to get the most attention on social media still largely adheres to a cis-het white male gaze, meaning that the images that tend to trend are still ones that fit into traditional beauty standards.

But Stanley also told me that ultimately, she feels that social medias ability to forcibly expand perspectives on lifestyles trumps the pressure it may induce among viewers who now feel they have new standards to live up to. Stanley and Arias have attracted followings in part because they play into certain eye-catching aesthetics: a full-figured woman and another whose physique is so toned and muscular it is irresistible click-bait. And theyve managed to turn that into profit, becoming an entirely new class of fitness entrepreneur one that perhaps never would have existed without the advent of social media. Both women have changed my relationship to fitness and my body: Although I am frequently the only woman of color in my real-world yoga and fitness classes, I can always turn to a screen and look at Stanleys and Ariass accounts to remind myself that bodies like ours have a place in this realm.

Jenna Wortham is a staff writer for the magazine.

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A version of this article appears in print on July 9, 2017, on Page MM14 of the Sunday Magazine with the headline: Fitness feeds on Instagram can perpetuate harmful ideas about the perfect body but they can also inspire us with bodies that are more like ours.

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Finding a More Inclusive Vision of Fitness in Our Feeds - New York Times

Savannah Vasquez @DestinLogSav

Four-year-old Brodie Bowen and her brother, 8-year-old Slade, are regulars at Militia Fitness in Destin. In fact, the two show up at almost every day at the gym, eager to workout.

I like squats and I love dancing its my favorite, said Brodie.

I like to make my own workouts, added Slade. Mostly, I like planks, and I like games.

The brother-sister duo are the son and daughter of Militia Fitness founders Jordon and Jesse Bowen, and the family are a fitness force to be reckoned with.

I was a pararescue before and Jesse was an intelligence analyst for the Air Force, so we both had to be in shape for our jobs, said Jordon. Jesse liked to workout on the elliptical only, and I finally got her to go to the gym with me to lift weights. About six months after we had Slade, we decided to get out of the military and open our first gym.

Thus, in 2009, both Militia Fitness and the culture of Bowen family fitness was born.

We started bringing them to the gym when they were babies, said Jesse. They just watched us so much that they wanted to get in on the action.

Today, Jordon is a Strongman competitor and Jesse is a figure competitor, so the family of four are a familiar sight at Militia Fitness. Whether it be lifting weights or having spontaneous dance parties to celebrate personal records, the entire family gets in on the daily workout routine.

Its awesome, said Jesse. We follow the program of the gym, but we scale it back for the kids and make it fun for them. We focus on teaching them form first, but we always make it fun.

For us its about longevity, added Jordon. We always say, Lets have fun with this, because there is no way youre going to stay with fitness for life unless youre having fun.

Jordon said that he believes that statement so much that he built the phrase into the gyms motto; Community, Never Quit and Have Fun.

The community is for edifying and its fun to workout with other people. Never quit is about staying consistent and having fun is about enjoying what youre doing; it should be difficult but enjoyable.

As for the kids, Jesse and Jordon said in their gyms, kids of all ages are welcome.

We are very family friendly, said Jesse. I think as the kids sit there and watch their parents, it inspires them to want to workout. We have members who tell us their 1 year olds do burpees at home.

Sure enough, even before the camera was rolling, Brodie and Slade got to work. Brodie attempted her first ever chin-up, and upon accomplishing it, celebrated by ringing the P.R. bell.

Slade took a challenge from his dad, and the two dead-lifted over their heads and held the barbell for a father-son pose.

They cant help it, they love it, said Jesse.

Hooyah! called Jordon, to which his wife and quickly kids echoed, Never Quit!

Link:
Fitness is a family thing - Destin Log

MSNBC

David Petraeus: Trump's fitness for office is 'immaterial' | MSNBC MSNBC Retired Gen. David Petraeus appeared at the Aspen Idea Festival last week, and fielded an awkward question about Donald Trump. His answer, however, is ... and more »

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David Petraeus: Trump's fitness for office is 'immaterial' | MSNBC - MSNBC

By Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

Apex will open the new Elevate Fitness Course on Saturday, which the town says is the first of its kind in the country.

Inspired by the popular obstacle course fitness trend, the course features a variety of pieces where participants can jump, balance and climb.

It's designed with teens in mind - ages 13 and up - because of the size and difficulty of the devices. Younger kids may have fun here, but they might not be big enough to reach up or use the equipment as intended. But, Angela Reincke, Apex parks planner, said the town's parks and recreation department will be creating programs for all ages and abilities there, including, potentially seniors and those with special needs.

"It's a 'ninja warrior course,'" said Reincke, "but something most of us can do."

The course is at Apex Community Park, 2200 Laura Duncan Rd., Apex. A ribbon cutting is set for 9 a.m., Saturday. If you go, be ready to work out. It will be free to use the course.

Reincke said the course is less than a year in the making and is opening thanks to a collaboration with Wisconsin-based Burke Playground Equipment and Morrisville-based Barrs Recreation, a family-owned business that sells commercial playground equipment from Burke.

Apex's course is a national test site. There, Burke is developing fitness courses that will eventually be held at the course and, potentially, elsewhere around the country. In August, the company will share more details about the programs they are working to create and the benefits, Reincke said.

Reincke said the project was a natural fit for Apex where officials have been working to offer more programs and venues that appeal to teens - often a hard-to-reach population. The town opened a skateboard plaza in 2015. In fact, then President Barack Obama recognized Apex Police Captain Jacques Gilbert as a Champion for Change because of his work to open the skate plaza in downtown Apex.

Finding fun, safe and healthy activities for teens, said Reincke, has been a "huge focus." She hopes that teens will give it a shot.

"If they're not really engaged in a sport, you miss getting the teen population involved," Reincke said. "Our hope is it's not just a playground, but that it's kind of cool."

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Apex to open 'ninja warrior' fitness park Saturday - WRAL.com

Fitness expert Emily Skye is happily welcoming the body changes that go along with pregnancy.

Known for her super toned stomach and fit physique, the Australian star, 32 who isexpecting her first child with partner Declan Redmond and is currently 4 months pregnant proudly showed off her growing belly in a series of Instagram photos.

I have cellulite on my butt & thighs & my muscle mass & strength continues to decrease but you know what?! Im absolutely loving all of the changes my body (& mind) is making, Skye wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of herself in a floral bikini at 16 weeks pregnant. I know many women struggle with bodily changes during pregnancy and I probably would have too years ago but now Im completely embracing and celebrating these changes. Every little change excites me and makes me happy because Im growing @recdedmonds & my little person which is incredible!

Skye, who has been outspoken her imperfections on social media, also offered words of encouragement for other women.

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I know going through these changes can be difficult for many people but just remember the BIG picture & what is truly most important, she said. How we look or having some extra body fat or cellulite is insignificant.I know Ive said this before but I just want to remind you all (pregnant or not) that you are amazing and beautiful and how much body fat you have doesnt change that. Its always good to get some perspective and remind yourself of whats most important in life.

The fitness influencer also posted another smiling selfie at 16 weeks pregnant, while wearing a top tied at her waist and a fitted skirt that hugged her baby bump.

Ive been feeling little bubba moving lately! He/she woke me up at 3am this morning doing what felt like flips in my uterus, Skye wrote. Such an amazing thing to wake up to. Ive been feeling flutters for a few weeks now but nothing this intense. So exciting!

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Pregnant Fitness Star Emily Skye on Her Body Changes - People - PEOPLE.com

Lets face it: if youve fallen offor have yet to jump onthe fitness bandwagon, it can be pretty challenging to get motivated to hit the gym, or go for an early morning run. Sound familiar? Dont worry, because youre certainly not alone. Taking that first step towards becoming a dedicated exercise fiend is tough. But luckily, there are tricks that can help you get started. Watch this video to learn tips from five seasoned fitness stars, or check out their advice below:

Put your shoes by your bed at the end of the day. Wake up and put your yoga mat next to your bed. Do a 5-minute chair yoga routine at your desk. Just start to sneak fitness into your life and it will start to become more and more of a habit. Kristin McGee

I always tell people just to start with 10 minutes a day. Just wake up 10 minutes earlier and try something just for 10 minutes. That 10 minutes becomes 15 minutes, and eventually 30 minutes. And there youve got a really good time for fitness! Denise Austin

WATCH THE VIDEO:Tracy Andersons Top Arm-Sculpting Exercises You Can Do Anywhere

It doesnt have to be a HIIT workout, you can start slowgo for a 10-minute walkand progress from there. Katie Austin

Just start with little movements and reward yourself for tiny thingsrolling out your yoga mat, getting out of the car at the gym, stepping onto the treadmillthatll help you continue with your goals. Jessamyn Stanley

Take a deep breath, slow down, take it one step at a time. Dont dream of huge drastic results. Just know its really important to take care of your health. Tracy Anderson

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5 Fitness Stars' Top Advice on How to Start Working Out - Health.com

Welcome to This Week in Wellness! Once a week, we'll bring you the latest news from the wellness world that has SELF editors talking while sporting our favorite swimsuits .

Here's What We're Talking About

What this means, we think, is that it's time to bust out your favorite two-piece suit and strut your stuff, even if you just do it in your house. And if you don't own a bikini, put on a one piece (sound fancy and call it a maillot) and do the same damn thing because you should absolutely love your own body and wear whatever the heck makes you feel like a queen. Or consider National Bikini Day your excuse to check out some of our favorite affordable styles from Forever21 or a suit that won't fall down , no matter how active you getincluding that living-room strut. (Let these amazing body-positive women inspire you if you're still feeling a bit shy.)

Many international airports have their fitness studio game on lock, with in-terminal, tricked-out locations in destinations including Dubai, Munich, and Singapore. Just announced: This fall, Heathrow Airport will roll out its own gym, designed in partnership with FlyFit. The space will offer both instructor-led and interactive strength, restorative yoga, and cardio classes. Located at the London airport's Terminal Two, there will also be rental workout clothing, shower facilities, and healthy food options on site to ensure a trip (at least to your destination) full of fitness.

The trend is taking off stateside, too. (Sorry, had to.) While airports like Dallas-Fort Worth and San Francisco International both offer in-terminal yoga studios, ROAM Fitness just launched their second location in Chicago, after a successful airport fitness studio launch at Baltimore-Washington International, in the nation's capital. ROAM, like FlyFit's Heathrow facility, has a slew of classes, machines, showers, and even Lulu apparel to borrow. But you have to give it back. Bummer, I know.

Yoga can be served up all kinds of waysfloating in the pool , Harry Potter-style yoga, and goat yoga come to mindbut the latest trend to hit the L.A. yoga scene isn't one we could have expected. Toronto-based studio Yoga Modo is offering its cult-favorite hot-yoga classes set to live violins at its brand-new Echo Park location, according to the Los Angeles Times . Another studio is set to open in the beachside Venice neighborhood by the end of the summer, which has us wondering what kind of live music that studio will be seeingbecause you never really know what's gonna go down in eccentric Venice.

Have you ever sat down and thought about how much coffee you drank over the past ten years? Neither have we, though we have thought about how it affects our body . This weekend, one amazingly inspirational Friends superfan decided to tally up every single cup of each of the main characters drank in the 236 episodes aired on NBC, according to Food Beast . That's a lot of television watching. We're impressed. But Twitter user Kit Lovelace was insistent on completing his mission, and discovered that the biggest coffee drinker was Phoebe, clocking in with 227 cups, while Rachel was at the bottom, having consumed just 138 cups. Maybe that's why she was never a good waitress? Check out the work Lovelace did on Twitter below.

Power naps are the stuff of godsand experts back us up here! "The power nap is a godsend," James B. Maas, Ph.D., sleep expert, professor and past chair of the psychology department at Cornell University, told SELF in 2016 , as it helps with attention, concentration, memory, mood, and stress management. But when it comes to snoozing, Europe's got us beat on how to get some quick shut eye: napping bars. That's right, nap bars are now a thing in Spain, because, well, siestas. You can now visit Siesta and Go in Madrid, as reported by Well + Good, where you are able to rent QT in bed by the minute until you're refreshed. And with locations already in Brussels, London, and Tokyo, we just have one question: Can you please open one up in the States soon?

And just in case you weren't morose enough already to be back to the office after the July 4th holiday, take a look at this MESMERIZING hyperlapse video that Ina Garten posted last week that's giving us serious holiday FOMO. What's become an "annual tradition" to Gartenthe creation of a flag-inspired cakehas also become a social-media challenge, one that yes, our bellies are very happy with. Check out the video below, but only if you promise not to cry that you had to go back to work today.

Tune in next week for more wellness news!

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Airport Fitness Studios Are Opening All Over and It's Kind of Amazing - SELF

Youve all seen the hashtags. #Base #Push #AllOut. The buzzfeed articles on Orangetheory Fitness. Your timeline and Instagram feeds fill up with the familiar post workout summary of how many splat points your friends all got. Then the follow up questions from their fellow Orangenation people. OMG was it a power day? No wait..endurance. It must be endurance. Because at Orangetheory Fitness, every one of their studios is doing the exact same workout on that exact same day. These are just a few of the reasons I joined the Orangetheory Fitness coaching team.

The one thing that has been constant about the fitness industry is that it is always embracing the newest of everything

Ive been in the fitness industry for just over 20 years and have to say Ive seen it all. I think Ive been around long enough to even be a part of most of it. Except slide. Im quite happy I wasnt a part of slide. The fitness industry is a very interesting industry due to its constant evolving and trending. There are celebrity trainers by the boat load and for every celebrity trainer with a DVD fitness program there are 1000 more trainers thinking they are going to be the next one. The one thing that has been constant about the fitness industry is that it is always embracing the newest of everything. Technologies and what will make the biggest difference in the world of fitness and health.

From spin classes that have video screens taking you on an imaginary outside ride through the hillsides of France to boots with springs on them that make you jump like a kangaroo. Then came the world of wearable technology. This is what Ill refer to as the start. NOT the game changer. But the start of it all. The Nike fuel band gave way to Fitbit and the Apple Watch. But when you think about it. Other then a pedometer what else do people use it for? Are they actually checking their heart rate throughout the day? Or in their workouts?

Ive taught everything from Bootcamp to Spin, PiYo to P90X. One thing I can tell you, my body has suffered. That just seems to be a byproduct of the world of inspiring, teaching, motivating and changing lives. Do as I say not as I do. The amount of abuse my body and thousands of other instructors has taken over the years. Even if as an instructor you subscribe, like I do, to the 30% rule of never doing more the 30% of the class youre teaching which usually rounds out to about 40 to 45%. But were usually teaching approximately 20 classes a week to make sure we can afford to do things, like live. Do that long enough and some of that living expense goes to things like massage and chiropractors to help heal what weve done to ourselves. Now, Im going to be honest with you. About 20% of the people we were helping in big box freestyle classes actually get results. Not that they dont want to. But they just dont know what their output is. Its not just that they dont know their output, theyre probably in a class with 40 or more people and one instructor that to be honest, cant watch all 40 at the same time.

Im no longer an instructor. Im a Coach

So why did I leave big box fitness, a position as a Master Trainer of a very large fitness company and brand and format? Well, to be honest. I like being on top. Orangetheory Fitness is just getting warmed up and at this point the sky is the limit. When I say I want to be at the top I mean with a company that is leading the change. For the first time in ever there is a workout that has FINALY put together the old with the new. Wearable technology that broadcasts each individual in the class heart rate percentage to a screen in the room which allows the coach to help the member get to where their heart rate needs to be. Along side good old fashioned (updated and top of the line) treadmills, water rowers and strength training all in a less then a one hour workout. As a coach I am able to do what Im passionate about and thats changing lives. Being a part of someones journey. Not that I wasnt before but I get to actually see their progress in real time. Day after day. Help them push to levels I've not been able to do before because theres a difference between someones Perceived exertion and Actual exertion. I also get to put my knowledge and experience and passion into each class and not feel like Im killing my body to do it. Any instructor reading this knows what Im talking about. Carrying KT Tape, ice packs and Aleve in my gym bag after teaching 9 classes in two days. Like I said, do as I say not as I do. Im no longer an instructor. Im a Coach. Because at Orangetheory Im coaching members to reach their best. To push one more rep out. To increase their speed by 0.1 miles an hour to show them that they are capable of doing it. Which makes them capable of reaching the goals they thought were just too far out of reach to achieve.

Being with Orangetheory allows me to do what I truly love. Help change lives

It is so hard for a group x instructor to know exactly what people are actually doing in class when it comes to their exertion. Thats why we call it RPE or a Rate of Perceived Exertion. We still use that in Orangetheory but its in conjunction with the heart rate monitors. Teaching members what they should FEEL like at each level. Then we add EPOC. Thats the Excess Post Exercise Oxygen where Orangetheory Fitness members get to burn more 15%-20% more calories at rest for 24 to 36 hours after class. I tell my members its the magic pill weve all been looking for except it takes just under an hour to swallow. This is the first workout that I know of that has science backing it. HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training is one of the most poplar and effective systems a person can do. Adding a heart rate monitor to make sure you are where you need to be and at the right time isnt a colourful gimmick. Its the Game Changer. As you workout 3 to 4 times a week at Orangetheory and I get to watch the speeds of members on the treadmill increase because you see their heart rate is getting stronger is amazing. Working with groups of up to 14 people on the fitness floor doing strength training feeds my love of personal training and once again, allowing me to help them change. The water rowers are the thing that people love to hate. Its hard for so many and once again, Its part of the draw to Orangetheory Fitness. Because its the challenge members are looking for. They're looking for a change. That change is in themselves. They know its hard. But they also know that you are stronger with a challenge. They know that theyve already don't that comfortable thing. Its time for them to get uncomfortable.

I left big box freestyle fitness to join Orangetheory Fitness because its the way fitness is going. Its the way leadership in the fitness industry is going. I dont want to have my face on a DVD or infomercial. I want to be a part of someones journey. I want to see people smile when they know theyve done it. Orangetheory Fitness. With their pre-formatted workouts and constant monitoring of our members and their TRIBE like group of members and coaches are changing the world and I wanted to be a part of that. From what Ive seen so do the members. Theres a reason youre seeing Orangetheory Fitness pop up all over the place. IT WORKS!!! It works for members. It works for fitness professionals.

Just like change is hard for our members. It was hard for change in me. To give up what I had known in fitness for years. To leave making my own classes. My own playlists. It was hard. But I took the energy and effort in making the best classes ahead of time to making the best classes in real time. Being with Orangetheory allows me to do what I truly love. Help change lives. Not just others, but my own. I left big box to grow. I left big box to be the best.

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Why I Left a Career in Freestyle, Big Box Fitness for Orangetheory Fitness - HuffPost

The following story is excerpted from TIMEs special edition, The Science of Exercise , which is available at Amazon .

If your exercise routine is in need of an update, look no further. Exercise isnt boring with these four innovative (and wacky) fitness routines.

Aaron Kirking/courtesy of The Aviary

Christine Longe (not shown), The Aviary

Im the type of person who is easily bored by group fitness classes. (I also hate cardio.) Ive tried yoga, Pilates and spinning, but I always end up just watching the clock. One day, I learned about a local circus workshop and decided to enroll. I fell in love with aerial acrobatics and committed myself full-time to circus exercises. Soon my friends were asking how I got such toned arms. All I do is circus stuff! Id say.

I then decided that more people could benefit from this type of exercise if it were more accessibleand lower to the ground. I bought several aerial hammocks (large swaths of fabric that can hold 2,000 pounds) and opened my first aerial fitness studio in Minneapolis. Using the fabrics, I developed a body weight-training workout that uses strength exercises inspired by Pilates and barre as well as aerial moves. I tell every new client that aerial fitness is not about getting skinny; its about getting strong. When youre up in the air, you have to hold up your body weight and engage your core to keep a pose steady. Thats part of what makes this type of exercise so effective. People are willing to put in the work to get strong because they want to be able to do the fun aerial moves.

People are often terrified before they go upside down for the first time, but once they get there, they always start giggling and laughing. Aerial exercises are something anyone can do with practice. I think thats one of the things that makes this type of exercise so special: people build up the courage to be vulnerable and try something new, and when they achieve something they couldnt do before, they want to keep coming back.

Paula Lobo/courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Monica Bill Barnes (right), Anna Bass (left) and Robert Saenz de Viteri, Monica Bill Barnes & Company

Three years ago, our dance company was approached by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to create a performance for the museum. It was an incredible opportunity, and we decided to try something different: we developed a workout that the public could do while walking throughout the museum, looking at art. The museum agreed, and the Met Workout was born.

During the 45-minute workout, held before the museum opens to the public, we lead people around the Met with exercises like speed walking, arm pumping and squats. Our route spans two miles, with stops at around 13 pieces of art. We play fun music as well as narrations about the art. Its equal parts workout, performance and guided tour. All the movements in the Met Workout are easy to follow, but people still work up a sweat.

Though we are classically trained dancers, and not aerobics instructors or exercise fanatics, we spend a lot of time being physical and finding unique ways to use the space around us. Weve always loved the idea that physical activity can open us up to perceiving things in different ways, which is why we wanted to make the experience of visiting a museum even more special.

The response has been incredible. The workouts sell out quickly, and so far males and females ages 12 to 86 have joined in the fun. Just the fact that this type of experience exists feels revolutionary.

Robin Cerutti/courtesy of Aquastudio

Esther Gauthier, AQUA Studio

I am originally from France, and about five years ago I took an aqua cycling class in Paris and fell completely in love with it. I used to swim growing up, and I thought it was brilliant to put a bike in the water and work out in the pool in a different way.

I decided to open my own underwater cycling studio in New York, to see if other people liked it. At AQUA Studio, our bikes are submerged in four feet of water, and we offer a variety of workouts that range from interval training to restorative classes.

Water has natural healing properties, which is why its so healthy to work out in the pool. Compared with cycling on land, cycling in the water is a full-body workout. While we pedal, we also practice some swimming strokes, so people work their legs and their arms at the same time. The water also provides a lot of resistance that you dont get from normal biking.

Underwater cycling is actually inspired by physical therapy techniques. People who are injured often undergo rehabilitation in the water since it puts less pressure on their muscles and joints. Water is also more forgiving because it supports your body weight.

What I like about cycling in the water is the natural massage you get as you pedal. Being in the water also makes exercise really fun, and its the type of exercise people can do every single day if they want.

Best of all, I love how happy people are after class. I think this comes from how therapeutic the water it is. Often people arrive at the studio stressed out about work or their commute, but once theyre in the water, they release a lot of tension. Trying a new type of fitness like this can be intimidating, but I always tell people that this type of exercise is first and foremost about feeling good.

Photo by Stefania Curto/courtesy of TrampoLEAN NYC

Louis Coraggio, trampoLEAN

Growing up in Lindenhurst on Long Island, New York, I always loved bouncing up and down on the trampoline in my backyard. Years later, I discovered there was a way to teach fitness classes using small trampolines, and I opened my own trampoline fitness company, called trampoLEAN.

During my classes, people are on a trampoline for a full 50 minutes. We may do some low jumping for a couple minutes, then some push-ups, followed by some balance moves. Its not an easy workout, but people have a great time when they let loose and have fun.

Sometimes people worry that they will get injured on a trampoline. But the trampolines in my classes are very safe and low to the ground. The workouts are actually lower-impact than other types of exercises, such as running.

Trampoline workouts help circulate blood and oxygen to all the tissues in the body, including the brain. They're also calorie scorchers, and the repetitive movements of jumping up and down build healthy muscle.

Most importantly, trampoline workouts are really fun. They take you back to the happy days of being a kidwhich feels good for both the body and the mind.

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4 Weird Ways to Work Out - TIME

If you had childhood dreams of running off and joining the circus, the slackline fitness trend is a healthy way to revive your lost passion and get an incredible workout in, too. Gunnar Peterson , who's trained celebrities including Khloe Kardashian, Amber Heard, and Jennifer Lopez, posted a video on Instagram of the technique in action, and it's equal parts fun and brutal.

Slackline fitnessalso known as slacklininginvolves performing exercises on a narrow, flat line of webbing that's suspended between two anchors low to the ground, either on a workout machine or between to trees or posts, old school-style. It's similar to tightrope walking except that the line is, as the name implies, slack instead of tight. This makes it especially difficult to maintain balance.

Peterson showed off fellow fitness pro Paige Hathaway testing out her skills on a machine at his LA gym (to the tune of Kanye West's " Fade ," for additional enjoyment).

"There are many benefits to slackline training including improving your balance, core, and building lower body strength," Peterson wrote in the caption. "Training should never be boring...It should be fun and challenging! Get out there and switch up your routine!" Peterson's post shows Hathaway doing step-ups with a reverse lunge, a compound exercise on its own that targets your glutes, hamstrings, quads, and abs, using the slackline machine. As you can see, the slackline adds a major challenge.

The wobbly training tool requires laser focus and a willingness to get back up there when you stumble (which definitely happens). Although Gunnar uses the slackline as a strength-training tool, most enthusiasts start off by trying to stay on the slackline as long as possible. You can then progress to walking, crawling, or even performing tricks such as handstands or lunges on the slackline. To see outdoor slacklining in action, check out Swedish athlete Jenny "Kitsune" Adolfsson practicing a basic slackline walk:

Slacklining is particularly incredible core challenge , says fitness and lifestyle expert Lisa Tanker , C.P.T. "Your core comes into play with anything that requires balance, because you have to engage your core to stay stable," she tells SELF. But even though your core is the major stabilizer here, a balance challenge this intense engages pretty much your entire body, including your ankles, calves, thighs, and hips.

Working on your balance is an important part of a fitness routine in its own right, toobetter balance helps protect you against preventable injuries from stumbles and falls, says Tanker. (If you self-identify as clumsy, working on balance is a must.)

That said, it's important to be safe with slacklining, because it can cause injuries if you're not cautious. This isn't exactly a beginner workout tool, so Tanker recommends starting slow. For example, don't jump straight into exercises like Hathaway's step-ups with reverse lunges if you haven't mastered the balance element on solid ground. If you've never slacklined before, begin by just trying to balance on it. It's best to do it with other people around to spot you (and a trainer, if you're doing actual exercises) and set the line up above a soft surface, like grass or sand. And as always, if you have any injuries, make sure you check in with your doctor before starting a new activity.

If you do decide to channel your inner acrobat with a slackline, here are a couple of other examples of the tool in action. Olympic shooter Sarah Scherer uses a slackline machine for balance training:

You can also anchor a regular slackline to a couple of trees for a fun outdoor workout. Tanker notes that this is one of the best parts about slacklining: Even if you're not doing lunges in a gym on a machine, it can be a fun way to try something different with a group of friends.

If you're ready to give it a go, you can buy slacklines online . Again, safety first: Follow the instructions for your individual slackline so you know how to make sure it's secure, how far it should be from the ground, and how to get started.

"It may not be your full workout, but it's a way to test yourself and try something new," says Tanker. Happy slacklining!

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Slackline Fitness Is the Next Big Thing in Workout Trends - SELF

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