Psychocycling, meet hot Yoga

~Local fitness centers offer a variety of ways to stay in shape

Remember leotards, lunges and leg lifts?

There are more than 75 ways to get a group workout at local fitness centers, and only a handful are traditional aerobics classes.

From power mat pilates to tae chi and spinning, the daily workout has evolved.

Take water aerobics for example.

Once reserved for the elderly or rehabilitation patients, aquatic classes are now becoming popular among clients seeking a rigorous cardiovascular workout, says Toni Craft, group exercise coordinator at FitnessPlus in Cape Girardeau.

"You still burn calories and get your body temperature up, but there isn't so much pressure on your joints," says Craft. "It's really great for everyone."

Hot Yoga puts a spin on the traditional yoga course. Taught in a room where the temperature is elevated, clients will sweat more therefore burn more calories.

"Your muscles stay warmer helping you to be more flexible so you'll burn more calories," says Craft.

Fitness manager at HealthPoint Plaza, Amy Southerland, commented on the growing popularity of non-traditional aerobics class.

"Psycho-Cycling is a two-hour program of cycling to great music," she says. Some people stay for an hour, some people stay the entire time, it's entirely up to the client.

The most popular class is Bodypump, says Southerland. The course is a rigorous hour of barbell training that will strengthen and tone the entire body. Bodypump is part of an international fitness program that began in New Zealand in the mid 1960s and has grown to 10,000 licensed facilities worldwide.

The facility also offers a variety of aquatic and yoga classes. There is an aquatic suspension class keeping participants from touching the bottom of the pool for 45 minutes. Yoga classes are tailored for anyone, from those needing arthritic rehabilitation to those seeking a more challenging workout.