The hottest fitness trends

Spinning (Indoor cycling class): Ride to cardio fitness
Riding on specially designed stationary bikes, an instructor leads you through different drills and across simulated terrain and situations similar to riding outside. Energizing music, invigorating drills and helpful visualizations ("Let's climb a mountain") heighten the experience. You modulate the riding difficulty by the amount of resistance you put on the wheel, your rhythm (or speed), and whether you sit or stand.

Benefits:
• Anyone of any fitness level can do it.
• An efficient way to burn calories (you can spin away between 400 and 800 calories per hour).
• Low impact, so it's not hard on joints.
• Strengthens heart and leg muscles; core muscles are also at work.
• You'll become a stronger outdoor cyclist (and cross-country skier), too.
• Offers variety. Try a boot-camp class, featuring high-intensity cycling drills, or a mind/body class, where visualization is emphasized.
• Fosters a sense of community – class regulars become supportive buddies. "And the effort in the class is contagious," says Lisa Lindsay, 35, a wife and mom of three kids in Wellington, Ont. "You can close your eyes and make it a personal experience, or you can keep them wide open and enjoy the journey with everyone around you."
 
What you need:
• Padded cycling shorts or get a gel seatcover to use in class.
• A stationary bike that can be set up to fit your body (for example, set the handlebars and seat to your specific needs). Ask the instructor for guidance.
• Proper form. To sit correctly, says Kim Lavender, director of group exercise and program development at GoodLife Fitness clubs, "roll back on your sits bones (the bones you feel under you when you sit up straight on a firm surface) and engage your abdominals."
• Use the toe clips to pedal efficiently: push at the front end, and pull at the back end of the pedal stroke.
• Lots of water.

Where/how to get started: Take a class at a cycling studio (average $15 to $20 per class) or fitness club. Ride two to three times a week for training benefits.

Cross-training options: Consider activities such as running, tennis and yoga.

Read more:
• Fitness for life
• 6 frugalista fitness tips
• Fitness on-the-go

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