Smile while you sweat. New workout trends teach people to burn calories while they bust a move.
Dance Dance Revolution, according to Kyle Cook, freshman, is more than just a 50 cent video game, but a fun alternative for a treadmill.
“I work up a good sweat within 15 minutes, it really gets your heart rate going,” Cook said. “On the home version of DDR they even have a mode that counts how many calories you burn. When I got the home version of DDR I lost 15 pounds in one month.”
Cook, along with other DDR fanatics, believes DDR would be a great asset to the rec center.
Valerie Holland, a personal trainer and aerobics instructor, believes aerobic dance is a trend that is becoming more popular than traditional aerobics classes. Workout routines such as belly dancing, juggling and kickboxing make going to the gym easier, she said.
“Alternative exercises leave people with more options that better fit their lifestyles,” Holland said. “When you’re doing something new and fun, you really don’t even consider it working out.”
Molly Bauman, another personal trainer at the Rec, said Fun Fusion is a popular aerobics dance class offered at the Rec once a week.
“Fun Fusion is like Jazzersize, but with hip hop,” she said. “The instructor will show the class a move and then you keep adding on from there. People don’t even look at it as exercise, more as just as something fun to do.”
Belly dancing is a great source of exercise for people of all ages because it is not as strenuous as kickboxing and there are no weights involved, Bauman said. There has been talk about getting a belly dancing class started at the rec center, she said.
Even exotic dancing has been turned into a workout routine.
Carmen Electra’s advanced aerobic striptease workout videos are great for girls who get bored with regular old workout videos, said sophomore Sara Koscianski.
“I didn’t know what to expect at first, but when I woke up the next morning I was sore,” Koscianski said. “It’s not a cheesy dance at all, and it’s really fun. It gives girls a chance to feel sexy and good about themselves, and I think that’s important.”
