When your usual workout routine just isn’t cutting it anymore, it may be time to try something new with these interesting ways to stay fit this spring.
1. Conquer your fear of heights with West Coast Flying Trapeze. It offers classes and parties for pretty much all ages and all comfort levels, so if you ever wanted to unleash your inner Dick Grayson, this sport may be for you.
“[Participants] range from people who are just doing it as a one-off bucket list item to people who train with us almost every day, and are trying to become professionals,” saystrapeze coach Kimberly Dioszeghy.Dioszeghy adds that comfort levels vary with every person, but anyone should try trapeze. “It's really active. It doesn't take as much strength as you think it would. I think it's a really great way to challenge yourself, whether it's climbing the ladder or jumping off the platform,” she says.
2. Need something a little scarier than heights to get moving? Try Zombies, Run!, an app that gets you running by striking a little fear into your heart. You download the app, start moving, then hear your mission and music through headphones. If the app warns you that you’re being chased by zombies, you have to speed up. You’ll automatically collect supplies along the way to build up your base. The game has over 200 different missions, and different levels of speed.
3. Maybe you’re not into zombies, but mermaids are your thing? Swim like the fishes at Vancouver Mermaids International. Monofinning works out your legs and core, and is more beneficial to your body than swimming without a fin.
“Monofinning is probably one of the most efficient workouts you can do because it works out your whole body,” says Lori Pappajohn, co-director of Mermaids International. “The amount of muscle you need to move that amount of water is crazy. You work out your legs and feet, and your back, core, and to do it the mermaid way you use your arms.”
Pappajohn says that mermaiding is also great for flexibility and meditation. “So, you have the sport, the meditation, and you have the art, and it's beautiful. It's pure poetry.”
4. Prefer to bond with creatures of the land? Relax with your best friend by trying out Doga – aka dog yoga. According to Fix.com (via iamavancouverdog.com), dogs make the perfect yoga companions because yoga is about “being in the moment and developing oneness”, which dogs already have due to their pack mentality. Doga also develops the bond between dogs and humans, teaches trust, aids in relaxation and relief, improves circulation, and can make dogs more mellow.
Vancouver doesn’t have any doga studios yet, but you can still try it at home with some poses for you and your dog. Try the Chair pose by having your dog sit on its hind legs and hold it from behind, then raise the dog’s front paws in the air and hold the pose. Or connect with the Heart-to-Hound Mudra, by placing one hand over your heart and the other over your dog’s heart, then hold that pose as you close your eyes and breath slowly.
5. If you don’t have a dog and you’re already over paddle-board yoga, maybe naked yoga is for you. Apparently, doing yoga naked leads to a “unique awareness of one's own body”, and clothing can hinder flexibility. Or maybe you just like being naked. Either way, swing by Nude Dude Yoga (if you’re a dude). They also offer partner yoga classes. There aren’t currently any public naked yoga studios for women in Vancouver so, ladies, you’ll have to try this one from home.
6. For something a little more intense, we recommend parkour. Origins Parkour offers classes for ages five to 65+. Based out of a 10,000-sq.-ft. building, the coaches at Origins teach people how to use walls, ledges and spaces to get from one area to the next in the coolest or most efficient way possible.
7. Want to go even higher? Push yourself by trying rock climbing at Cliffhanger. With over 150,000 sq. ft. of walls and 53 ropes, plus lead climbing, crack climbing, route setting, and bouldering, rock climbing is a fun way to get in shape and really good for group activities.
8. Have you tried running backwards? Because apparently it’s way better for you than running forwards. Backward running, aka retro running, has benefits such as improving muscular balance by strengthening the opposing muscles to what you usually use when running. It also burns more calories. Apparently, taking 100 steps backwards is the same as taking 1,000 steps forward. Maybe have someone with you running forward, though. Safety first.
9. Looking for empowerment and a good workout? Get in touch with your sexy side by trying Tantra Fitness’s lap dancing classes. Lap dancing teaches you muscle control while toning your core. Tantra also offers pole dancing, twerking, and aerial fitness.
“Most participants come because they're curious, or they want to tap into their sexy side in a safe space, but it is actually surprising how challenging the class is,” says Tantra lap dance coach Laura Gordon. “You actually have to tap into moving in a slow and sensual way. You get this amazing ab workout. Going into a squat or leaning over, you get a leg workout. It's almost like fitness in disguise.”
The class starts with training in sensual movement, then works its way up to doing a routine, it is open to anyone over the age of 19, all genders, ages and body types.
“Sensual movement is for everybody,” she says. “Confidence and sexiness is not about what you look like. It's about how you feel.”
10. Work out on the trampoline you were never allowed to have as a kid with mini trampoline classes at Seacity Fitness. The cardio class focuses on high-energy, rebounding and strength exercises on a mini trampoline. The class is described as upbeat and energetic, and incorporates a lot of music. Just no double bouncing.
