Dance Classes, Goat Yoga, and Other Unconventional Workouts to Know

When it comes to working out, there is no wrong way to do it. (Other than incorrect form, of course!) As long as you aren’t hurting yourself or the people around you, you should feel comfortable to explore any and all means of keeping fit. After all, there are innumerable benefits to exercising regularly. You might as well find a way to do it that you have fun doing and, therefore, can stick to.

Here are some unconventional workouts to spice up your fitness journey.

Dance Classes

Dance classes are a great way to keep fit. For those of us without rhythm (you know who you are), they are also a great way to get our groove on in a safe and nonjudgmental environment. There are so many classes out there that you are sure to find something in your preferred genre of music.

“Another benefit of joining an exercise class centered around a genre of music you like is the people you meet there,” says Hip Dance Company & Studio in Utah. If you are into country music, for example, and you attend a square-dancing class, you are likely to meet a ton of people who also like country music. You don’t even need to be embarrassed about being sweaty, because everyone else is in the same boat! Talk about an effective ice breaker.

With a good dance-centric class, you will have an entirely new appreciation for the dancers in your life, be they the backup dancers you see on television or your boss breakdancing at the company christmas party.

Water Aerobics

If you have joint pain or are concerned about your knees, water aerobics is a terrific way to squeeze in your cardio without putting any of your joints at risk. It’s called a low-impact exercise for that very reason. Seniors suffering from arthritis will be especially pleased with water aerobics.

Kettlebells

Kettlebells are kind of intimidating. In popular culture, they have been relegated to the realm of gym rats and buff dudes who spend a third of their waking hours pumping iron. But it’s time to get in on the kettlebell spirit! There is no end to the opportunity for challenging core and weight workouts, even for the laymen (like yours truly!).

Goat Yoga

Do I need to say more? Goat yoga is a hot new trend in yoga, wherein yogis get into the spirit with baby goats clomping around their yoga mats. Here you can prevent slipping on yoga mat. No judgment, but there is something unappealing about the smell of goats as you are gearing up for downward dog.

But speaking of yoga…

Hot Yoga

There is nothing like a steam room after a nice long workout—unless you combine the two! Hot yoga is the best of both worlds. You get the full benefits of sweating all those nasty toxins out of your pores while you are relaxing your mind and spirit. Okay, what could be better than that?

Plus, the heat from hot yoga rooms will facilitate your muscles stretching further. Of course, always listen to trained professionals and consult your doctor before taking on any routine, but especially when it comes to hot yoga. The heat is so effective at loosening up your muscles that you could end up pushing past their normal limits without meaning to. Yikes!

All Sorts of Weird Yoga

With the explosion of yoga’s popularity has come all sorts of companies trying to capitalize on it. Yoga studios are constantly trying to one-up each other. A quick search for yoga in your area will likely yield a list of studios offering your standard yoga classes in tandem with gems such as “ganja yoga,” which see yogis smoking marijuana before going into full vinyasana. 

Hula Hoop Workout

Hula hooping is something that seems lost to the pages of time. You might see your kid cousins doing it or your nieces and nephews at the family BBQ, but you never really consider it as a means of achieving your peak physical form.

But there are companies out there that tout the benefits of hula hooping for tightening one’s core and slimming the waist. The benefits of this workout are that it is easy to learn (if you don’t already know how to hula hoop) and easy to do at home, if you have the right equipment…or, in this case, just one weighted hula hoop.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a fun and novel way to keep fit, you are not alone. If traditional weight lifting or ritualized cardio is not your speed, or you’re just bored to death of the same old thing, you will find a treasure trove of weirdos and revolutionaries just like you in the workout world that feel the same way.

Keep an open mind, and try anything once. After all, you never know what you will like until you are actually doing it! And even if it doesn’t work out, you fit in your workout for the day with your experiment, and if you are really turned off, you never have to step into another goat yoga class again.