Having started in this wonderful industry just short of 30 years ago, I have seen LOTS of changes in how we exercise!  The first classes I ever taught, back in the early 80s, were called TEAM TIME.  This was before the word aerobics was even coined!  Team Time was an already choreographed, simple routine, produced by the people at Elaine Powers Figure Salons corporate offices.  Mass shipped to all their salons, and then learned by the instructors so they could then teach it to their class.  It was silly and fun and the song Let it Whip, will always remind me of those days.  At Cosmopolitan Lady, also and all female "spa" in Tamarac and also "pre" aerobics, we would put together our own music and our own routines and made up our own trendy class names.  That gorgeous spa brings back memories of my first pregnancy and how enormous I was!  Just a week after I gave birth to Derek that place closed it's doors and the gym across the street, then known as Jack LaLanne's took over all their members.  My mom would watch Derek when I taught there, and as I recall, we were a handful of instructors who now ALL taught what we officially called aerobics...and we all pretty much taught it the same way.  Combining grapevines with step touches was about all we knew how to do, and soon enough there was a certification for this and I was one of the first to get on board.

Then Reebok came along with the step.  Yoga started making it's way into gyms.  Soon after research proved that even women should lift weights and body sculpting became big.  Suddenly we had choices.  In the 90s Billy Banks brought kickboxing to the fitness forefront t with his Tae-Bo classes and videos.  Core training also became a buzz and when Pilates became legal to learn and teach in the late 90s it made a huge impact on the fitness industry.  Though many thought it would be a passing phase, it made complete sense to me and I suspected (and hoped) it was more than a passing phase.  With both very pricey and very challenging training, it was the most challenging (and life changing) part of my fitness journey, so far.  It has also gone well beyond trendy and well over a decade later, is still one of the most popular forms of fitness all across the world.

In fact, American Fitness Magazine reports that Yoga and Pilates classes are on the rise, everywhere.  So are cycling classes, which have obviously also passed the trendy stages and moved into a much loved staple in the industry.  In Asia, both cycling and mind body classes like yoga and Pilates draw the most students.  Ditto, for Europe who also says that ethnic dance classes are in, but fancy choreographed aerobic classes are out.  The once overly popular step classes are no longer popular ANYWHERE.  Though I witness and understand the popularity of kickboxing, it is not mentioned in this article as "hot" in any of the 5 continents researched.  I am not sure why that is.

What is currently popular in California is, of course, classes with very trendy names.  "The skinny jeans workout," the new "Indo-Row" and Zumba (as well as the above mentioned mind-body classes).  Though I know California usually sets the standards for what's to come across the rest of the country, I am most liking the South American trend.  Janine Mongardini, a gym owner in Ecuador, says that the most popular classes are "fusion classes because they give strength, flexibility and cardiovascular work all in one short class."  It just makes sense.

If you are local, I hope to see you tonight at 6 for a fusion class, because it gives strength, flexibility and cardiovascular work all in one short class.  Follow that with an hour of mind-body work and we right on the pulse of fitness 2010.   If you are a local who has never been to Tamarac Fitness Center, feel free to contact me via this site or call the gym directly at 954 726 1070.  You are welcome to come in as my guest for your first visit.  Memberships are NOT required, though they are very affordable.   If  you are visiting from out of town,  you can pay by the vist, the week, or the month.  Additionally, the gym is a Silver Sneakers participant, so if you have that benefit on your medicare plan, come on in for a morning class or just to work out on the equipment.

Wherever you are stay fit and definitely stay peaceful!