Rut Busters!
Emerald Coast beauties Melissa Brettingham-Moore, Sara Snedal and Angela Ragsdale know how to “hoop it up” and have fun when it comes to staying fit. Photo by Shelly Swanger
Rut Busters!Five fitness centers on the Emerald Coast that will rev up your routine By Lorraine Christen
Spinning and kickboxing still pack a punch. And treadmills, ellipticals and weight rooms will always be in good form. But a new breed of workouts is determined to get you working on your fitness in and out of the gym. On the heels of popular workouts like Zumba and boot camp, a whole new crop of fun and challenging ways to shape up, slim down and get moving is hitting the Emerald Coast. Here’s a peek at a few of the latest trends.
Run circles around your heart rate with the resurrected ’50s craze of hula hooping. This fun fad is getting a facelift with the help of celebrities like actress Marisa Tomei, Beyoncé and first lady Michelle Obama taking the hoop for a spin and endorsing its get-fit attributes. The hula hoop’s portability, affordability and ease of use make it accessible for anyone to sneak in a workout at almost any locale.
Fort Walton Beach resident Kayla Joseph is giving the booming hula hooping trend a twirl with her new Hoop
nastics classes at Emerald City Gymnastics. “My class starts with learning the basic technique and just getting comfortable with the hula hoop,” says Joseph. “Then, I move on to incorporating yoga, pilates, ballet and gymnastics, using the hoop as balance.” This overall cardio workout not only produces a toned core and flat abs but lots of smiles and giggles, too.
Want the benefits of pumping iron without having to lift weights? At Destin Health and Fitness, instructor Glenn Cruz whips soft bodies into lean mean fitness machines with his twice-weekly kettle bell training classes. First used by Russian weight lifters more than a century ago, kettle bell training has become a popular class and fitness tool at most gyms over the past few years. The anatomy of the kettle bell itself — with its handle placed above the weighted ball — challenges your ability to set the weight in motion and engages the core for an explosive total body workout. The kettle bell workout couples traditional weightlifting exercises like dead lifts and presses with classic kettle bell moves like the basic swing. Cruz also offers personal training and kettle bell beach classes.
Touted for its scalable fitness program, Crossfit seeks to challenge both the highly trained combat soldier and the new mom. The Destin affiliate of this worldwide program — Destin Crossfit — employs an inclusive method of working out by varying the load and intensity of each exercise based on the individual’s ability. “The beauty of the program is that everyone can do it, and once they get in and try it, they love it,” says co-owner Kathy Rivers. Rivers and her husband Bert Rodriquez also use their extensive backgrounds in martial arts, boxing and other forms of fitness training to tailor personalized programs.
If the movie “Black Swan” has you dreaming of a dancer’s lean, toned body sans the bloody toes, try one of these ballet-inspired workouts — Ballet Sculpt & Tone and Pure Barre. Ballet Sculpt & Tone class at the Seaside yoga and dance center, The Studio, incorporates classic ballet moves with pilates to strengthen the core and tone the entire body. At Pure Barre in Santa Rosa Beach, the motto is lift, burn and tone as choreographed isometric exercises are performed at a ballet barre. Focusing on the abs, hips, glutes and arms, each move is designed to taper and lift the body, giving a longer, leaner appearance.
Run circles around your heart rate with the resurrected ’50s craze of hula hooping. This fun fad is getting a facelift with the help of celebrities like actress Marisa Tomei, Beyoncé and first lady Michelle Obama taking the hoop for a spin and endorsing its get-fit attributes.
If you’re a purist, try the Northwest Florida Ballet’s adult ballet classes. Whether you’ve never taken ballet or want to revive your inner ballerina, you won’t want to miss the beginner and intermediate classes offered in their beautiful downtown Fort Walton Beach location. The two-story brick building hums with the sounds of classical music and dancers’ feet as they move along the marley floors making the experience even more enchanting. And, the best part of being an adult in ballet classes — no bun required. Tutus are optional.
