Exercise fads of the 21st century

The yoga boom
Yoga has come of age. Yoga has become to the early 21st century what jogging was to the 1960s and aerobics to the 1970s.

It is a staple in trendy fitness clubs with superstar yoga teachers, designer yoga wear, “Om” earrings, yoga for kickboxing and prenatal yoga classes. An estimated 18 million Americans currently practice yoga — a threefold increase in less than a decade. High-profile practitioners like Madonna and Christie Turlington swear by yoga as a means to maintain a calm center and get into “the zone”.
With the growing popularity of yoga has come a proliferation of “yoga styles” There are vigorous, aerobic forms of yoga like Power Yoga, Jivamukti Yoga, White Lotus Yoga, and Ashtanga Yoga. There is ‘hot yoga’ a form of yoga which is practiced in a room heated up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit to facilitate the removal of toxins from the body. There are calming, restorative forms of yoga, like Yin Yoga and Svaroopa Yoga. Then there are styles that fall in between, like Iyengar, Anusara, and Kripalu Yoga and others linked to the teachings of spiritual teachers, including Integral yoga and Kundalini yoga.

Pole Dancing
Pole dancing is great workout, training your body to move gracefully yet using a lot of muscle control for movement or so is the latest claim. It is a fun and effective workout designed to strengthen and tone the body from head to toe. Instructors of pole dancing claim that it is an impressive way to increase fitness and flexibility. It has caught on as a great exercise fad in the US and has celebrities like Oprah Winfrey spinning on the pole.

Tae-Bo
Billy Blanks, the international martial arts champion turned film star has celebrities like Shaquille O’Neal and Carmen Electra hooked on to Tae-Bo which turned big time in the late nineties. Tae-Bo involves kicking and punching in the air while listening to dance music. A combination of Tae-Kwon-Do and boxing, Tae-Bo is an extremely high impact activity aimed to make the participant fit and confident.

Tai-Chi
Another popular fitness trend from the Far East that works both mind and body is Tai-chi. It is performed primarily while standing and moving very slowly and methodically, twisting your body and raising and lowering limbs. It is usually performed with quiet, soothing music and because of its low stress on muscles and joints, can be performed by people of all ages. Participants focus on the center of their body and concentrate on executing all movements outward from there. If Tai-chi is done correctly, it leads to complete mental and spiritual relaxation and inner peace.