Classes: Aerobics and step

Maybe you've observed an aerobics class or seen it on TV. If not, then basically it is a series of choreographed steps designed to raise the heart rate and keep it at a certain level for the duration of the class. In that way its objective is the same as the treadmill or the exercise bike, but its devotees consider it a whole lot more fun and companionable since it's a group exercise.

Some people are scared to join a class because of feeling foolish or even worse, jabbing their elbow into their neighbor's eye if there's a full room. Starting a new form of exercise or discipline can be very intimidating at first. For this reason, if there's a choice, pick the lowest level, i.e., beginners' class. This should be taken at a slow enough tempo for you to keep up and for it to be explained enough times for you to learn the choreography.

Don't worry if you feel you have two left feet and lousy coordination. No one was lousier than me when I had to learn a 90-second routine.

Step aerobics: This is very similar to regular aerobics, the main difference being that each person has a sturdy plinth to step off and onto throughout the class. Again, the class level determines the speed and complexity of the step moves. If you are starting out, be careful not to step on and off the plinth too quickly since this can result in a pulled muscle or tendon when the body is not warmed up or used to such exercises. These classes are very popular, and there are many step aficionados for whom a couple of classes a week are as important as the air they breathe.

Spinning: Before I knew what that word meant, in the context of fitness, I used to think it was some kind of circus juggling routine and imagined a room with a lot of smashed plates after the class.

It was when I was living in Rome that I became acquainted with spinning classes and began to attend them. The word “spinning” actually refers to the wheels of a stationary bicycle especially made for spinning. It is heavier than the regular exercise cycle and has several gears and speeds. As the class progresses, the speeds vary and the endurance level goes up. After an hour of spinning, I am sweating like a fountain and so don't forget to take a small, very absorbent towel into the class with you. The benefits are cardiovascular as well as calorie-burning and improving the leg muscles.

Body pump: I have one friend who at 62 has wonderfully toned arms, which she attributes to her devotion to body pump classes. I also tried these classes out for the first time in Italy.

The principle is to work with choreographed moves with a bar bell held behind the neck and pumped up and down to the music. The pluses are toned arms, back and shoulders. The minuses are considerable. As well as the very real possibility of having an injury such as a rotation cuff tear, after an hour's pumping, I noticed bruises on the back of my neck. Although you can wear a T-shirt or sweatshirt with its arms tied around your neck to protect it, I am not a body pump devotee. Why? Well, the neck and upper vertebrae are extremely delicate, and any injury to them is painful beyond belief. Once injured, they are difficult to heal completely. The same benefits acquired in a body pump class are also derived from weight training exercises where the body is static and thus safer.

Tums and bums: The subtitle speaks for itself. There is a huge range of custom-made -- usually designed by the personal trainer him or herself -- classes to tone the stomach and the posterior. If the exercises are well designed and properly executed, then of course they should work, but as usual, be careful. Don't do any new moves too quickly or in a jerky or sudden way or you could pull a muscle. Abdominal exercises seem easy and safe, but not all of them are. The kind that involves lying flat and raising the legs and lower part of the body off the floor place undue strain on the lower back muscles, and a yoga instructor friend of mine advised me that they should be avoided. So should any abdominal exercise that is felt anywhere else but the muscles that you want to train.

In a separate category are the many dance classes. I started dance when I was little and, although I had little ability, loved it because I love music. To me, being able to express oneself through music via dance, song or instrument is next to sublime.

Jazz dancing: This is really different from the other types of dance because it is so free. I took loads of jazz dance classes in my youth and what I liked about it was its no-style style. That is to say, it is completely free and the teacher used to improvise and do on-the-spot choreography. So there were never any steps to learn for next time as each time there was something completely different and unpredictable. As each teacher was able to show her individual dance style and originality, we used to have favorite teachers, and the most popular ones had packed classes. The lesson always starts with the teacher running through the CD and devising a routine. Watching her do so is also fascinating. To see a choreographer put the moves together is quite educational.

Ballet exercise: These classes are an adaptation of the warm-up routines ballet dancers do. If you can cope with the extreme flexibility required, ballet is second to none as an all round suppleness routine. I started ballet at the age of 3, but as it was pretty clear I wasn't going to make it into “Swan Lake,” I got bored with it. It was only very much later in life that I went back to it and enjoyed it for itself -- which is really the golden rule for all forms of exercise. Most of us won't be going on stage any time soon, but that shouldn't make it any less fun.

Extra kit: Some of these classes require special shoes. By “special” I mean supple and light shoes suitable for jazz dancing and aerobics. Some big sports suppliers do sell aerobic shoes. Normal gym training shoes are suitable for step aerobics, but any form of exercise requiring the foot to be flexed and the toes pointed, like ballet, will be restricted by such footwear.