Could dancing be the secret to keep fit goal?
Who says fitness has to be about gyms and high intensity cardio?
The popularity of Strictly Come Dancing has meant more people are taking up dance lessons than ever before.
And most gyms have a dancebased class on their timetables from Zumba to Salsa and Fitsteps.
When Zumba invaded the UK the fitness world was taken by storm as Beto Perez, the creator of Zumba, had us all shaking and shimmying to hot Latin beats.
Even with Zumba over 10 years old, the program has stayed fresh with sister sessions such as Zumba Toning and most recently Zumba Strong.
Perhaps though, not so many of you will have heard of Fitsteps.
Developed in part by Strictly Come Dancing stars Iain Waite and Natalie Lowe, Fitsteps uses ballroom dancing as it’s fitness inspiration.
Dances such as the Viennese Waltz and the Tango may not seem like the obvious choice for a cardio workout, but Fitsteps blends these classical dances with a terrific cardio and toning workout.
Other steps that Fitsteps clients learn, are the Jive, the Samba, the Quickstep and the Paso Doble and with Striclty back on the TV, perhaps you should get online and find a class to try.
In a similar vein, Strictly judge Darcy Bussell also launched her own format.
DDMix is a great fun fitness experience, that gives people a small taste of many different dancing styles.
For the night club dancer, the arrival of Clubercise brought the excitement of the club to the exercise scene.
Complete with glow sticks, neon lights and music you normally hear on a night out, Clubercise is vibrant and exciting.
Classes such as XTreme Hip Hop from Ohio, takes the format to a street level, with participants sweating and moving to heavy base urban music while learning how to bust moves like street dancers in a New York suburb.
At the other end of the spectrum, fans of core stability classes are packing in to various different ballet based sessions.
Classes such as Barre and Ballet Beautiful incorporate the grace and beauty of the ballet dancer, with strengthening and toning sessions.
These sessions are becoming more and more popular as budding dancers recreate the elegance of Swan Lake in the fitness studio.
The great thing about dance classes is they perfectly capture the fun factor of fitness.
Moving and dancing is great exercise, and dance based fitness is perfect.
“If you don’t like running, jump jacking and doing burpees.
So why not take your first steps into dance in 2017?