Indoor Fitness Stays Hot As Austin Cools

The weather in Austin has finally started cooling down, and as the days shorten alongside the falling temperatures, fitness opportunities shift to a new season of indoor action. Austin has no shortage of health and fitness programs available inside to keep bodies moving and calories burning during the winter’s chill. Running the trails at Town Lake in downtown Austin, out in the hill country by Steiner Ranch, or on the Veloway in Southwest Austinis still a possibility with a warm hat and mittens, but if bundling up and exercising don’t mix for you, seek out one of the unique ways to work out inside at Austin’s many gyms and fitness studios:

Rock Climbing – Indoor rock climbing is an intense workout that focuses primarily on upper body strength in the arms and back muscles, but also relies heavily on stamina, agility, and puzzle solving as climbers choose the best path up a faux rock wall. Some indoor facilities rely on an automatic belay system that hooks a climber into a weighted rope, while others have a buddy belay system. Climbing gyms in Austin include Main Event, near the Lakeway neighborhood, and the Austin Rock Gym.

Dance – Traditional dance studios that offer ballet and jazz are expanding their services to include dance fitness classes for adults.These classes will teach the elements of dance in easy to follow routines and structures that will exercise both a heart through intensive cardio, and leg muscles through demanding but fun dance workouts.Austinites looking to move it to music, whether it be the Latin beats of Zumba or the pop sounds of hip-hop can find classes at Ballet Austin in Downtown Austin, Thrive Fitness, the Dance Institute, Galaxy Dance Studios, and many more centers located in the greater Austin area.

Dance & Strength – Dance and gymnastics combine in a sport that’s growing exponentially in popularity: pole dancing.While no nudity is needed for fitness pole dance, a bit of skin will help dancers, male or female, stick to the pole more effectively. Pole dancing requires upper body strength in order to twist, invert, and climb the pole, but that strength is quickly built during a few weeks training in a studio.Flexibility, grace, and a few bruises come into play in addition to new muscles.Austin studio Brass Ovaries, located near the Olympic Heights neighborhood, also offers aerial hoop classes, and Inner Diva, which also offers chair dance for fitness, and Vamps Dance will all require a soak in Epson salts by the time class is finished.

Yoga – Stretching, flexibility, and muscle toning are the prime athletic draws of yoga, but yoga also entices many practitioners because of its focus on meditative movement and relaxation. Yoga is an ideal conditioning sport for active Austinites who may participate in physically rigorous and demanding activities throughout the week, as yoga can stretch out sore muscles, relax the body, and help protect joints through gentle workouts that will test the body’s capacity for stamina and balance.Austin has numerous yoga studios, a sampling of which includes Dharma Yoga, Black Swan Yoga, Yoga Yoga, and Sunstone Yoga.

Aerial Silks – If testing the strength of both your muscles and your inner ear sounds promising, aerial silks is a workout that literally has the sky as the limit.Long fabrics are suspended from high ceilings, and aerialists use a series of twists and knots to suspend themselves from the flowing cloths in different poses and routines. Not for those with acrophobia, aerial silks is a challenging, beautiful, and popular indoor athletic feat.Classes in Austin can be taken at Blue Lapis Light studios or with Sky Candy.

Volleyball – Indoor volleyball leagues allow team camaraderie to accompany a vigorous workout of jumping, reaching, running, cheering, and diving across a gym floor to save a point for your team.  Indoor leagues are available through several organizations, including the Austin Sports and Social Club and the Lonestar Volleyball Club.

Gyms – Indoor gym vary in size, scale, and scope, offering anything from just weights, to a basketball court sized room of cardio equipment, racquetball, swimming pool, group classes, weight machines, rock climbing, and personal training.Group classes vary from gym to gym but may include a boot camp program, yoga, Zumba, pilates, and spinning. Gyms in Austin include Pure Fitness, 24 Hour Fitness, Gold’s Gym, Castle Hill Fitness, the Hyde Park Gym, Lifetime Fitness, and Crossfit, and can be found as far south as the Sendera neighborhood, or as far north as Avery Ranch.

Austin is a city that embraces being active, as evidenced by the numerous trails for running and biking, cyclists on the road, array of gyms, and boundless opportunities for races and related fitness challenges. Austin REALTOR® Brian Talley can help prospective home buyers locate a house close to the amenities and fitness activities they favor, so that good health is only a hop, skip, or jump away, in warm weather or cold.