I'm as guilty as the next person for refusing to join in some group fitness classes because I think they look silly or are beneath me. I said the same about step classes a few years ago. I've been a Marine as well as an ice skater and the whole concept just seemed (and looked) laughable to me. Having been dragged (most indignantly) to both classes, let me tell you what I learned... These are NOT for sissies! You will start to feel (and not in the "Oh yeah, do it to me again" way) muscles you didn't know you even had. It can take a heating pad and a deep tissue massage to recover to the point you can go out and salsa later!

Ah, the BOSU... This little known piece of equipment can become your new best friend with a little research and practice. Swiss balls for abs have been the rage for the last few years, but the BOSU goes one better. The name stands for Both Sides Up and I absolutely refuse to lend mine out : ) It's basically half of a swiss ball, attached to a solid platform. You can put the solid side down and use the ball side for your ab exercises, step aerobics, balance exercises and involve your core muscles for balance when performing pushups, planks etc. With the ball side down, your core muscles go into overdrive when you perform pushups on the solid side.