With Australia’s obesity levels reaching alarming new heights, it’s never been so crucial to get moving. So if memories of Lycra and legwarmers are halting your progress, put Olivia back on the shelf and get physical the 2011 way. From high-heel routines to pole dancing, there’s no excuse for an excuse with these class acts.

Bounce your way to weight loss with Kangoo Jump fitness. Whether you hop right in to your nearest class or buy your own jumping shoes and pogo your way round the park, the benefits will astound you and your calves. Check the official site.

The craze that’s swept the nation has proved to be more than just a passing infomercial. A mix between a Latin dance party and a gym work-out, Zumba launched in Australia to such rave reviews that everyone’s partying their way to rock-hard abs.

Move over downward dog, there’s a new breed in town: Yoga Fusion — a blend of yoga and, well, any other discipline it chooses. There’s Kayoga, combining intervals of kayaking and dry-land yoga, Acroyoga which introduces yoga to the circus with a blend of acrobatics and Thai massage and Anti-gravity yoga which suspends you from hammock-like slings.

One thing’s for sure, you’ll never get bored with Bellyfit. Each session incorporates varied styles of fitness from meditation to cardio to belly dancing and even African and Bollywood dance steps.

The latest rage in the US is an exhausting cardio and muscle toning regime that mixes Pilates with boxing. Although Piloxing hasn’t hit our shores yet, the growing celebrity following guarantees it’s set to pack a punch in your local gym very soon.

If exercising mind and body at the same time is your thing, try chi running. Combining a form of running with an awareness of nature (tai chi), advocates claim it has a softer impact on the joints because you lean from the ankle rather than foot.

Gyrating its way from seedy clubs to upscale studios, pole dancing has evolved into a worthy exercise trend. In Hollywood, getting down and dirty has never been so aerobic with the raunchy S Factor phenomenon: a mix of ballet, yoga, pole dancing and you guessed it, striptease. But if G-string flinging is a bit too Playboy mansion for you, try the tamer Dirty Dancing class. Each week a sensual new work-out based on the movie promises to give you the time of your life, with your clothes on.

Jump to the beat with this fat-burning, low-impact aerobic class. Urban rebounding uses a mini-trampoline to improve balance, strengthen muscles and build cardiovascular stamina.

Love those fad-tastic DVDs that promise celebrity bodies? Tracy Anderson is the latest fitness guru in Tinseltown with her method being responsible for many A-list abs. Now, we mortals can get just as sculpted as Madonna with her simple two-hour-a-day, six-days-a-week program.

These creative takes on exercise could only be found in: UK: The WAG work-out. This cardio routine promises bodies like footballers’ wives, so you too can snag your premiership partner. Requirements? A lack of sensible clothing and a love of bubblegum pop.

US: The High Heel work-out. Strut your stuff and groove to the beat in your Jimmy Choos. The routine assures buns of steel by performing a series of lower-body exercises.

Japan: Karaoke work-outs. For that total body work-out, karaoke cardio keeps you motivated by exercising those vocal chords as well as the major muscles groups. Related: Avoid diet fat traps

With Australia’s obesity levels reaching alarming new heights, it’s never been so crucial to get moving. So if memories of Lycra and legwarmers are halting your progress, put Olivia back on the shelf and get physical the 2011 way. From high-heel routines to pole dancing, there’s no excuse for an excuse with these class acts.

Bounce your way to weight loss with Kangoo Jump fitness. Whether you hop right in to your nearest class or buy your own jumping shoes and pogo your way round the park, the benefits will astound you and your calves. Check the official site.

The craze that’s swept the nation has proved to be more than just a passing infomercial. A mix between a Latin dance party and a gym work-out, Zumba launched in Australia to such rave reviews that everyone’s partying their way to rock-hard abs.

Move over downward dog, there’s a new breed in town: Yoga Fusion — a blend of yoga and, well, any other discipline it chooses. There’s Kayoga, combining intervals of kayaking and dry-land yoga, Acroyoga which introduces yoga to the circus with a blend of acrobatics and Thai massage and Anti-gravity yoga which suspends you from hammock-like slings.

One thing’s for sure, you’ll never get bored with Bellyfit. Each session incorporates varied styles of fitness from meditation to cardio to belly dancing and even African and Bollywood dance steps.

The latest rage in the US is an exhausting cardio and muscle toning regime that mixes Pilates with boxing. Although Piloxing hasn’t hit our shores yet, the growing celebrity following guarantees it’s set to pack a punch in your local gym very soon.

If exercising mind and body at the same time is your thing, try chi running. Combining a form of running with an awareness of nature (tai chi), advocates claim it has a softer impact on the joints because you lean from the ankle rather than foot.

Gyrating its way from seedy clubs to upscale studios, pole dancing has evolved into a worthy exercise trend. In Hollywood, getting down and dirty has never been so aerobic with the raunchy S Factor phenomenon: a mix of ballet, yoga, pole dancing and you guessed it, striptease. But if G-string flinging is a bit too Playboy mansion for you, try the tamer Dirty Dancing class. Each week a sensual new work-out based on the movie promises to give you the time of your life, with your clothes on.

Jump to the beat with this fat-burning, low-impact aerobic class. Urban rebounding uses a mini-trampoline to improve balance, strengthen muscles and build cardiovascular stamina.

Love those fad-tastic DVDs that promise celebrity bodies? Tracy Anderson is the latest fitness guru in Tinseltown with her method being responsible for many A-list abs. Now, we mortals can get just as sculpted as Madonna with her simple two-hour-a-day, six-days-a-week program.

These creative takes on exercise could only be found in: UK: The WAG work-out. This cardio routine promises bodies like footballers’ wives, so you too can snag your premiership partner. Requirements? A lack of sensible clothing and a love of bubblegum pop.

US: The High Heel work-out. Strut your stuff and groove to the beat in your Jimmy Choos. The routine assures buns of steel by performing a series of lower-body exercises.

Japan: Karaoke work-outs. For that total body work-out, karaoke cardio keeps you motivated by exercising those vocal chords as well as the major muscles groups. Related: Avoid diet fat traps

When you get the kids home from school, do they reach for a chocolate bar themselves? Or do you hand them a carrot? A new CSIRO Preventative Health National Research Flagship report has shown some shocking facts about Aussie children and their after-school snacking. Here’s how to encourage your kids to eat their way to a healthier, happier life.

A shocking 46 percent of children surveyed admitted they eat cakes and pastries between 3pm and 5pm, while 17 percent said that they eat confectionery. “For some time,” leading paediatric dieticians Susie Burrell says, “we have believed that the after-school period was a major danger time when it comes to children overeating non-nutritious, snack foods and this data confirms our beliefs.”

Children aged five to eight eat one sixth of their total recommended daily allowance of energy (1300 kilojoules) during those two hours when they get home from school. “What’s particularly concerning,” Burrell says, “is the amount of saturated fats kids are consuming during this period.” Saturated fats can be found in foods such as potato chips and cakes.

Did you know that one in four Australian children is overweight or obese? “It is time for the after-school period to be looked at as a key time for good nutrition in childhood,” Burrell says.

So what should we be doing to make a difference? Burrell has some advice for parents handing out unhealthy snacks to their children after a long day at school. “A nutritionally balanced snack food for children should be ‘nutrient dense’ and offer a number of key nutritional benefits rather than solely acting as a source of energy,” she says

Burrell warns parents to avoid junk food. “Highly processed, carbohydrate-based foods don’t offer the nutrients that children need, including calcium, protein and fibre,” she says. “These foods may also leave kids vulnerable to energy fluctuations and overeating.”

So what should we be feeding our children when they get home from school? “In general, protein-based foods such as yoghurt and other milk-based snacks as well as fresh fruit meet a number of nutritional requirements for growing children,” Burrell advises. “A range of child-friendly options are available including low-fat ice-cream and flavoured milk — foods kids love but with some nutritional benefits.”

The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly blood sugar levels rise after eating carbohydrates. “Of all the data we have available on weight control,” Burrell says, “it appears that low-GI diets may be beneficial.” Give your children snacks such as fruit loaf, homemade popcorn and dried apricots.

In the study, it was discovered that the best after-school snacking choices for children are yoghurt, apples, frozen dairy snacks and crisp breads with peanut butter. Satisfactory nibbles include cheese sticks and nut bars, while poor choices are sweet biscuits, muffins and potato chips.