For a midday jolt, duck out of the office and into one of these invigorating and efficient exercise options. Each takes less than an hour - so there's still time to grab lunch.
THE CLASS:
ZenCore at Reebok Sports Club/NY and The Sports Club/LA
FOR LOCATIONS:thesportsclubla.com
THIS ONE'S FOR YOU IF: You want a yoga body without the meditation and chanting - or the 90-minute time commitment.
THE WORKOUT: A fast-paced series of yoga poses, strength movements, and cardio drills that works your whole body and targets the abs, glutes, and lower back. ZenCore's creator and instructor, Maryanne Blake, developed the class for type A's who'd never be caught in a yoga class. "Some people don't see yoga poses as the dynamic, strength-building moves they are - warrior pose as a lunge, chair pose as a squat, or plank as the beginning of a push-up. We'll go from plank to jumping the legs to the hands and back [like jumping jacks on the floor], or we'll flow from the muscle burn of holding a warrior pose, to moving into a lunge, then to a jumping lunge."
TIME: 30 minutes.
See How to Look Great in Every Photo.
THE CLASS:
Mile High Club at Crunch
FOR LOCATIONS:crunch.co
THIS ONE'S FOR YOU IF: You want to burn maximum calories but can't bear doing your usual cardio routine again.
THE WORKOUT: Crunch instructor and class creator Marc Santa Maria relates to his students: "I love to eat, but I have a hard time motivating myself to run. This gets you on the treadmill but gives you the communal feeling of a class, with an instructor guiding you and encouraging you to set goals and stay on top of your miles." The session starts with a three- to four-minute warm-up at a high incline and a slower pace, then moves into interval training that plays with incline and speed. From there, it becomes more individual, with some participants power walking and some doing sprints with the supervision and support of the instructor. "I have people who are training for marathons, and some who just want a good, quick workout," adds Santa Maria.
TIME: 30 minutes.
Learn 5 Secrets of the Highest Paid Women.
THE CLASS:
ViPR at Equinox Fitness
FOR LOCATIONS:equinox.com
THIS ONE'S FOR YOU IF: You want a challenging, well-rounded workout that improves on balance and coordination.
THE WORKOUT: The ViPR (pronounced "viper," it's short for Vitality, Performance, and Reconditioning) is a training tool developed by kinesiologist and personal trainer Michol Dalcourt. It's basically a big hollow rubber cylinder with handles (it looks similar to a PVC pipe) that you lift, flip, hoist, carry, tilt, rotate, squat or lunge with, or push and pull in a dynamic series of exercises. "You may do a push-up while pushing the ViPR across the floor, or use it in a 'thread the needle' move, standing and taking the tube through your legs then over your head like a kettlebell exercise," explains Equinox's national creative group fitness manager, Lisa Wheeler.
TIME: 45 minutes.
Find Out What Men Really Think About Fall Fashion Trends.
THE CLASS:
ARMed & fAB in 30 at Physique 57
FOR LOCATIONS:physique57.com
THIS ONE'S FOR YOU IF: Your ideal is a toned, sculpted ballet dancer's bod, and you prefer Pilates to heart-pumping cardio. (Think Black Swan, not Step Up.)
THE WORKOUT: This ballet-barre workout, based on the famous Lotte Berk technique, uses dance-based moves and focuses on muscle toning (arms in particular), posture and alignment, and the all-important core. Says director of training and instructor Alicia Weihl, "We incorporate controlled isometric movements that are similar to Pilates and work the muscle to its fullest potential." (Translation: Plan to hold some really challenging poses.) The class uses free weights to tone the triceps and biceps, and resistance bands to work abs and arms simultaneously.
TIME: 30 minutes.
For more quick workday workouts go to Marie Claire.
More from Marie Claire:
New Workout: Shaking Things Up
Rock and Dance Workout Music
The Girls' Guide to Preventing, Avoiding, Beating, and Treating Cancer
America's Toughest Workout
How New Healthcare Laws Will Affect You
