Jazzercise in Bowie, Maryland: Beat Gym Boredom Here!

If you think of Jazzercise as little old ladies sweatin' to the oldies, think again. The Jazzercise center in Bowie serves up fun and exercise for women of all ages, and *gasp* even men!

The main difference between Jazzercise and say your run of the mill, aerobics class is that instead of blasting techno or some 70s era disco beats, instructors play hits that are currently or soon will be on the radio. Although the terms "hits" is used loosely at times.

Workouts consist of a half hour of cardio, which is divided up into three intensity "zones," low, medium and high, with routines selected for maximum calorie burn. The second half of the hour session is "sculpting." In other words, using dumbbells, exercise balls, straps and mats to work targeted muscle groups. Each workout ends with a period of stretching, followed by one final low-intensity weight routine to "get you out the door."

Many Jazzercise sessions are held in church or community center gyms, the beauty of Jazzercise in Bowie is that the center there is devoted to Jazzercise and Jazzercise alone. This means you get your pick of seven instructors, and you can go to a class in the morning, in the evening after work, or in the mornings on weekends. Of course, some instructors will be more to your taste than others. For example, I try to avoid the ones that love to play salsa music and country.

On Friday evenings, there is a special step class, and if you feel like getting up at the crack of dawn on Saturday, you can take the Body Sculpting class at 7 a.m. This class uses all of the accouterments from the second half of a normal Jazzercise class, with the addition of the step and minus the aerobic portion. Once you drag yourself out of bed, it behooves you to go. You will feel great for the rest of the day. And if you're really feeling ambitious, you can attend the regular Jazzercise class immediately following it.

The Bowie facility is clean and well-lit. It includes a dance floor specifically designed to be soft on feet, and it can accommodate 50 Jazzercisers easily. There are exercise balls, 3 and 5 pound dumbbells, straps, mats and steps provided. Bottled water is available for a dollar. The only complaint I have is that it tends to get hot in there in the summer, since they have a questionable AC and only 3 fans.

The instructors are friendly and accommodating. If an injury prevents you from doing one of the exercises, they will gladly show you an alternative. There is also a personal training class called Personal Touch, which you can attend for an extra charge, where they will show you how to do the exercises to your greatest benefit in order to reach your fitness goals.

The monthly membership fee is around $35 and includes unlimited classes in Bowie-- except for Personal Touch--plus you can attend the classes offered in College Park and Greenbelt, since they are taught by the same instructors. For a $10 fee, you can stop by and try a class, to see if it's for you. It beats running on the treadmill and watching the same tired movies or TV.