Shape Up, Mid-Hudson Valley, New York!

Many years ago, when the Mid-Hudson Valley was merely a blip on the New York State map between Manhattan and Albany, you didn't have that many choices if you wanted to join a health club. You could either plunk down the dues for the shiny, swanky place or join the good old local "Y."

Now that the population has mushroomed, you can work out in more places (and in more ways) than ever before. Finding a place you and your gear can call home can be as complicated as, well, finding an actual home.

After doing an extensive tour of the area's fitness facilities (and scamming as many free workout passes as I could), here is only a taste of the many places you can get in shape in the area. I've also included a few of the alternatives available if outdoor fitness is your preference.

STAY IN

• Allsport - The "cream of the crop" of Mid-Hudson Valley health clubs now comes in three flavors, with locations in Fishkill (17 Old Main Street, 845-896-5678), Poughkeepsie (243 North Road, 845-452-5050) and its newest facility in Highland (3425 Route 9W, 845-691-6161). They offer more types of classes than you want to think about, more cardio and weight equipment than you will ever need in order to turn you into a Greek God (or Goddess) or merely get your basic RDA of aerobic conditioning. They also have racquetball courts. And a pool. And a lot of rules about what you can and can't wear to work out. While the fees are higher than other clubs, they are more reasonable than you might think. But no one gets in for free - for a trial workout, you must be accompanied by a member and pay a guest fee. Be warned: if you do this, they will call you twice a week until your defenses are shot and you join just to get them off your tail. Just kidding. I changed my phone number for other reasons.

• Mid-Hudson Athletic Club (MAC) - For those of you who've lived in the area for a while, forget the old days when this airplane-hangar-shaped club in Kingston (747 East Chester Street Bypass, 845-338-2887) was called Tiger (and, shortly after, Gold's Gym) and was populated by Lycra Babes and sweaty guys grunting out their reps. While you can still find a Lycra Babe or sweaty guy or two, MAC has gone family-friendly and cardio-crazy. They have literally banks of treadmills, elliptical trainers and stair climbers in the aerobic area. The weight area is still top-drawer, and they also offer personal training, Pilates and yoga classes, as well as a private fitness area for women, racquet sports and a special club for kids. The management is super-friendly and will offer you a free pass (and a tour) if you want to give them a test drive. The club was recently voted "Best of the Hudson Valley," a yearly honor bestowed by the readers of Hudson Valley Magazine.

• Fitness Unlimited - This smaller club has been a fixture of Kingston's Stockade District for years (320 Wall Street, 845-338-1818). Popular with business-types, they offer personal training, state-of-the-art cardio and weight equipment and classes galore, including Pilates and yoga. Parking can be a problem, as can access to equipment if you come during peak times. The location is convenient if you work uptown.

• IXL Health and Fitness - This club is shiny-new to the area and has locations in Rhinebeck (2224 Route 9G, 876-4100) and Saugerties (3139 Route 9W, 845-246-6700). The personnel is friendly, the equipment is clean, modern and plentiful. They offer a creative array of classes including belly dancing, yoga, Pilates, qigong and something that sounds fascinating called Zumba (a high-energy fusion of late and international music-dance themes that IXL's literature promises to offer a "fun and easy" workout. They have ample parking, extensive hours and childcare on premises. The Rhinebeck facility houses an excellent physical therapy clinic. You can snag a free pass from their web site - it's out of date, but I've been assured that they will still honor it.

• Breathe Fitness - This minimalist club is also new to the area, with locations in Stone Ridge (3555 Main Street, 845-687-0000), Kingston (38 Old Sawkill Road, 845-334-8000) and Woodstock (319 Maverick Road, 845-657-2342). It's good if your preference is a bare-bones, get-in and get-it-over-with sort of workout. They have classes, basic weight equipment, and a few cardio machines. To compensate up for their small size, they offer many value-added services like nutritional counseling, self-defense classes and personal training. There are no locker rooms, but they do offer a bank of lockers if you want to stash your goodies during aerobics class. The management is friendly and trying hard to break into this burgeoning market. If you want to give them a whirl, you can get a one-week free pass. Peruse detailed information about their services on their web site.

• Curves - You've heard the pitch by now. A low-impact fitness circuit for women only, which is getting about as omnipresent as Starbucks. Sculpt some curves in Port Ewen, Kingston, Hurley, Saugerties, New Paltz, Highland, Poughkeepsie, Rhinebeck, Hyde Park, Wappingers Falls, Amenia and Pleasant Valley.

• Fit Lady - As you might guess, this is a health club for women only. Located in Kingston (Kings Mall, 845-336-8292), Fit Lady offers weight loss programs, Universal and cardio equipment, and classes including aerobics, yoga and kickboxing. Tanning and child care is also available. On the expensive side compared with other clubs, but if you prefer a workout facility for women only with more services than Curves, this might be for you.

• YMCA - The good old standby, with locations in Kingston (507 Broadway, 338-3321) and Poughkeepsie (Eastman Park, 845-471-9622). As always, the Y is the family-friendly, inexpensive alternative to the "fancier" gyms, although their rates have been creeping ever upward the last few years. I hope they use the increased fees to buy some new equipment and help maintain the existing stuff, because machines are very often out of service. But they have a pool, and a hot tub, and a ton of fitness classes, and are one of the few facilities in the area to offer a running track. The Y could be your friend if you have a limited budget, don't mind kids racing around, or don't want to deal with a "clubby" atmosphere. Guest passes available if you can get a member to reserve one for you in advance.

GET OUT

If outdoor fitness is your thing, the Ulster/Dutchess county area offers any kind of venue you could wish for - beautiful places to bike, walk, hike or run. The area also boasts some of the best rock-climbing and skiing in New York. Here are only a few suggestions (Please note that many trails go through isolated areas and it is recommended that you don't walk or hike alone):

• Poet's Walk Park - This park in Red Hook (River Road) has two miles of hilly, gravel trails that wind up to a stellar view of the Hudson River from a wooden gazebo (a nice place to eat lunch or just sit and contemplate the scenery) then down to the river. Download a trail map from Scenic Hudson's web site, below.

• Hudson Valley Rail Trail - Another nice (and popular) walking or running path that winds through five miles of pretty scenery from Highland west to New Paltz. You can pick it up at many points along the way.

• The Ashokan Reservoir - Maintained as a source of drinking water for New York City, this reservoir in Shokan (Route 28 and Winchell's Corners) is ringed by miles of trails with nice mountain views.

• Lake Minnewaska - Hike around the perimeter of this deep blue lake or swim in it. Lodge: 3116 Route 44/55 in Gardiner, 845-255-1110; Park: (845) 255-0752).

• Lake Mohonk - Take your trail bike or your hiking shoes and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Those neon dots on the cliffs over your head are rock climbers. Warning: the Mohonk trails are crazy-packed on weekends (as are the narrow streets in the Village of New Paltz), especially during leaf-peeping time. Come in the middle of the week or come prepared to face a crowd. Mohonk Mountain House (offers overnight lodging): 1000 Mountain Road, New Paltz, 845-256-2041.

• Belleayre Mountain (Route 28 in Highmount, 845-254-5600) - Skiing for the whole family. Clinics offered, as well as snowboarding areas. Overnight accommodations available.

OFF THE BEATEN PATH

• The Inner Wall - This indoor rock-climbing wall in New Paltz (845-255-7625) lets you practice without the threat of falling to your death.

• More yoga, Pilates, gymnastics, skating, karate and other martial arts classes than you can shake a nunchuk at. Check out Chronogram (a free guide to the alternative life in the Hudson Valley, published monthly) or visit their web site to see what's what and where to find it.