Just when you thought they couldn’t think of anything that hasn’t already been done, along comes a new spin on exercise.

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Introducing fusion fitness, where disciplines as diverse as kickboxing and yoga, aerobics and Pilates, combine to form a new style of exercise that makes for a more effective, results-driven workout.
As implausible as it sounds, marrying the benefits of popular exercise styles is more than just a fad. Combining two totally different types of exercise helps the body develop more strength, agility, balance and coordination than a single exercise discipline.
Australia is a pioneer in fusion fitness. Locally trained Pilates and yoga instructor Louise Solomon combined both disciplines into ‘yogalates’ over 10 years ago. Her classes are wildly popular and have been introduced in major UK health club chains.
The industry has exploded and now offers a range of unique exercise classes combining the benefits of martial arts, swimming and meditation just to name a few. The key is to combine disciplines that complement each other, making it possible to offer a single program that delivers the benefits of both traditional exercise modes.
This new trend is helping many women to break the routine that comes with exercising on a daily basis and have more fun. And as we all know, if it’s fun, we’re far more likely to stick with it in the long run.
You may be surprised at some of the popular ‘marriages’ created by fusion fitness – who would’ve thought the serenity of yoga poses complement the high energy of a kickboxing workout?

What’s more, fusion fitness is limited only by your imagination. If you’ve got two or more activities you love but aren’t sure how to put them together to maximise your results, chat with your PT or a fitness expert to help combine the best of both worlds.In the meantime, check out the most popular forms of fusion fitness.
Hoop dance yoga
Hoop dance yoga is a combination of yoga, dance, meditation and overall bodywork. Harking back to your childhood, hooping involves the spiralling movement of a hula hoop using your core.
The rocking motion of the sacrum (tailbone) – a feature of most yoga styles – helps to stimulate full body relaxation, calms the nervous system, releases endorphins, increases circulation to the pelvis and clears the energy centres of the body.
Although hula hooping is commonly associated with kids play, it can be a demanding workout. Moving your body helps to massage the muscles and stimulate energy centres and acupuncture points. Hoop dance yoga can help strengthen core stability and help you to find inner calm after a busy day.
Piloxing
Piloxing is a brand new format of fusion fitness that combines boxing with Pilates. Similar to cardiolates, Piloxing combines a slow-moving exercise with a more aggressive form of training.
Although it may sound like an unlikely marriage, Olympic boxer Andre Ward utilised this form of training to assist him in winning gold at the 2004 Olympic Games.
The benefits of Pilates include increasing your strength and core stability, while boxing helps to increase your heartbeat, oxygen circulation and kilojoule burn. Interestingly, the two disciplines are quite similar when it comes to breathing patterns and spacial awareness.