Looking for a fun way to meet new people while reaching your activity goals? Sign up for a class at your local rec center. We found six cool classes you might find at a park near you.

Gym memberships are often expensive, treadmills are tedious and working out alone can be boring. Now that spring is here, challenge your stale routine and try something new. Local parks and recreation centers across America are offering outdoor classes that are entertaining and inexpensive.

To find classes offered in your town, call your city’s parks and recreation administrative office or visit their Web site for course offerings. Here are six popular classes that may be coming to park near you.

Fitness Boot Camp
Don’t let the name intimidate you. At Pennsylvania’s Cheltenham Township Parks and Recreation Center, this was such a popular class last year that the park offered more sessions this season. Fitness Boot Camp is a progressive course that all fitness levels can participate in. This one-hour class focuses on cardio, strength, circuit training and flexibility. It incorporates props like ropes, ladders, hurdles, park benches, hills and playground equipment into the workout. Instructor Kristin Dowell assesses each student’s fitness level before the class begins and after the 11th week — she’s continuously amazed by the participants’ fitness results.

$175 for new participants who are Cheltenham Township residents; three days a week for 11 weeks

Cardio Tennis
If you love racket sports and want to increase your stamina, Cardio Tennis will help you meet your goals. In Alabama, at the City of Orange Beach Parks and Recreation Center, students of all fitness levels participate, and they don’t have to be a Williams sister to get a good workout. This one-hour class focuses on endurance rather than instruction and technique. It features an intense cardio segment that includes ball drills and foot maneuvers done to upbeat music. Find a Cardio Tennis class near you at cardiotennis.com.

$10 average (prices vary according to location) for a drop-in class

Rowing
Now that the weather is pleasant, taking your workout on the water can be a welcome change. Elisa Porter, assistant director at Seattle’s Mt. Baker Rowing and Sailing Center, said, “It’s widely believed that rowing only works out your arms, but it actually tones your stomach and legs too, which makes it an excellent full-body workout.” The Seattle Parks and Recreation Center offers a one-and-a-half-hour adult “Learn to Row” class where instructors explain rowing techniques before students take a boat on the water. Check out usrowing.org for rowing clubs near you.

$97; three days a week for one month

Hydro-Jogging
If you’d rather be inthe water instead of gliding on it, hydro-jogging is one of the many aqua-aerobics classes Iowa City Parks and Recreation Center offers. The 45-minute class takes place in deep water, where participants get a flotation belt, water barbells and a noodle. Students can work at their own pace depending on their fitness level. Hydro-jogging is a low-impact activity, so it’s perfect for individuals with arthritis or a recovering injury. Mariah Carey even recently attributed her slimmed-down figure to a fitness regimen that includes water aerobics.

$55; 15 classes to use throughout the year

Walking or Running Clubs
Joining a walking or running club is a great way to lose your winter weight and meet new people. In Florida, the Suncoast YMCA, FL, walking club meets at local beaches and parks for weekly walks. All fitness levels are welcome, and you can easily find a member who is willing to walk or run at your speed.

Free!

Kickball
If you’re looking for competition this spring, why not return to the childhood favorite game, kickball? In Texas, the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Center’s adult kickball league has proven so popular that the organization is looking to expand the playing space. The league has 16 co-ed teams made up of work colleagues and friends. Games are played twice a week for 50 minutes or seven innings, whichever comes first. At the end of the season, teams compete in playoff rounds to determine a champion.

$195; one team of 10 players

Local parks and recreation centers offer an array of outdoor classes that are entertaining and motivating. Take advantage of their inexpensive prices and group activities. If there’s something that interests you that isn’t offered at your local facility, speak up. These centers are designed to meet your needs as a community member. Have fun this spring, and enjoy your new workout!

About the Writer
Alexandria Stried has a master’s degree in food studies from New York University, and works for Weight Watchers. She is currently based in New York.

To find out more inspirational information, go to Weight Watchers.com

One of the hottest new trends in weight loss are detox diets. These cleanses are typically liquid-based and can help people shed unwanted pounds quickly. This is really just water weight and unless you stick to a healthy diet and exercise regimen after, you’ll likely see the weight return.

Hollywood stars have been using these detox cleanses to prepare themselves for red carpet events, and thanks to People Magazine, we’ve got an inside-look at how the likes of Beyonce and Gwyneth cleanse to lose weight.

Beyonce’s Cleanse

Beyonce made the Master Cleanse diet a household name. She prepares this recipe with hot water, lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper and drinks only this for 10-14 days. After using the Master Cleanse (also known as the lemonade diet or the maple syrup diet) to lose 20 pounds for her Dreamgirls role, she told Ellen Degeneres “I was very hungry, therefore I was evil.”

Anne Hathaway’s Cleanse

Similar to Beyonce, Anne uses a lemonade diet to prepare for red carpet photo opps. She uses David Kirsch’s 48-Hour Detox. Celeb trainer Kirsch’s lemonade mix isn’t really any different from the lemonade diet recipe you prepare at home. She drank this four times a day for 48 hours prior to the 2009 Golden Globes.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s Cleanse

This starlet is no stranger to cleansing and has been open about her cleansing regimen. “I like to do fasts and detoxes a couple of times during the year,” Gwyneth has said. She worked with Dr. Alejandro Junger to design a one-week diet and detox to help her “kick-start [her] year a bit lighter.” She removed all dairy, caffeine and processed food from her diet and drank a beet-carrot-apple-ginger juice, broccoli and arugula soup and ate meals like a sugar- and soy-free chicken teriyaki.

Giuliana Rancic’s Cleanse

The E! News anchor lost seven pounds before her 2007 wedding by using the The Ultimate Tea Diet. She had to drink four cups of tea each day and eat three light meals, like chicken breast and steamed vegetables.

Megan Fox’s Cleanse

The transformer star uses apple-cider vinegar and water to cleanse her system.

Read more: The Most Popular Celebrity Detox Diets

If you have children, you may have taken advantage of the school year to develop a killer workout schedule. Drop the kids off at school, head to the gym for an intense workout, head home to shower – it’s much easier to get it all done when you are only responsible for yourself. (Ask me how I know this. Sigh.)

When summer arrives, those kids are home and clamoring for attention, activities, pool time and unlimited Popsicles – and there may be precious little time for your workouts. Don’t give up, though; the warmer weather and the ’round the clock presence of your children doesn’t have to put an end to your fitness endeavors. Before you abandon all hope, here are some great ways to get it all done: 

• Taking your kids to the park doesn’t have to mean sitting on the bench and observing. Try this amazing playground workout.
• In the same spirit, let your children join you in your exercise. Often, they can come up with really fun and interesting ways to exercise that don’t even feel like work. TV tag, anyone?
• A trek to the pool can be exhilarating for all involved. Form teams and swim relay laps, do kick lines in the water – great for your leg work – and practice jumping from the diving board – also another great leg burner.
• Take your family on a bike ride. Even if you just visit a track, you can race each other, or if you have enough family members, form teams and compete against each other.
• A hike together can be a wonderful way to increase both your fitness level and your family bonding time.

The warm weather and an end to daily school visits doesn’t have to equal a flabby body for you. It can even spell an increase in both your fitness and family time – a win for all involved!

Read more: Parents: Summer Isn’t an End to Fitness

No matter how you plan to get there, traveling can be a fairly overwhelming adventure for some. All the planning, budgeting, shopping, packing and even arranging a sitter for the dog can leave you feeling like you really do need a vacation. Not to add one more thing to your crazed pre-trip task list, but we don’t want you to forget to keep your health in mind.

You’ve likely spent the first half of the year shedding winter weight and eyeing that hot new bikini so that you could take this trip without worrying about love handles and arm jiggle. So don’t hang up your hat now. Taking your diet and fitness habits on the road with you is as good an idea as packing your passport and plane tickets.

You might ask “How do I balance the lazy days of vacation with not falling off the wagon?” Well, the answer is you do just that – balance. Whether at home, the beach or some place in between, a healthy lifestyle is all about practicing balance and moderation. We’ll show you how.

If you’re traveling by plane, try this:

Stock Your Carry-On. Carry sturdy fruit like apples or bananas, raw nuts, whole grain crackers, crunchy veggies and even some dark chocolate. You won’t feel hungry on the plane and hand over five bucks for a canister of potato chips or a giant cookie.

Stay Hydrated. Ask for water or club soda with lime, and forgo the rest of the drinks from the calorie cart. With plane germs and the altitude change, you’ll be doing your body three favors in one by sipping H2O.

Watch the Seat Belt Light. When the pilot turns it off, get up and move! As long as the calorie cart isn’t blocking the aisle, you can walk laps. On a longer flight, do this once an hour for about five minutes.

If you’re traveling by car, do this:

Plan a Picnic. Skipping road-side fast-food will save calories, money and even add an element of fun to your trip. Fill a cooler with sandwich making, then stop at a road-side picnic spot for turkey sandwiches on wheat bread, fresh veggies and hummus and a fruit salad.

Be a Tourist. Try to stop every one to two hours to walk and stretch. Small towns that dot the interstate make great pit-stops and photo opps.

Stay Hydrated. Again, keep drinking that water! Each time you stop to refuel the car, refuel yourself. Take reusable water bottles and refill with water in the gas station.

When you’ve reached your destination, do this:

Keep Moving. Plan activities that require you to move. Whether that be golf, tennis, kayaking, swimming or even a stroll to a tourist hot-spot, doing more than lounging all day will burn those vacation calories.

Indulge… Just a Little. Don’t make every single meal a vacation celebration. You’ll no doubt hit local dives and even splurge on a fancy dinner or two, but you don’t have to do it three times a day for a week. If you eat at a greasy beach spot for lunch, have a lighter dinner. If you order a bottle of wine with dinner, skip dessert.

Sleep. One of the best things you can do for your body is stay rested. With the hustle and bustle of getting to your destination, the jam-packed vacation schedule, new time zones and even dietary changes, your vacation can take a toll on your body. Take advantage of your time off and squeeze in a nap, and try to get as much quality sleep at night as possible.

Sunday Funnies or is it? Certainly would not fly in this decade?

That girl looks like a pretty average size to me….what do you think of this ad?