Whether you’re looking to tone up, get energized or nurture your spiritual side, these six fun and effective workouts can make it happen.

Yoga
Based on an ancient Eastern idea that the more freely energy flows through your body, the healthier you feel, yoga involves assuming a series of poses designed to keep your body supple and more relaxed. But yoga is more than twisting your body into positions that seem to deft anatomy: It’s a vehicle for meditation, which is why most classes also include a spiritual element, such as chanting.

Pros: Yoga offers a total-body strength and flexibility workout, while helping you develop better balance and coordination, as well as release stress. It’s also noncompetitive (classes are about challenging yourself, not one-upping the person next to you), portable(there’s no equipment involved, so you can do the moves anywhere, and inexpensive (classes run about $5-$20). “But what makes yoga really unique is that it’s a spiritual path – the body is simply a vehicle. Yoga provides clarity and makes you more energized.

Cons: Type A’s, take note: Although yoga certainly isn’t a high risk or high-impact sport, the overambitious could easily strain or sprain a body part while pushing challenging poses.

Who’s doing it: Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Denis Richards, Helen Hunt, Chynna Phillips, Cindy Crawford, and Reese Witherspoon.

Spinning
If you think riding a stationary bike is dull, you’ve never done indoor cycling. Spinning classes can be as exhilarating as a rigorous mountain trek: You vary your pace – sometimes pedaling briskly, other times cranking up the resistance and pedaling slowly from a standing position – while a teacher guides you on a mental journey (you’re almost at the Top!”). And you aren’t riding any old Exercycle: the pedals on indoor bikes never stop turning, so there’s no rest for weary legs.

Pros: Spinning burns serious calories (400 to 500 per 45 minute session), while strengthening your quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves. And enthusiasts say it gives them an amazing high. Spinning is also one of the few high-powered cardio workouts that have a limited amount of joint impact. What’s more, you can finish a class regardless of your age and fitness level by slowing your pace or lowering the resistance knob on the bike.

Cons: Spinning doesn’t improve flexibility or do much to build upper-body strength. Even though teachers try to include upper-body conditioning in the workout session, there’s a limit to how much you can do without adding weights. And though everyone is urged to go at her own pace, the competitive, “kick butt” climate inside cycling studios can be intimating to the stationary bike set.

Who’s doing it: Jodie Foster, Famke Janssen, Calista Flockhart, Julia Roberts and Pink.

Kickboxing
Thanks to the popularity of Tae Bo and movies like The Matrix, kickboxing is no longer relegated to musty old gyms. In fact, cardio kickboxing classes have become a mainstay at many health clubs. The updated exercise regimen combines the moves of martial arts (like side, front and roundhouse kicks) with boxing-inspired arm work (including front jabs and left hooks, either into the air or at a heavy bag), then puts the whole thing to music, creating a fun, fast-paced sweat session.

Pros: Kickboxing delivers a killer cardio workout, while providing a welcome change from the average aerobic class. It also builds a leaner body; improves balance, coordination, speed and agility; and can equip you with some handy self-defense moves. And what relieves stress better than kicking something?

Cons: The pivoting and bouncing can injure hips and knees if you’re not careful.

Who’s doing it: Jennifer Garner, Lucy Liu, Shannon Elizabeth, Kristanna Loken and Amanda Peet

Weight Training
Whether you hoist free weights or hit the Cybex, lifting is the gold standard when it comes to getting buff. Intense weight training is the most efficient way to break down muscle tissue, which forces it to repair itself and grow stronger.

Pros: Besides reshaping your body, lifting makes you stronger and helps you feel more powerful and energetic. And because muscles burn calories even when you’re not working out, the more lean muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be. Weight training is also one of the best ways to strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis.

Cons: Lifting is less than exciting. There are also start-up costs involved (you’ll have to join a gym or purchase your own equipment though you can use free weights which are very inexpensive). Also, weight training won’t improve your flexibility, and while it can burn some calories, you’ll need to combine it with an aerobic program to really shed pounds.

Who’s doing it: Jennifer Lopez, Halle Berry , Beyonce, Jennifer Garner, Gunnar Peterson, Penelope Cruz and Liv Tyler.

Pilates
Developed in the early 1900s by German gymnast Joseph Pilates, this training technique is designed to create long, limber muscles by working them through a wide range of motion. Done one-on-one with an instructor, traditional Pilates involves lying down on a wooden bed (called a reformer) equipped with pulleys, bars and springs, and performing a series of movements while pushing and pulling against resistance. A newer incarnation of Pilates is the group mat class, which consists of a floor routine and standing exercises that resemble calisthenics but are more precise.

Pros: Pilates develop long, lean muscles and a dancer’s agile body. It also improves flexibility, perks up posture, and – because nearly every move recruits your abs, butt and thighs – builds a strong torso, helpful for everything from playing sports to having babies. Pilates may well be the reason Sarah Jessica Parker experienced such an easy labor.

Cons: Learning Pilates is a long process, so if you like to master things quickly, this may not be the workout for you. Even in mat classes, expect about 10 regular sessions before you acquire the proper form. Also, Pilates doesn’t offer much in the way of fat-burning or cardio-conditioning. And private Pilates sessions can be pricey, running about $60 to $200 depending on where you live. (Mat sessions run about $15- $25 at studios; they’re often free at gyms.)

Who’s doing it: Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Lee Curtis, Melanie Griffith, Minnie Diver and Liv Tyler.

Running
One of the best workouts for fat-blasting is as easy as putting one foot in front of the other. Aim to get your heart rate into its “training zone” – beating at 60-75 percent of its maximum (roughly 220 minus your age, but check with your doctor to be sure) for at least 20 minutes. The most reliable way to know this is happening is to wear a heart-rate monitor, but the only equipment that’s de rigueur for this discipline is a good pair of running shoes, a sports bra, and a watch to time intervals.

Pros: There are no special skills or instructions for running. You can do it virtually anywhere. And you can go it alone or hook up with friends. If you’re not in good enough shape to start running right away, try walking, then pick up the pace or head for hills (or increase your treadmill’s incline) to keep it challenging.

Cons: Running can be dull, and if your goal is to lose weight it may take a while if you don’t increase speed and distance at least some of the time. Nor will it help you gain upper-body strength or flexibility. (Also, pounding on pavement or treadmills for long periods can lead to knee injuries and shin splints.)

Who’s doing it: Nichole Kidman, Renee Zellweger, Sheryl Crow and Madonna.

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