Fun ways to get fit in Finsbury Park

Want to get in shape for the Christmas party season, but bored of the same old aerobics sessions? Never fear, we've looked into the hottest new fitness trends to help you tone up this winter, all available now at a gym near you.

The Factory on Hornsey Road now offers Zumba® Fitness, a workout combining traditional aerobics with sexy Latin dance moves. Originating in Miami and fast becoming popular in the UK, the classes alternate between slow rhythms to sculpt and tone with faster moves to raise the pulse and burn fat.

The Factory will be holding a FREE beginners' Zumba® Fitness workshop at 12 noon on Saturday 28th November. The class is expected to be very popular, so book your place now and wiggle your way to a better bod! For more details or to book, call 0207 272 1122.

Over at Paradise Walk women's gym, Vinyasa Flow Yoga is designed to improve strength, flexibility and posture. In this class, participants move from one posture to the next with the inflow or outflow of breath, and with as much attention to the transitions between postures as to the poses themselves. Vinyasa Flow also improves the circulation, and class members should expect to sweat! Classes run every Thursday at 7pm, and the price for non-members is £8.

Fancy something more uptempo? Sobell Leisure Centre promises to get you moving with its Soca Aerobics classes, combining energising aerobics with Calypso winding and shaking. Soca is the uplifting party music of the West Indies, and this class will improve general fitness in a fun and rhythmic class suitable for all levels. Soca Aerobics runs weekly on Thursdays at 5.45pm, and the drop-in price is £6.80 (discounts available for Sobell members).

Virgin Active in Crouch End also offers Soca Jam classes or, for those a little more adventurous, RPM is a choreographed group indoor cycling class set to music. Participants use the resistance control on the bike to simulate a range of cycling conditions, including mountain biking and flat races.

The classes also work through a series of riding positions and pedalling speeds to work the whole body. RPM tones the legs, hips and buttocks, and burns 600-800 calories per hour, leaving you with plenty of space for Christmas pudding! RPM classes run at Virgin Active at 10am on Sunday mornings.

Know any more great ways to get fit in the local area? Let us know below!