Sweating Off the Pounds in South Orange

If you're like most Americans, losing weight and getting in shape was tops on your list of New Year’s resolutions. Lucky for South Orange residents, there are plenty of local options to put you on the right track.

South Mountain Yoga on Scotland Road is a studio focused on the Anusara school of yoga, a hatha yoga style created in 1997. Classes are $17 each, or you can take advantage of a promotion and get one, two or three classes free if you buy packages of 10, 20 or 50 classes.

Carlos Sanchez, a Maplewood resident, certified personal trainer and yoga instructor, launched Maplewood Boot Camp in 2006. He decided to start Boot Camp Light in South Orange in 2008 after many clients requested a less intense workout, whether because they were just returning to exercise, or beginning to exercise for the first time ever. But don’t let the word “light” fool you.

Boot Camp Light is held Tuesday and Thursday mornings at The Baird and combines yoga, cardio and strength training. Each session is four weeks and costs $177. If campers can't make a session, they're allowed to schedule make-ups. To help Maplewood and South Orange residents keep their resolutions this year, Sanchez launched the Biggest Loser Contest right after New Year's. It's an eight-week contest to determine who can lose the most weight.

Spa Lady on Academy Street is the answer for women who avoid the gym because they don’t enjoy working out around men. The gym offers 25-30 classes such as zumba, cardio box and pilates and has new cardio and strength training equipment. Monthly rates range from $20 to $45.

In addition to personal training services and nutritional advice, Spa Lady offers a unique detox service: an infrared body wrap. The wrap is done over clothing and supposedly burns 900 to 1,200 calories per hour. Spa Lady is only one of three places in New Jersey to offer it. 

Curves on South Orange Avenue is another all-female fitness option. Its 30-minute workout routine promises to burn up to 500 calories while exercising every major muscle group. The current promotion is 50 percent off the sign-up fee and 30 days free.  

While Motion Fitness is in Millburn, it's the gym a la mode for plenty of South Orange residents, and we wanted to give them an honorable mention. Motion is much bigger than any of the more local options and has a plethora of classes like boot camp, boxing, dance groove, body sculpting and cycling. It also has fancy perks like full-service locker rooms with towel and laundry service.

Monthly rates range from $49 for teens to $99 for a month-to-month plan. This January, Motion is offering a rate of $49 per month for the first two months of an annual membership as an incentive to get out there and sweat.