YOGILATES ***½
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTYYogilates' series of movements prove familiar to those who have taken yoga: downward and upward dogs, warrior one, child's pose, the bridge. Mat Pilates devotees will also recall exercises such as corkscrewing legs, the 100s, rolling like a ball. Instructor Luana Hervier uses a small FitBall (a soft, rubber ball larger than a softball, smaller than a soccer ball) to work the core. You place it between your ankles or pass it between scissoring legs while your upper body is slightly raised.Hervier stresses that her students can return to the relaxing child's pose at any time.Yogilates will provide a serious workout -- expect to sweat and maybe groan.FUN FACTORHervier's likability, the blending of stretching and strengthening activities, the post-workout neck massage, the invigorating smell of peppermint oil released during the cool-down stretch, combined to make Yogilates one of the more enjoyable fitness hours Sweat Equity's undertaken.Another nice touch: this was the first time I've not had a problem with a floor mat. I'm always sweating and then slipping or sliding and feeling little to no support from these blasted things. This one, a Thera-Band, had ridges and kept me in place. Yet another nice Biltmore touch.TO DO ITBiltmore Fitness Center, 1200 Anatasia Ave., Coral Gables; 305-913-3102; www.biltmorefitness.comWhen: 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. Cost: $16.05.Hervier also offers a free yoga class at 10 a.m. Saturdays at Kennedy Park in Coconut Grove and Yogilates at 10:30 a.m. Fridays at M Cycle Gym in South Miami. More info at www.luanahervier.com.arRATING SCALE: Zero (Worthless) to Four Stars (Outstanding)Sometimes it's the little touches that make a fitness center stand out.
Take the Biltmore Fitness Center's twin water cooler. One, enticingly glistening with condensation, held plain ice water. The other was filled with fresh-cut lemons and water. That's not only classy but it's a smart and healthy drink to offer someone who has lost minerals through sweat.
Thus, feeling uplifted already, I was in a good state to take Luana Hervier's Yogilates class.
Yogilates is just that: a melding of yoga and core-strengthening Pilates.
''I work the breath,'' Hervier, 24, a native of Brazil, says in a soothing voice that should be tapped for relaxation tapes. ``Strengthening, lengthening. In yoga poses we use the core a lot.''
