Step It Up: Six Alternative Ways To Keep Fit This Autumn

With summer coming to an end, and the gyms starting to fill up once again, we're looking for new ways outside of the sweat box to work on our fitness. From suspending ourselves from ceilings, to riding the waves along the Wild Atlantic Way, there are so many fantastic alternatives to the treadmill. And we want to try all of them.  To celebrate the launch of Ballygowan Sparkingly Fruity, a range of lightly sparkling, low calorie fruit flavoured natural mineral water drinks, we've put together six refreshing different ways to keep fit this autumn.... 1.  Aerial fitness is everything Aerial yoga is top of our list of activities to try out this autumn. Instead of getting down to business on a mat, aerial yoga involves performing poses in a silk cloth swing suspended from the ceiling - best avoided if you've got a fear of heights. Aerial yoga allows you to become weightless, and helps to strengthen the core, stretch tight muscles and aid in relieving painful joints. 2. Hope in a kayak There's nothing better than getting out in the open air and spending some time on the water. Find your local kayaking club and give it a try. It's a low impact activity which will help your aerobic fitness, strength and flexibility. 3. Surf's up Ireland is home to some of the best surfing spots in the world - and it's time to start taking advantage of them. Surfing is a fantastic way to work on your legs and core strength, as well as your cardiovascular fitness.  From Bundoran to Ballybunion, the Wild Atlantic Way is just waiting for surfers to come and ride the impressive waves. Join a club, or take a road trip to the west with your friends, and hit the ocean. Don't forget your wetsuit! 4. Get your (roller) skates on Roller skating requires the use of most of the body's muscles, in particular the heart, making it a great form of exercise. So when you're totally bored of the bike in the gym, throw on your skates, gather up your pals and hit the park, or your local rink for a seriously fun work out. 5. Hula hooping Relive your childhood and try your hand at a hula hoop class. With everyone from Michelle Obama to Zooey Deschanel been spotted working on their hula skills, this is a bang on trend fitness kick. Get yourself your own hula hoop, pick up a DVD or head along to a class. Keep working on the basic moves until you're comfortable, and then start mixing and matching moves to tone up from head to toe. 6. Take a hip hop class Learn some new moves for the dancefloor and work up a sweat - what's not to love? More and more high-energy, feel-good hip hop classes are springing up around the country. Hip hop gets the heart pumping, increases breathing rates, and strengthens thighs, glutes, calbes and other muscles in the arms and legs. It's also a great way to give your body a new way of working out.     This article is brought to you by the refreshingly different Ballygowan Bellissimo. Available in three different flavours: Apple, Elderflower & Lemon, Raspberry & Blackberry and Lemon & Mint.