Lauren asks: HELP! Summer is rapidly approaching and if I want to enjoy some rooftop happy hours, I must counteract by kicking up my workout routine.  Any suggestions for fun, young fitness classes in DC?  Red line is a plus!

Since my idea of exercise is either walking the halls of Congress or shopping in Georgetown, I had to call in some help for this one.  Thanks to my friend and fitness wonder Alexis for these great tips…

- Gyms: City Fitness, Washington Sports Clubs, and Vida Fitness all have young clientele and unique and interesting class offerings such as Zumba!, Budokon, and Bhangra as well as a menu of traditional classes such as spin, step, pilates and yoga.

- Yoga: DC’s Yoga community is young and vibrant, with studios and classes to match every personality type and skill level. Fun red line options include: YogaChai in Adams Morgan, Yoga District in Dupont Circle, Evolve in Dupont Circle (brand new!), and Shakti in China Town.

- Dance: Dance classes can be a fun and social way to get a great work out. DC Dance Collective is located in Tenleytown, and  Joy of Motion has 3 studios on the red line.  Both studios offer classes in a ton of different styles (too many to list!) and are very beginner- friendly.  All classes are pretty much “drop in,” so no long term committment is necessary– in fact, you could just try a different style of dance every week!

Finally, I also highly recommend checking out Graceful Edge.  Its like the Daily Candy of activities for sassy, hip, and adventerous women, and is a great resource for finding cool groups to run, hike, kayak, do yoga, etc. with.