If exercise seems like a chore, it's time to find something new. You need a workout so fun and engaging that you forget you're exercising. Open your mind and body to the possibilities.

Off Solid Ground

To shake up your workout, step onto a balance device, such as a wobble board or balance cushion. Wobble boards are hard platforms with a small half-dome attached underneath. Your mission is to learn to balance on the board while you exercise. The same goes for balance cushions. These are inflatable vinyl disks that can be used for various exercises.

Balance devices challenge us to move in new ways. "The whole purpose is to give someone an unstable surface, because that's going to require the use of abdominal, back, and other core muscles," says Leigh Crews, a fitness instructor and spokesperson for the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Muscles that support the joints are also used.

Getting started. With both hands against a wall, stand on the wobble board or balance cushion. Once you feel stable, explore the motion of the device. Rock back and forth and rotate the board or cushion in circles. Then practice with one hand until you don't need to hold on for support.

From there, Crews has clients perform exercises they already know, such as squats, on the device. Next, she makes the motion asymmetrical—a one—legged squat, for instance. Another way to increase the challenge: Raise the height of the wobble board or inflate your balance cushion more so that it's even more unsteady.

Dance, Dance, Dance

Grooving to your favorite music isn't just for nightclubs anymore. Cardiovascular workouts based on dances from salsa to belly dancing to hip-hop are popping up everywhere.

"This is a fantastic, nontraditional type of exercise that appeals to many, many people," says exercise physiologist Michael Bracko, Ed.D., F.A.C.S.M., a spokesperson for the ACSM. That's partly because it uses types of music that people want to start moving to.

Dancing allows people to use their body in new ways, have fun, and get a good cardiovascular workout—all at the same time. What's more, Bracko adds, "Research shows that when people work out to music, they tend to exercise at a higher intensity."

Getting started. Check out the roster of dance classes at your local health club. Or browse your favorite video retailer for titles such as Dance Off the Inches: Sizzling Salsa and Off Da Hook Hip Hop Aerobics.

It's a good idea to look for a class or video that starts simply. Most dance workouts begin with basic moves and then gradually build in complexity.

Just remember to be careful. "Don't take your body into a range of motion that you're not accustomed to until you've been doing a program for several weeks, if not months," Crews advises.

Bikram Heats Up Yoga

Want a workout for your mind and spirit as well as your body? Bikram Choudhury says he's got what you seek. He developed Bikram yoga—a vigorous sequence of 26 Hatha yoga postures and two breathing exercises. Devotees perform this "hot yoga" routine for 90 minutes in a room heated to 105 degrees.

"In yoga, you're strengthening muscles as you lengthen them. So it increases range of motion and strength at the same time, a really important benefit," says Crews.

But Bikram isn't for the faint of heart or body. "It's very vigorous," says Crews, "probably not the best beginner workout."

Getting started. Choudhury's new book, Bikram Yoga, walks readers through the workout in detail. But "there's no substitute for going to a Bikram studio and working with one of our certified teachers," he writes.

Keep in mind that the high heat requires extra care. Drink plenty of water before and during class. If you become nauseated or dizzy, back off. And if you have any acute or chronic health issues or take prescription medicines, it's especially important to consult your doctor before you begin.

"Come into all these activities with an open mind," says Crews. "You may not like every exercise you try, but you may be surprised by what does resonate with you."