When this entertaining horse-inspired workout first hit the scene in 1989, it didn’t really catch on. But now, thanks to YouTube, it’s found it’s niche. According to Prancercise’s founder, Joanna Rohrback, the dance-walk workout is “a springy, rhythmic way of moving forward, similar to a horse’s gait and is ideally induced by elation.” As an added benefit, the weight-bearing, multi-directional movements of prancing and dancing are good for your bones. Every step is a surprise to your skeleton! Check out the Original – Prancercise: A Fitness Workout video and if you like what you see, put on some colorful leggings and give it a go! Who cares what your neighbors think?! You can also read more about it in her book, “Prancercise: The Art of Physical and Spiritual Excellence.” Before we know it moms will be Prancercising to school to pick up their kids, men and women will be elated as they do it in Home Depot, retirees will be springing down the lane, and, if you watch closely, you may even catch your boss rocking it in the office.

But Prancercising isn’t the only prancing dancing walking and shaking workout option. Here are a few others to check out for inspiration:

• Ed People. Ed travels around the world asking people what their favorite dance moves are, then he joins them in the fun. Here are some of Best Of The Favorite Dance Moves
• Ben Aaron’s Dance Walking workout: As an extrovert, I appreciate his social approach — I mean, why not get others involved in your elation?
• Ricardo Walker’s Crew dances through the decades and rekindles some great earworms in their Evolution Of Dance videos. These are sure to inspire you with some fun moves.
• OK Go inspires fitness buffs to rethink how they exercise in Here It Goes Again. Although I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind you that trying most of these moves may be more likely to lead to broken bones than stronger ones so proceed with caution.
• And who can forget the Aaahhhaa-mazing Jazzercise Dances with Judi Sheppard Missett! Need a little refresher of the fun and funky style that everyone was raving about? Check it out, check it out, check it out, check it out, ahh haa!! Jazzercise 1982 Original Workout 80’s Video FUNNY COMPILATION

As with anything, keep safety first. To protect your spine, make sure you engage your core muscles and skip moves that round your spine forward, twist it without stabilizing with counter rotation, or hyperextend it. If you’re not sure how to stabilize your spine and step confidently in any direction without fear of falling, or if you want to understand why surprising your skeletal system is necessary for building stronger bones, my book, Living The Bones Lifestyle: A Practical Guide To Conquering The Fear Of Osteoporosis will teach you that and more.

What I hope to encourage with this compilation of fun, out-of-the-box thinking is to keep the playfulness in your exercise. If your workout is just another thing that you dread doing each day, you won’t see the improvement that you are hoping for. Find activities that inspire and delight you so you can’t wait to take the next step and prance your way through the day.