If the idea of another night at the gym, another run along your usual path, or another sweaty session with those same yoga videos makes you want to sit on the couch and meander through the TiVo listings, it's time to switch your exercise routine. Here are some new ways to shake a tail feather that you just might find more refreshing -- and rewarding -- than a rerun of your regular workouts.

SHAKE IT UP

Think of it as the antidote to too many crunches -- it's expressive, fun -- when you wiggle your middle and shimmy your hips in belly-dancing class. Anita-Cristina Calcaterra, cofounder of The Goddess Dancing, calls the low-impact workout beginner-friendly, easy for pregnant women, and accessible even to the not-so-coordinated. "It is like doing strength training, and then when you put on music and let your creativity go, that's when you can get your aerobic workout," she says. Weekly classes are held at The Boston Dance Company in Cambridge, and drop-ins ($18 per class) are welcome. To join: 781-207-9182 or thegoddessdancing.com. Ama Allara, owner of Rock City Body in Allston, incorporates bellydancing, yoga, and pilates into a weekly class for aerobic, strength, and flexibility training. It stretches your body as well as the old definitions of what's what at the gym. Five-week sessions cost $135, and single classes are $17. To join: 617-782-4410 or rockcitybody.com.

LIFE IMITATING TV

The Waltham branch of the YMCA is offering a reality TV-style fitness challenge for couples that begins next month. During the 12-week session, couples compete against other couples in nutrition and fitness challenges such as eating enough vegetables and performing various types of aerobic and strength-building exercises. This weekly program, which will be open to nonmembers, includes access to all facilities at the YMCA. Membership costs $81 per family, and financial assistance is available; there will be an extra fee to participate in the fitness challenge. To join: 781-894-5295.

Boredom-Busting Workouts

GET CONNECTED

If a workout buddy is all you need to get moving, go online to find your perfect partner. Exercisefriends.com functions in much the same way as a dating site -- it helps people who have similar interests meet -- except that there's no dating allowed, and it's free. Create a personal profile, then use the site's search function to find a worthy handball opponent, a hiker who's free next weekend, or an endurance runner training for the same race you plan to enter. The site has just over 2,000 members in Massachusetts. To join: Exercisefriends.com.

DEFENSE DEPORTMENT

Krav Maga, a type of martial arts, is "kind of a twofer," says Dennis Amato, head instructor and owner of Krav Maga Training Center of the South End. "People come in to learn self-defense, and they get into phenomenal shape." Unlike some other martial arts, the intense, allover body workout is short on ceremony and heavy on practical fighting techniques, he says. A basic membership costs $115 monthly and includes unlimited Krav Maga classes. To join: 617-427-7199 or kravmagaboston.com.Continued...