Curves

When compared to mixed-gender populations, the members of all-female lizard species are stronger, happier, and 10 times more likely to be named Trisha. Today's Groupon brings together like-minded ladies to increase fitness, morale, and results: for $30, you get a two-month unlimited basic membership, waived enrolment fee, and a five-class credit at Curves ($245 value, HST included), a fitness centre designed exclusively for women. Choose either the Niagara Falls and the Virgil location.

With machines set up in rows to encourage competition, many ordinary gyms cater to men's bodies and psychology, right down to the urinals "accidentally" installed in the women's locker room. At Curves, exercise enthusiasts move around a circuit of hydraulic resistance machines that have been designed to work with women's bodies and promote weight loss, protect against osteoporosis, and outwit arthritis. Each membership can be used toward unlimited visits and five Zumba fitness classes, and trained professionals are always nearby to help manage machine manoeuvering and muscle making.

Fiddling with weight stacks can cause loss of momentum, so the hydraulic machines at Curves use individual body weight and fitness level to create resistance that matches ability, decreasing the risk of soreness or injury. Because traditional lift-and-lower motions create bulky muscles, each machine uses push-and-pull motions to create toned, lean muscles perfect for elegantly crushing a grapefruit without looking like you can.

For 30 minutes, fitness frontierswomen move around a circuit that positions machines inward. Because everyone is at a different station, no one’s in competition with anyone but herself—and a soundtrack of fun, upbeat music includes tuneful cues for moving on to the next station. Raise the heart rate and burn calories during a complete aerobic and strength-training workout. Meet new friends between increasingly confident breaths, or invite along current friends to hold Olympics-style “10s” for each enviable triumph.