Health & Fitness in Detroit

At Yoga Shelter, you won't hear esoteric chants echoing through the halls or meditation music reverberating from rock-shaped speakers. That's because founder Eric Paskel wants to make yoga accessible for all students, whether they're searching for inner peace or a more toned bod. Contemporary and classic music accompanies classes that range from Yoga Rocks, which focuses on sequenced postures, to classes like Xflowsion, a combination of yoga, martial arts, and dance that can be repeated at home or at your boss's wedding reception. There is no hierarchy of classes; each 60- to 75-minute session is open to all skill levels. As Paskel himself puts it on his about page, “What's different about us is that we admit we have issues, we know we have work to do—if you can relate to that, you'll love this place.”

Head instructor Jeff Emmerling—a black belt in freestyle karate—and Joseph Robinson—a personal trainer and a practitioner of all arts martial—throw their stockpile of disciplines into Clubkickbox's ring. The two turn mealy-muscled students into kicking and jabbing dynamos, outfitting fists and feet with power-ups honed over thousands of years by traditions such as muay thai, and Indonesian silat. Sessions engage students with rigorous kickboxing and fitness training that eschews the stuffy, traditional uniforms in favor of comfortable T-shirts and exercise shorts. Students cinch up boxing gloves or forearm-length pads before stepping onto the mats to spar or play the most frustrating game of patty-cake ever while trimming fat, boosting cardio, and leveling up muscle.

In 1917, famed golf-course architect Donald Ross carved New Rogell Golf Course out of an urban plot along Grand River Avenue, adding yet another gem to a portfolio of courses that also includes Pinehurst No. 2 and Oakland Hills. Today, players enjoy the fruits of Mr. Ross’s labor as they cruise over a bentgrass path that stretches to 6,075 yards from the farthest tees. Two additional tee boxes start off each hole as well, allowing golfers to tailor rounds to their skill level or forsake tees completely and start in a bunker.

Course at a Glance:

• 18-hole, par 70 course
• Total length of 6,075 yards from the back tees
• Course rating of 70.2 from the back tees
• Course slope of 129 from the back tees
• Three sets of tees per hole

The Hub’s mechanics-in-training (MIT) program teaches high-school-age youth the fundamentals of bicycle maintenance and customer service as part of an apprenticeship. In addition to gaining practical employment experience, MITs develop social and leadership skills by assisting The Hub's educational staff in training children how to repair bikes during the summer Youth Earn-a-Bike program. Young people also receive a small stipend during their tenure as apprentice mechanics. With additional aid, The Hub can support one of their mechanics-in-training for another month beyond the initial summer apprenticeship.

New Life Fitness World motivates calories crusaders with personal trainers and more than 140 hours of group classes. Launch fitness plans in a one-on-one training session before bounding into any of the four locations' exercise courses, such as cycling, Zumba, and Piyo, a combination of yoga, Pilates, and trick yo-yoing. After land-based laps around the indoor tracks, or the aquatic equivalent in the indoor heated pools, fit fiddles can indulge in a sauna steam, a hot-tub soak, or a tanning session. Towel service and locker rooms facilitate transitions out of the gym, while childcare frees parents from the stress of pushing strollers while jogging on the treadmill.