Matt Slocum/Caller-Times file ART VENUES: Michelle Smythe views art during a recent one-woman show at the South Texas Institute for the Arts’ Art Museum of South Texas.

Run, lift and swim at the gym
Try a kickboxing class or pump some iron at area health clubs

By Joy Victory, Caller-Times

  

Gym Listings Take a walk outside Hit these exercise hot spots around town for a dose of fun, hills, wildlife or solitude. Moody High School The Moody High School track is the outdoor exercise gem of the city’s west side. The all-weather material on the track keeps soggy runners from slipping. To get there: From North Padre Island Drive, head east on Greenwood Drive. Turn right onto Trojan Drive. The track is to the right of Moody High School. University hike, bike trail The trail at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi comes close to runner’s perfection, with four emergency-call stations, water fountains and a paved running surface. The 1.3 mile-long trail winds past student housing, the Cayo Del Oso (an inlet bay), and many university buildings. To get there: Head to TAMU-CC off the very southern end of Ocean Drive. Pick up a free visitor’s pass at the guard station and ask for parking directions. The trail is easiest to locate if you take the second entrance into the university. Corpus Christi Seawall Expect a crowd as you pound along the 2-mile concrete path. Rollerbladers, skateboarders, joggers and tourists converge at all times of the day to take in the view of Corpus Christi Bay and the downtown skyline. To get there: Head downtown on Shoreline Boulevard and look for Buford Street. The seawall starts at Buford Street and ends at the Art Museum of South Texas.

Workout junkies can find just about any exercise trend at Corpus Christi's numerous fitness centers. Prices change often, so call for rates.
   * Corpus Christi Athletic Club, 2101 Airline Road, 992-7100. With indoor and outdoor tennis courts, two swimming pools, aerobics, dance, kid's fitness classes and a slew of resistance and cardiovascular machines, the club has one of the largest fitness selections in Corpus Christi.
   * Feminique, 5301 Everhart Road, 855-4721. For more than 23 years, Feminique has been the city's only all-female health club. Here, aerobics are queen, with step, traditional, water, kickboxing and toning classes weekly, starting as early as 6 a.m. Classes range from non-impact, low-impact, beginner and beyond. Several seniors exercise during the morning hours and participate in low-impact and water aerobics classes.
   * U.S. Gym, 5959 Holly Road, 992-4653. U.S. Gym offers rows of free weights and resistance machines. There's also a strength training circuit that allows members to move quickly between machines that strengthen the legs, arms, back, abdomen and thighs. And for members who prefer exercising on treadmills, cross-trainers and recumbent bikes, bring your Walkman along so you can tune your radio into the televisions displayed across the gym.
   * Platypus Inc. The Fitness Center, 4719 S. Alameda St., 992-0200. The purple and green painted gym offers a variety of free weights, cardiovascular and resistance machines as well as step, kickboxing, spinning, and toning classes. Club trainers ask new members to complete a questionnaire on their health history, and check new members' blood pressure, heart rates and body composition.
   * World Gym and Fitness Center, 6601 Everhart Road, 853-5151. The high-tech-looking gym features dark carpet, sleek purple and white equipment and televisions suspended from the ceiling. With multiple weight machines, bikes, treadmills, cross-trainers and steppers, waiting is kept to a minimum.

   * YMCA, 417 S. Upper Broadway, 882-1741; 4101 U.S. Highway 77, 241-3221. The YMCA offers aerobics, indoor racquetball and swimming at both its downtown Corpus Christi and Five Points locations. Each gym also has a section reserved for resistance machines for the upper and lower body. The weekly aerobics classes include yoga, water aerobics, kickboxing, sports conditioning and circuit training. A steam room, whirlpool and sauna are also available.
   * YWCA, 4601 Corona Drive, 857-5661. Children's fitness classes are included in the monthly membership fee, which also includes use of the pools, aerobic classes, cardiovascular and fitness machines. Children ages 6 to 14 can participate in kids aerobics, crafts and study hall while parents relax in the whirlpool or dry sauna. Many seniors take part in water aerobics and lap swimming in the competition size and smaller pools. Weekly yoga, step, kickboxing and body-sculpting classes are available in the basketball gym. A deli is also available inside the club.