This bustling women only fitness studio offers a full slate of group aerobic classes, like Fat Burner and Butt & Gut, and womenspecific strength training equipment, along with cardio machines. I observed a number of smiley and bubbly women leaving the studio after their workouts. Why ModMoms will like it: Location, location, location. Nestled in the Hunters Woods Plaza, next to the Reston Conservatory Ballet, Safeway, and the totally hip, new At Play Café, workouts at this gym are convenient. Plus, there’s ample parking and childcare available at set hours. Membership appears ethnically diverse, and the owner/receptionist seems to know members by name.

If you’re looking for a totally relaxing, non-competitive “family” workout environment, this fitness studio conveniently located off Route 7 may just be the perfect fit. Not only does this studio completely lack the sterile gym feel, if anything, it feels more like you’re working out in your home amongst friends, albeit with top-notch training equipment and an experienced staff. Why ModMoms will like it: Super friendly staff waiting to greet you at the door. Membership includes a complete fitness assessment, two personal training sessions, and use of all spinning, aerobic and yoga classes (over 20 classes/ per week). It also offers a reasonably priced family membership option. The studio offers post-rehab programs, including 1-on-1 Pilates and massage therapy. Ample parking and plenty of cardio and strength machines mean you’ll have no choice but to say good-bye to that it’s too busy to workout excuse.

What sets Curves apart from other workout studios is its women-only, circuit training approach to fitness. In just thirty minutes, you get a full cardio workout combined with upper and lower body strength training. Equipment is set up in a circle, so women seamlessly move from circuit station-to-station. Members swipe memory key-tags at the “smart machines” which remember personal settings, like resistance and speed—so no part of the thirty minutes is wasted tooling around with the machines. Why ModMoms will like it: The smart machines keep you honest and focused on your workouts; it’s like having a personal trainer accompanying you at each station. At the end of each 30-minute workout you get a hi-tech computerized report card which shows you how effective your workout was (well beyond standard “calories burned” data) and let’s you know what to focus on next time. If you’re looking for a workout environment that has a strong sense of community and sisterly feel, this is your gym.

If you can’t get back to sleep after that 3AM diaper change, why not hit the gym? Open 24/7/365, this “neighborhood gym” is just one of 1400 locations which make up the fastest growing co-ed health gym franchise in the country. Why ModMoms will like it: Conveniently located in an upscale building in the bustling heart of Vienna, this intimate fitness studio offers everything you need to ready your body for pregnancy or get yourself back into peak fitness after baby. Only one year old, this studio offers a comfortable, quiet environment overflowing with cardio equipment, strength/cable motion machines, and free weights. The small menu of group exercise classes, like Resista- ball and Tone, and inclusion of personal training sessions in your membership will keep you hooked on fitness.

SuperSlow is a revolutionary exercise regimen that produces a leaner, stronger body in two 20 minute workouts per week. The workout involves four to six weight machines, each targeting a specific muscle group. Weights are slowly raised over a period of 10 seconds and lowered for 10 second, until the targeted muscles reach total momentary fatigue. The client is encouraged to push beyond total fatigue for an extra 10 seconds which is when the results occur. SuperSlow offers a professional certified personal instructor who has completed a rigorous certification that requires complete knowledge of SuperSlow method and equipment, anatomy and physiology, safety, and, goal achievement.