Working out is No. 3 on the list of most popular daily activities in America, behind not working out and teaching dogs to swear. Spend your time wisely with today's Groupon: for $49, new clients get five group classes at Pilates Plus (a $150 value). Choose from the following locations: San Fernando Valley, Malibu, or Studio City. The Studio City location is scheduled to open on August 25.

Pilates Plus has brought the SPX fitness class's high-intensity blend of traditional Pilates and modern weight training to media outlets from the TV Guide channel to Shape magazine. At each 40- to 55-minute group session, Pilates pros show students how to cultivate strength, stamina, and prize-winning roses with a ProFormer machine, which works upper- and lower-body muscles through a system of springs and pulleys. Although old-school routines such as pushups and lunges tone the body, support from the ProFormer machine keeps pressure off the joints and spine so elbows don't go on strike in the middle of putting a warthog in a headlock. The Pilates component of the workout lengthens and enhances posture while keeping heart rates up and burning calories.

Students perform at a level of intensity suitable to their abilities, as the workout can be adjusted to ensure that all exercisers reach the point of muscle fatigue without pushing themselves too far. Music pours from speakers during the regimens, keeping the energy up and scaring off ghosts with poor senses of rhythm. The studios hold classes seven days a week, including mornings, afternoons, and evenings.