Vermont winters are stunning, but not always kind to nonskiers like myself. On the coldest and darkest of days, I've found that signing up for a workout class can motivate me to stay active. Nothing gets me moving quite like peer pressure and a nonrefundable fee. But I've already tried all the typical workouts: high-intensity interval training, vinyasa yoga, indoor cycling, Zumba, strength training and the like. Rather than going back for round two, for the New Year I resolved to track down three offbeat classes that would spice things up and make exercise fun. My search for the unusual took an unexpected detour: I walked into Eat and Be Hoopy at South Burlington's University Mall, geared up for an adult Hula-Hoop class, only to find myself surrounded by elementary-age kids. Whoops! (Turns out, hoop master Karla Jones used to offer an adult class — slight miscommunication). I valiantly carried on and hooped while the kids were distracted by toys and their parents looked on in confusion. Undeterred, I continued my quest and tried sword fighting, a waltz class and restorative yoga. Here's how it all went down. Going Medieval Sword fighting, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5 p.m., and Saturdays, 11 a.m., at Noble Science Academy in Lebanon, N.H. $75 monthly membership. noblescience.org If you've ever fantasized about how you'd fare in a Renaissance-era sword duel, this class is your chance to find out — without the risk of actually getting skewered. Noble Science Academy in Lebanon, N.H., offers classes in historical European martial arts, or HEMA, a discipline dedicated to re-creating the sword-fighting techniques of the medieval and Renaissance eras based on historical texts. Unlike modern fencing, the goal is not to score touches. Instead, participants simulate what it would have been like to fight in life-or-death combat back in the day — but in a safe, controlled environment and wearing protective gear. Classes take place in the fittingly historic Lebanon Masonic Temple, where I joined a group of 15 students mostly in their twenties and thirties. On a recent Tuesday night, I bravely ventured into the fray to see if I had what it takes to keep up. Noble Science Academy was founded by Michael-Forest Meservy in Reno, Nevada, in 2008 and expanded to Lebanon in 2014. The academy also has chapters in Las Vegas and Dublin. Lebanon's is led by Jonathan Helland, a 45-year-old Jeffersonville resident who…