It is an exercise program designed by someone named Callan. The name is a pun of the name "Callan" and the word "calisthenics".
Calisthenics are toe touches, sit-ups, etc.
http://dictionary.reference.com/sear...q=calisthenics
Callanetics is *not* aerobic exercise like jogging or Jane Fonda.
Callanetics was very big in the Eighties; there was a book and some video tapes. This was before Pilates became popular...Callanetics may be very similar to Pilates, it promises all the same results. For about 10 years all the Callanetics materials were out of print; now Amazon is offering the program on DVD.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=br_ss_hs...ds=callanetics