And strong.
Last week I did seven classes in seven days, and feel AMAZING.
Sunday : Hot Yoga
What I expected : Yoga in a hot room.
What I got : Yoga in a hot room, but much, much sweatier than I expected. I highly recommend bringing a large towel to put over your mat, along with another smaller towel for mopping off the sweat that will pour off your body. (Or maybe I am just especially sweaty?) I loved the heat - the tropical humidity of it all. The class was packed which was pretty cool. Had a very spiritual vibe. And let me give a shout out to my friend Rebecca. She came with me to four of my seven classes this week!!!!!!! Group exercise is way more fun if you have a friend there. Just sayin'.
Plus, then there is someone to take selfies with in the bathroom...
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| post- hot yoga. sweaty hot mess. but feeling SO good. |
Monday : Boot Camp
What I expected : A slow moving rotation with a partner through different strength exercises (basically like a different boot camp I had gone to at my gym.)
What I got : More like a real boot camp! Another packed class. The first thing we had to do was grab a weight and run around the track with it lifted over our head. That was awkward! I love to run, so I was one of the faster people, but I kept worrying I was going to drop the weight on my head (or trip.) After about five laps we headed back to the room and the coach led us through non-stop moves with the free weights and without, including burpees and lots of hopping about. It was hard, ya'll...but I really liked it and fully expect to attend this class regularly from now on!
What you should bring : water, good shoes for high impact
Tuesday : Zumba
What I expected : Good music and dance moves, which I would do awkwardly.
What I got : Well, truthfully I only stayed five minutes before I realized I would not be able to follow the instructor of this class. She launched into a series of salsa moves that, well, left me standing there dumbfounded. I laughed and tried to keep up but I am exceedingly uncoordinated and putting together all those moves made my brain hurt. I have no natural rhythm. Everyone else in the class seemed to be able to follow, even my friend Rebecca who had only done Zumba once before. So I bailed after the first song, afraid of distracting the poor girls behind me with my giggling and lack of ability to keep up with the teacher. Also, I knew I was not going to get the good cardio workout I needed (because I couldn't follow well enough) and I absolutely needed to break a sweat that day. (Hard day with the kids!!!!) So I retreated to the treadmill upstairs and ran a hard-core Fartlek. So the day was not a total loss, and I learned a very important thing about myself : Zumba is not for me.
What you should bring: all the coordination you can muster, no worries about looking dorky.
Wednesday : Spinning
What I expected : Well, this is the class I attend regularly, so I got an awesome ride with a fun instructor. The class is always full, the teacher is talkative and engaging but not in a distracting way, and she plays awesome music. Just what I need at 5:45am! :) However, every spin class and instructor is different. You get a different "ride" and different music, so it is worth it (and fun!) to go to multiple per week. Oh, and if you are a newbie your booty and other areas of your nether region may be really sore for about a week when you first take a class...but if you go on a regular basis this goes away. Fun times!
What I got : (see above)
What you should bring : a full bottle of water, a sweat towel, and I usually wear a hat or headband. There is a lot of sweating.
Thursday : Body Works Plus Abs
What I expected : An intense workout using free weights and the riser. I had done this class once before with a different instructor, so I knew it would be challenging.
What I got : All of the above, but even harder. I don't know if it was hard because I was already pretty sore from Monday's boot camp, or because the teacher talked non-stop about that evening's football game, which, combined with the music made my head ache....but the class was not super enjoyable. I don't mind a teacher that talks, and she seemed really sweet, but I totally don't relate to "sports obsession" and she repeated the same comments about that night's professional football game over, and over, and over. I found it kind of distracting and odd. Also, there were many of the moves that we did for so long that I had to keep stopping. Maybe a long week? Maybe I am weak? It was rough, ya'll. If you do this class, expect lots of repetition of moves, working every body part.
Friday : Yoga
What I expected : A calming, non-intense yoga class full of lovely older women. You see, I go to this class every week, and I am usually the youngest one there. The women that attend have been doing so for years, and are all very sweet and love their yoga. They are totally what I want to be in my retirement : fit, and filling their time with healthy things. Anyway, I like this yoga class because I don't really break a sweat, so I can wear cute "yoga garb" that also is worn to Target afterward. Plus, it is really nice to be able to find balance right before the weekend.
What I got : All of the above. And more 'fire breathing.'
What to bring : If you really want to do yoga on the regular, I would get your own mat. There are also lots of fun "extras" to get, if you have the money to invest. Also, please don't think you have to be really "zen, hippie, crunchy" to love yoga. I am none of those things. I am the opposite of those things. Therefore, I think I might benefit from regular yoga practice more than most!
Saturday : Barre workout
What I expected : A super hard pilates/yoga mix done at the barre (as in, the ballet barre.)
What I got : Pretty much that, but not quite as intense as I expected. Any beginner could do this class, as there are lots of variations of each move that the instructor talks you through. It was fun, packed, and a great workout!
What to bring : This place provided all the goodies! So just bring water. I didn't get super sweaty, but expect to be sore afterward!
This week's lineup...who's joining me? (I am doubling up a couple days since Sundays I have too much going on to go to any classes. Declaring that my day of rest!)
Monday : Spinning
Tuesday : Body Works Plus Abs
Wednesday : Spinning + Kickbox Cardio
Thursday : Barre
Friday : Yoga
Saturday : Body Works Plus Abs + Rowing
I am also thinking of a beginner Crossfit class!? Open to suggestions about others!
What classes do you love?
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