Group Exercise classes, here I come!

As mentioned in previous posts, I have been enjoying the opportunity to attend group exercise classes at the University as a "sponsored member" (thanks, hubby!). And I have loved every second of it! Every Monday and Wednesday was pilates and every Tuesday and Thursday was Body Blast (or more commonly known as "Body Pump"). I figured they were a good balance for the each other (pilates is more toning and lengthening -- Body Blast is lifting weights)... not to mention they were scheduled at a time that fit well into my life as a teacher : )

Now, I've never been one to stick with an exercise regimen at all. Probably two of the biggest reasons for that are that I, a: hate sweating, and b: hate being out of breath. The only time I've really been all that fit was when I trained to run a 5k a few years ago. Unfortunately, the moment I crossed the finish line was the moment my career as a spin-class junkie and runner ended. But these two classes I picked up I love. Pilates is so relaxing, calming, and at the end of a day filled with busy kids with high energy, it's an awesome thing to be able to slow down, focus on my breathing and forget about the rest of my day for awhile. And Body Blast is fast, intense, empowering, and set to music, which makes time go super fast. I find it so empowering, exciting and invigorating when I can move up in weight that I'm lifting.

Due to the fact that I've never stuck with an exercise regimen for long and my belief that I can't lift weights, I've never seen "results". I've never had biceps that show when I flex, never seen definition in my legs, or even known that muscles in my shoulders existed... wha?! But all of these things have changed in the past four months, and I can see the changes -- which is even more empowering. So when my hubby and I left our University town for the summer months four weeks ago, I was a little concerned -- no more pilates? No more Body Blast? My new-found muscles would be gone! Tragic. So I bought a pilates book and a weight lifting book and have been keeping up my exercise routine at home as best I could with these books.

That is, until TODAY -- when my hometown opened up their very first YMCA! So I decided to start a membership with the Y and take full advantage of their exercise classes. Today I attended a Yoga-Pilates Fusion class which was fine, but not as good as when I do it on my own at home or when I went to my former instructor. But that's probably because I have a strong distaste for the Yoga pose they refer to as "downward dog", and we kept going back to down dog for about ten minutes of class. And I have a bad habit of yelling at instructors in my head when I don't like the pose we're doing, so for that ten minutes, I whined and complained inside... but did it anyway, begrudgingly. Regardless, I'll go back. I paid for the membership, right? Gotta make good use!

Most exciting of all... tomorrow I will be attending "Cardio Pump" -- which should be very close to my Body Blast class. Wahooooo!! And best of all -- cardio pump should fit in nicely to my summer job schedule : ) So watch for me in those strong woman competitions, all oiled up, by the end of summer.

Or not : )