Okay. Sorry for the absence. My world has been insane lately and it doesn't look like it's going to lighten up until October. I'm not saying that to make you think I'm super popular and that you have to call weeks in advance to make an appointment to spend time with me, but it might not be a bad idea. Between (a lot) of travel for work, baby showers, wedding showers, birthday parties, engagement parties, a wedding/long weekend trip, house-sitting and normal work, I have a grand total of three days the rest of September where I don't have to do anything after work or on the weekends. And each of those days has an event pending. Sigh. I should memorize what my apartment looks like so I don't forget.
BUT I want to discuss what is sometimes my most favorite, and other times my most hated, past-time: working out. In high school I worked out all the time. I also didn't eat very much...not a recommended combination. I don't work out nearly as much as I did then (because really, what 27 year old with a job has time to take two spin classes and run on the treadmill for an hour each day?) but I do enjoy staying active. I've tried pretty much every class offered at the local YMCA and am here to share my opinion of each. It's my belief that every person is built for a specific type of exercise. You have your runners, your swimmers, your weight lifters, and your 'I think I'll just wear my new Lululemon workout gear and look for a husband'-ers. Some people are incredibly and can do all of the above. Me? I'm definitely made for...
Spinning/Cycling. Yes, it kicks your butt and damn does that seat hurt the first few times you go. But I love it. I especially like how no one else in the class (except probably the instructor) can tell how hard you are working. Your goal is to cycle for the entire 45-60 minutes. Hopefully you can keep up with the moves the instructor is guiding you to do, but if not, at least keep the pedals moving. When you leave, you look incredibly unattractive...red face, sweat pouring down your neck, and your clothes are stuck to you. But, you feel great knowing you worked hard and you burned a ton of calories in a short amount of time. I had an instructor yesterday that summed it up pretty well: "You're here to work...and work HARD! If you want to have fun, go to Zumba!"
Zumba: This is probably my second favorite of the exercise classes I have taken. It really is fun and it's great to see a class full of people of all shapes, sizes and ages. And no one really cares if you have rhythym or not. I'm kind of 50/50. Some days I'm like "Oh yeah, I got this..." while I'm salsa-ing and other days I'm hoping no one is watching me in the mirror. It's definitely a fun class and I like to go every once in a while to give my legs a break from the bike.
Yoga/Pilates: I know these are two different things, but for the sake of time (and I don't have much to say about either) I am combining them. I want to be good at these, but I'm not. I have trouble sitting still and clearing my mind. Those are probably both reasons why I don't sleep well either. I did do a 20 minute yoga thing OnDemand the other day that was specifically designed for your back, which actually felt really good. Minus Bon Jovi the cat wondering what the hell I was doing on the floor and proceeded to climb on my stomach while I was doing one of the moves and rubbing up against me while I was doing the others. Obviously he didn't care less that I was supposed to be zen.
Swimming: I rate this lower only because I am not a lap swimmer. You want to play Marco Polo (or Marco Stergas, as the kids I grew up with liked to play since that's my dad's name)? I'm down. You want to see who can do the most back flips in a row? Heck yes. You want me to swim four lengths of an Olympic sized pool...say whaaaa?!?! Unless I'm swimming toward Ryan Lochte (a mute, Ryan Lochte, mind you) there is no way in Hades I'm doing that.
Running: I wish I could be a runner, really, I do. I would love to say I completed a half marathon or a marathon. But, it is not in the cards for me. I'm 5'2" on a good day and have short legs. One stride for me is half of one for a tall person. I also can't regulate my breathing for the life of me. I have tried several times to run with varying degrees of failure. I loaded my iPod playlist with 'Don't Stop Believin', 'Eye of the Tiger', and every Lady Gaga song with a good beat known to man to get me motivated. And...it didn't work. For a while I would run a mile on the treadmill before I would start my workout, but that too has fallen by the wayside.
Sculpt Class: OhdearsweetholyJesusGodNO! I went with my friend K one night after work. Another friend H teaches a sculpt class at the Maryland Farms Y, but only in the mornings and I wouldn't be able to make it to work in time. I don't think sculpting is a good excuse to be 1.5 hours late. Anyway, I figured if H taught it, then it would be a good class. Little did K and I know that we were taking a class with GI Joe as the instructor. I could barely walk for four days. It was an intense hour of every uncomfortable exercise imaginable. Even people that were in great shape had to take breaks and lay down on their step boxes in order to keep from passing out. Bad sign. H is trying to get me to go to another one because she says that one was way different than any other she's heard of, but no. Maybe next year. Or never.
How can something that can be so painful bring you so much joy and make you feel so good? There's probably some parallel I could make to 'love' but that would require me to get philisophical, and that's boring.
So, until next time, go exercise, stay hydrated, and keep away from GI Joe instructors.
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