Friday, February 27, 2009

Gotta use it to lose it!

They say "30 days to make it a habit." Well I don't know about you, but normally I find that it's 30 days to make me sick of it. So I've really been trying to infuse my workout routine with lot's of variety. Of course, there's no better way to figure out what you don't like to do than to try it. And after 40-some days (yay! I've passed the 30 day mark!) of working out, my preferences are becoming clearer and clearer. 

Me No Likey:

Step Aerobics
When I was younger, I used to love doing "stepper" videos with my Mom and sister. We even started a little workout group at the church we were attending at the time. I thought it was so much fun, moving in rhythm to the music. Up, up, down, down, what could be easier?
Well, things in the world of "the box," as I've found its referred to, have changed. The routines are so bloomin' complicated!! T-step, L-step, V-step...what the heck is the difference? Just as I figure out one move, we're "adding on" something else, or I find that the rest of the class has tuned around to face me but I'm still looking at the front of the room. What'd I miss? I feel like I'm just shuffling up and down off the box...and half the time the stupid thing skids away from my toes and I have to stop and fix it. Hate it! Sorry, Mom. ;)

The Stair Climber
I was always very intimidated by these machines. They tower over the rest of the gym and they're the one apparatus in the room that look like you could be injured if you toppled off of it. But after trying the little ol' StairMaster and finding the movement to be really unnatural and uncomfortable, I thought I'd give this thing a try. It's awkward, to say the least. I'm always jamming my toes because I step too far in, or flopping off a step because I don't step far enough. 

Funny, I just noticed that both of these things I don't like involve steps! *haha* I suppose I should have known better, considering how many times I fall down (and up) the normal stairs in my house on a daily basis. Silly Sarah, stairs are for the coordinated!
Luckily, the things I enjoy outnumber the things I hate.

Be George, I think it's FUN!

Floor Aerobics
It's amazing how much easier choreography is when you take the stepper out of the picture. Suddenly I feel so much more coordinated. (Note: "More coordinated" does not equal "coordinated." *haha*) I'm all over the grapevine, knee lifts, jumping jacks...keep 'em comin'. 

Dance Aerobics
From ZUMBA to Hip Hop Hustle, dance aerobics doesn't really feel like exercising. It's just plain fun! Now, it's also a harsh reminder of just what a white girl I am and it really makes me wish I could actually dance. But 95% of the class always looks just as silly as I do, so I just have fun with it. I can't even imagine how REAL dancers memorize all of their choreography, though! (Like on So You Think You Can Dance where they sometimes have to do 4 or 5 routines in one show!) I can't even remember all the consecutive steps in a one hour time frame and we go over them again and again and again. *sigh* 

Kickboxing
I'm not sure if you can really call it "kickboxing" if you don't have an opponent, but it sounds so much better than "Floor Aerobics Incorporating Some Techniques and Moves Commonly Found in Kickboxing," don'tcha think? And I can't really call it TaeBo cause I don't wanna get sued by Billy Blanks. ;) TurboKick and CardioKick both involve lot's of punching and kicking and shouting "Hey!" or "Ha!" or some combination of the two ("Hey-ha!"). I find it very invigorating! By the end of the class I feel like I'm ready to be in The Karate Kid 9...or whatever number they're on. And nothing thrills me more than to tell Jeremy that I spent my afternoon doing roundhouse kicks, just like Chuck Norris. He ain't got nothin' on me, baby. *haha* 

Elliptical Machine
On days when no classes are calling my name, I turn to my trusty elliptical machine. (This is a picture, as far as I can tell, of the exact model I use! This is important, because there are sooo many different kinds out there and I do not love them all.) I love that on my elliptical, I can move freely and (almost) effortlessly to the music. I find that I can move much more quickly on this thing than I can with just my own two feet on flat pavement. (I know this because there are many songs on my iPOD that I can't keep up with except when using the elliptical.) Plus I rarely ever feel like I might fall off of it, which isn't true of any other machine. (Even the treadmill...I can't seem to walk consistently in a straight line. Need I say more?) 

There are still classes on the gym schedule that I haven't tried. Some I'd like to try but am still too intimidated (Group Power gives everyone their own gigantic barbell. Freaks me out.) and some I doubt I'll ever take (Group Ride is their cycling class. Jeremy took it and STILL claims his bum feels bruised from the seat. I don't need that kind of pain.) But today will be an elliptical day, since I'm certainly not taking Triad which includes 20 minutes of Step Aerobic torture. :)

4 comments:

Cheerful Homemaker said...

I used to take the BodyPump class at Gold's Gym. It was an intense workout. The day after my first class I could hardly move. So much so, in fact, that I hoped it didn't get warm enough to take off my hoodie, because it wasn't happening.

I love the workout classes more than just getting on a machine. It's much easier to workout when someone is bossing me around!

Anonymous said...

I love reading your input of the different routines/machines! I really thought I would like to try a steps aerobics and be AWFUL at a floor aerobics... but I can see a bit of myself in your descriptions.

I just found a gym about a mile from our house! I wonder if they offer any classes!

Ashley said...

I agree with you 100% on the step aerobics - it's not what it used to be!!!! It's so complicated now! I used to think it was fun too, but not so much now.

I LOVE me some zumba, tho! So much fun, it doesn't even feel like a work out!

AND, it's funny....I've always had the mentality that if I don't sweat, then I'm not really getting a good workout. But ya know what I have discovered is a GREAT workout - yoga!! Just cuz I don't sweat doesn't mean that I'm not sore as all get out the next day! I'm doing it twice a week and can definitely tell that I am much stronger and more flexible now than before! Oh, and my balance has gotten so much better too!

Ginny said...

oh you really should try the cycling class! yes it takes a few times for your bum to get used to the seat, but it is so worth it and so fun!! :) and it's a killer workout! can you tell I LOVE cycling?? :) but I think it's because it's so mindless and anything with the word "step" in it freaks ME out :)