Hands up who likes exercising? (Marcus Barlow put your hand down ... nobody likes a show off). I'm taking a wild guess here that I am not the only one who hates exercising? In my list of 'favorite recreational activities', exercise would not even make the top 50!
Over the years I have lost count of the number of gym memberships I have taken out, gone a handful of times and then never darkened the doors again. Hideous smelly places ... full of sweaty body builder sorts who feel the need to grunt and groan as they lift weights or stick thin women with immaculate hair and make up who never so much as perspire, never mind go red, and look like they last ate a crisp in 1982. Ugh ... it's making me break out in hives just thinking about it. (The only machine I ever liked at the gym was the one that sold Mars bars, Hoola Hoops and crisps). Let's face it, if Taylor Swift can't manage it I stand no chance (if you didn't see her recent commercial for Apple click the link below ... Lol)
Taylor Swift's Apple Commercial
I have bought endless exercise videos ... Jane Fonda, Rosemary Conley, that bird from Eastenders whose name escapes me, even the lovely Davina's workout (which I seem to recall watching from the comfort of the sofa with a glass of wine and a packet of peanuts before deciding it was all way too much effort), which all ended up at at the back of the cupboard gathering dust.
Then there were the exercise classes ... aerobics (spending an hour every week gasping for breath whilst I turned a very unflattering shade of beetroot was not my idea of fun); zumba (ditto); step classes (I actually didn't mind those too much and lasted over a year until I had problems with my knee ... *coughs and looks shifty*).
I have tried swimming ... ugh ... just one whiff of chlorine takes me right back to those hideous school swimming lessons at the local 'baths' - getting shampoo in your eyes as you tried to have a shower with your swimsuit still firmly attached and then trying to maintain a shred of modesty as you struggled to get dressed in those awful communal changing rooms as you wriggled around under your towel (invariably dropping your knickers in a puddle of water in the process). The only good bit was sneaking off to get a packet of crisps out of the forbidden vending machine (oh ... I can see a theme was emerging even then ...), followed by the long walk back to school stinking of chlorine and cheese and onion.
I even tried cycling once (given that I never learnt to ride a bike as a child that was interesting to say the least) ... the one and only trip resulting in a badly bruised backside and a bike for sale in the next week's Friday Ad.
Mr B on the other hand is an exercise 'swot'. For several years now (and I mean at least 3 or 4) he has got up at the crack of ridiculous every day to complete some torturous circuit training routine on his FitStar app, which he switches up every 6 weeks or so so that he doesn't get bored ... bored??? after 4 years?! Oh sorry, I forgot ... he does have Sundays off ... because he goes for a run instead. He is also obsessed with his FitBit and if for some bizarre reason he didn't manage to complete all his allotted steps during the day he will jog up and down the lounge at the back of then sofa whilst watching TV in the evening to make them up. Don't get me wrong, I am really proud of his efforts to stay healthy and it is clearly doing him good. At his last two annual check ups he was told that his heart is as healthy as that of an athlete! I hasten to add though, this was not before both of the doctors concerned (one in the UK and one in the US) had done an ECG and referred him to a heart specialist for further tests as his heart beat was so slow. Thankfully both confirmed that there were no issues ... he is just super fit apparently :)
Given the above, I'm sure you can imagine the constant nagging I get from Mr B over my sustained resistance to participate in any form of exercise whatsoever and of course he is absolutely right, exercise is important, especially we get older when it becomes even more important and a necessary evil *sighs*. The trouble is that there is there is nothing that I find even remotely enjoyable ... well, except walking perhaps ... but only if it's on the flat... and it's not too hot. Right, well that's that out then.
Then, a couple of weeks ago (well, it may have been before Christmas now I come to think of it), a neighbor mentioned that she had gone to a dance class at a local fitness studio just down the road from us one Saturday morning and how much she had enjoyed it. Hmmm ... well I like dancing, so maybe ...
I had been meaning to investigate for ages but kept ... er, forgetting *clears throat* ... and so whilst Mr B was away on one his work trips this week, I sat down on Monday evening with my iPad and a glass of wine to check it out (my favorite kind of exercising). Ah yes, here it is ... click ... now let's see ... Classes ... click ... well, there seems to be quite a variety. Zumba? ... don't think so ... Barre? based on ballet moves apparently *snorts envisaging Gloria from Madagascar in a pink tutu and ballet slippers* ... perhaps not ... Pound? a workout based on drumming - sounds weird ... U-Jam? described as an urban athletic dance fitness workout - maybe, although the word athletic is worrying ... Bollywood Fusion? also sounds like it could be fun ... Warrior Sculpt? "Get in shape “boot camp” style!" - er, just no. Jazz? ... hmm, that might be a good one to start with. I remember taking a jazz class at The Pineapple Studios in Covent Garden when I was 18 and working in London ... it was a hoot. The instructor was a very camp 6' black guy called Sylvester, who used to wear a hot pink leotard and matching headband ... he was hysterical! Arlene Philips also taught classes there back then too (so you can tell how long ago that was!). I had completely forgotten about that! Lol.
Meanwhile, back to the Class Schedule ... click ... oh look, there is a jazz class tomorrow morning... click ... Ah. I seem to have booked myself a place. Oh God! (Pan to other side of the room where youngest has been observing from a distance and is now in fits of hysterics ... "were you trying to order wine?! *snort*" ... Rude). Oh well, suppose it won't hurt to go along and check it out.
The following morning I gingerly tiptoed into the studio, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible so that I could do a quick reccie and then beat a hasty retreat at the first sign of a leg warmer or a neon leotard. The previous class was just finishing up (a Warrior Sculpt class!) and I was pleasantly surprised to see a small group of reassuringly average looking women file out, who all seemed very friendly. So far so good. Two of them were staying on for the Jazz class - one looked to be in her late 60s maybe and the other maybe 40 ish - and we were then also joined by another lady, again maybe in her 60s, who advised that she was also new to the class. So that made four of us! The instructor arrived, welcomed us newbys and then went on to explain that this class was half Jazz and half Tap ... *gulp* but not to worry if we didn't have tap shoes as trainers would be fine. Tap shoes?! After 30 minutes of a fairly straightforward (if slightly cheesy) routine to some number from a Broadway musical (not really my thing ... and yes, jazz hands were involved) we switched to the tap section. All great fun but trying to do a shuffle ball change in clumpy trainers does not have quite the same effect and it was more thump than tap! So in summary, whilst it was great fun, I'm not sure that Jazz/Tap is really for me and so have signed up for a different class next week ... on Monday ladies and gents, I will mainly be doing Hip Hop Cardio! (Ethan is mortified). I had some concerns that the demographic in this class might be slightly younger than me *coughs* but one of the 60-something ladies from the Jazz class told me that she also takes this class and she was 71 (as I looked at her in amazement the other 60-something lady told me she was 79!) so I guess I might be ok after all. Lol. Oh well, in for a penny and all that ... I'll report back next week!
Now, if you'll excuse me I need to go and find my baseball cap and look out those M C Hammer trousers ...
TTFN
Bev X
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