Group Fitness, a Great way to Kick your Butt and the Girl behind you

One of my good friends, Chrissy , is a Pilates instructor and recently took a certification to instruct a group fitness kickboxing class. Every trainer should have a trainer and Chris is mine. I have been taking Pilates from her once a week for well over 2 years, going on 3. Honestly, it’s a little humbling and I have to set my own agenda aside and trust her. I’m used to telling people what to do, so the challenge is to keep my mouth shut and not tell HER what to do!
Time travel….wooooshhhh….back in the 80’s to the mid 90’s , I was quite the aerobics queen . That’s 15 years of jumping over steps, high impact kicks and hops along with those 5 pound donut rings attached to my wrists. The end result of that body slamming was classic PFS, patellar femoral syndrome. PFS is knee pain that shows up every time you attempt a set of stairs or any level change even something as small as stepping off a curb. At the height of my aerobics career combined with my strength training before the concept of functional was on the radar, I was crawling up the stairs and limping…a lot. My aerobic career ended in 1996 when I fell off a stair climber because my knee gave out. This was the point I started running which oddly enough is more compatible with my knees.
There have been several occasions since then when I have tried to re-enter group fitness, I love the pounding music, the camaraderie and that great feeling of tossing my body around like I’m 25. I tried Zumba, loved it, it hated me. I took step…and limped for a week. Every time I stepped into that little room disaster followed. So when my friend Chrissy told me she was going to pursue this certification in kickboxing I was slightly envious. Chris is around my age and I’ll admit it doesn’t seem fair that she survived 15 years of jumping over steps and her knees are intact. My best friend Denise, who is a good 5 years older than me, started teaching Zumba in her 50’s. I took her class and almost died. So unfair. Anyway, I “jumped” at the chance to take Chrissy’s first class. I had a great excuse, I HAD to support my friend!
I am happy to report I survived but boy did I feel it today! I guess if I could learn to not go into a class full throttle, I might do better. So this is what I have to say to you my readers. If you are feeling bored, stuck and unmotivated go take an aerobics class at your local gym that you might not usually attend. Try something different…shake it up. I felt about a million times more enthusiastic about my own fitness goals after attending one class. There is something about being in a group of people all striving for the same thing (survival) that I no longer felt like I was alone on my journey. And you know that’s the reason many people drop out of fitness. They lose interest, they don’t feel motivated and they lose any enthusiasm for participating in fitness. As a fitness professional who has been at this her entire life, I have often encountered those same feelings. This stuff isn’t magic and birthday parties and endless rewards. At one point you may fall off the fitness wagon and find little reason so get back on. Taking one class can often jump start you just like a dead battery needs a jolt, maybe you do too. I have had a lot of dead batteries in my lifetime. I just toss it out and put in a new one to kick-start my engine. Last night I smiled my way and recharged my battery with one group fitness class that left me feeling revitalized and a little sore…a good sore. When I went out for my morning run, I felt joy once again. Get out…get some joy back…change that dead battery!

About PT

Patricia Tremblay B.S., NSCA-CPT owner/ operator of Physiques By PT a personal training and consulting company. My focus is functional training that is compatible with your life and goals for a healthy active life, and a little fun tossed in for good measure.
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