Before college, I never stepped foot inside of a gym. I was a competitive high school cheerleader that practiced six days a week from August to February. Whether it was practice, a football game, or a competition, I was active practically every day of the week. Cheerleading was my form of exercise and I didn’t even know it. Cheerleading didn’t feel like a workout because it was disguised as something I actually enjoyed, something I (most of the time) wanted to do.
When I started as a freshman at Indiana University, I soon realized that I had to make exercise a priority. Between the limited food court options and nightly Domino’s orders, my body was changing and I wasn’t ready to accept the Freshman Fifteen. So I headed to the school gym, but when I got there, I was a deer caught in headlights. The idea of working out in a gym setting was basically foreign to me. I didn’t know where to begin. At the time, the elliptical seemed the least intimidating so I figured I’d give it a try. And this is where my perpetual hatred for exercise began.
I began wondering if there was a way to disguise exercise the way I did with cheerleading in high school. Did Indiana offer any alternatives? Any fun classes? How could I make it so that exercise seemed a little more bearable? Could I even making working out into something enjoyable? Well, I explored the IU gym facilities to find out and discovered that there are in fact alternate options for those who can’t stand the treadmill. Students can sign up for a variety of awesome workout classes that are so much fun you won’t even notice you’re burining calories. Here are my top-five favorite classes offered:
Cardio Hip-Hop. This type of dance class eliminates the monotony of painfully-boring cardio that we’re so used to. Cardio hip-hop increases stamina and helps tone muscles, all while indulging in high-energy, fun-filled dance routines.
Trampoline. The inner cheerleader in me jumped for joy when I saw this on the calendar. This low-impact cardio class tones your quads, butt, and calf muscles. You can burn over 160 calories in just thirty minutes bouncing on a trampoline!
Indoor cycling. Everyone’s heard of SoulCycle, and that’s because it’s super-fun and effective. But if you’re not interested in paying $30 per session, try a regular spinning class! It’s a full-body workout that uses specially designed choreography to strengthen your legs, arms, and core.
Rowing. The rowing machine is making a comeback as an underdog cardio workout. It’s a workout that involves working together and competitive motivation. These classes will leave you sweat-soaked and sculpted. A 50-minute rowing class can burn almost 1,200 calories!
POUND. Never thought of drumming as a form of exercise? Well, think again! This rockin’ workout combines cardio, Pilates, and isometric movements that will tone and strengthen almost every muscle in your body.
These classes will make you forget about the agonizing hours spent running on the treadmill, about that painful last mile around the track, and about all those days spent dreading going to the gym. Finding the right workout class will help transform past expectations of cardio and reveal that exercise isn’t that bad after all, sometimes, cardio can be disguised, and yes, sometimes cardio can actually be fun.