As someone who has finally found themselves going to the gym consistently, here is every way I would avoid doing so prior to hounding in on my discipline.
Everyday, or at least the night before, I would repeat the thing to myself: “I’ll be in the gym before class tomorrow.” Little did I know that was a simple lie I would tell myself as I would never end up doing so until I finally got out of bed and put my pedal to the metal. “How hard could it be?” The words I would ask myself prior to being up before the sun for a 45-minute workout that I would dread.
My commitment now has made me reminisce about all the other ways I would get my workout in before going to classes every day.
- Ballet Classes
I was a dancer for 13 years and turned professional for a year at one of the best dance companies in NYC: the Martha Graham Dance Company. Coming into my college career, finding time to dance as much as I once did was a hassle until my mom just said to me, “why don’t you just take classes?
All of a sudden, I was booking advanced beginner ballet with Lidia Celeste Sims.
Ballet is—in my opinion—truly the best genre of dance there is. Every class is in the same order (so there are no surprises) and it’s as intense as a gym workout. As someone who has literally done each and every form of dance, growing up a dancer has taught me that the art of expression is the best workout there is.
Ballet will work out every single muscle, even the ones that you didn’t know that you had. I recommend that everyone tread lightly. Take a beginner ballet class and feel it out. One thing I can promise is that it’ll be an experience that you won’t regret.
- Pilates
Considering the tremendous amount of discourse around Pilates, I absolutely love it. It’s a workout that really emphasizes mind-body connection as it’s intense, yet stress-relieving. It challenges you in ways that you typically wouldn’t challenge yourself.
During my time at Graham, we did a ton of it, slowly but surely. I learned that the amount of focus required for Pilates is reliant on you inserting yourself into the workout mentally as much as physically. I applied this idea when doing any other type of workout too.
Not only is it fun, but there’s so many different places where you can take classes to see what you enjoy. You’ll maybe ask yourself, “Why did I ever book this class in the first place?” Only to go back and do it all again.
- Runs
I’m not a big runner, but when I had my running era it was definitely far from boring. There’s something about having noise cancellation on my AirPods (and being aware of my surroundings) while thinking about how desperately I just wanted to take a break for water.
I would say that planning my outfit for running and wearing sunglasses was the highlight of it. Running was a workout that made me feel like I had accomplished something. All of a sudden, I understood why people ran marathons.
- Hikes
The funniest sightseeing excursions come from hikes. Seeing the world from thousands of feet above is like transcending into a completely different world. Despite how long it may take, a hike is every bit worth it. I went on my first one this summer and thought Bear Mountain was breathtaking in the summer—the view made me feel like I was on vacation.
My bright pink lululemon workout set and snacks really held me down through the entirety of the journey. I hope to go on a few more every two weeks over the summer considering how worked out I felt afterwards. During a hike you don’t realize just how much exercise you’re getting done once you’re a few miles in or once you get home and can’t wait to shower and get to bed.
- Citi Biking
This is one of the most intense forms of exercising that will truly leave you excruciatingly sore the next day. I recommend Citi biking more so in the spring or summer as the views are unforgettable while you’re moving through the streets of New York City.
Although you can’t ride on the sidewalk, there’s something scary and exciting about basically becoming a car. This summer, my cousin and I rode all through SoHo. It was such a different perspective from just walking and shopping. AirPods on full blast, my sunglasses on and the sun blazing, I felt like I was in a movie. Citi biking is categorically an underrated workout.