In my excitement for my sorority’s exchange last night, I completely forgot to post my Lose the Freshman 15 blog! I was in a bit of a rush to get ready because I decided to hit up one of the group fitness classes at the ARC.
A few weeks ago, my friend Abby recommended that I try out the Zumba class with Lynn Herrmann at the ARC. I had read about it before and done some sort of video in gym class, so I was familiar with what she was talking about, but I had never tried the class here in Champaign.
I was hesitant to try it because I don’t like group fitness classes. I’ve always been self conscious about my lack of athleticism, so working out with other people just isn’t my thing. I actually really like working out alone; I take that time for myself and use it to de-stress and re-focus. Following an instructor with a few dozen other sweaty people just doesn’t appeal to me, but I decided to give it a shot anyway.
When I got there, I was nervous because I didn’t see anyone that I knew. I found some space in the back of the room and stretched while waiting for the instructor to start. As soon as Lynn turned the music on and started I could tell this would be different from what I expected.
About 3 minutes into the class, I was already sweating. About 10 minutes into the class, I was looking at the clock thinking holy cow how am I going to make it through 50 more minutes of this? Luckily about half way through the class we got a water break and I was able to recharge and push through the second half of the class.
Even though the class was a full hour long, I flew by because I was having so much fun. Normally I feel weird about letting go and having fun in room full of sober strangers, but Lynn, the instructor, really got into it and encouraged us to do the same. She chose great, up beat music too! Some of my favorite song choices were “Waka Waka,” “On The Floor” and “Jump in the Line.”
Aside from having fun, I was sweating profusely. My heart rate was up for almost the whole class and the instructor incorporated a lot of dance moves that helped give me a total body workout. My thighs are obviously sore from all the squats, but surprisingly my arms are even more sore!
Next week, I hope to try out another class Abby told me about called beam work. She said it’s pretty challenging and works your core really well. I also want to make it back to Zumba since it’s way more fun than just running on a treadmill.
Reconsidering my position on group fitness,
Samantha