I am not an active individual. I love to eat mac and cheese while I binge-watch Game of Thrones. But as a student of the University of Alabama, I have (free!) access to a lot of awesome resources that I can use to stay fit and active. As college students, it’s important to blow off some steam at the gym. I personally love to do my class reading on the treadmill or stationary bike at the Rec. However, that can get really old, really fast. I decided to look into some of the Group Exercise Classes (stylized as Group X) to add some flavor to my workout routine. This week, I attempted to try a different class every day. This was my week at the Rec.
Monday: Step Express
12:10-12:50 PM with Charlotte
Difficulty: 3/5
Enjoyment: 5/10
I embarked on my journey with a Step class, something I anticipated would be an easy step (ha) into the wild and dangerous world of group exercise. I was wrong. Charlotte, a vibrant middle-aged woman with the spunk of a teenager, was my leader for this class. As Hurricane Irma was wrapping up in Florida, the weather here was a bit dreary, which meant the attendance for Step class was a bit lax. As in it was just me and Charlotte, as you can see in my ticket for the class above. However, good sport that she was, she let me stick around and gave me a one-on-one lesson in Step. It was forty minutes of high-intensity jumping, dancing, spinning…basically all of the components of exercise I’m not good at. Charlotte started out with basics and taught me more difficult step maneuvers as the class went on. It took a few tries to pick it up, and I still wasn’t quite there at the end, but I had successfully completed my first Group X Class. Step Express was a fun intro, and I felt (kind of) ready to kick it up a notch with DAZE tomorrow.
Available at the SRC Monday and Thursday at 12:10 PM.
Tuesday: DAZE
5:30-6:20 PM with Lauren
Difficulty: 4/5
Enjoyment: 6/10
Hoping for a crowd this time around, I got my wish when I got to the studio. There were about 20 people here for Lauren’s (pictured above) class, an awesome and bubbly instructor to fit an awesome and bubbly class, pictured above in all her adorableness. DAZE (standing for Dance Craze) was a cardio workout paired with choreography (think UA’s twist on Zumba), and the songs we got to dance to varied from today’s hits to throwback songs to Pitbull (??). I was jumping around for a good hour in this class; the entire point of DAZE is to keep your feet moving for the whole class. Lauren taught us choreography and implemented different levels of difficulty with the moves: Level One for the newbies (me!) and Level Two for the seasoned pros or those looking for a more intense workout. I’m a terrible dancer (which I discovered in this class) so I didn’t enjoy it as much as the rest of the group. However, DAZE is a super popular class, and is offered five days a week at the Rec. I went home exhuasted, not ready for my next class in the morning.
Available at the SRC Sunday and Friday at 5:15 PM and Monday-Thursday at 5:30 PM.
Wednesday: Mat Pilates
12:10-1:00 PM with Kim
Difficulty: 3/5
Enjoyment: 8/10
When I first put together this week’s schedule, I had planned on attending Kickboxing on Wednesday. But after DAZE Tuesday night, I was ready for a break. I grabbed my yoga mat (both Mat Pilates and all yoga classes require that you bring your own mat!) and headed off to my very first Pilates class. My gym bestie, Michelle, captured a picture of me before I headed up to the Miles Studio. I didn’t quite know what to expect, so when I walked into the studio with the shades down and tranquil spa music playing, I was excited! I enjoy very low-intensity workouts: the less I’m doing, the more fun I’m having. Pilates was a breath of fresh air after the two very active classes I had taken this week. I tried to limit myself to only one mat class this week, so as to get a good mix of workouts in, but I couldn’t resist trying my hand at Pilates. I learned as well as not being a good dancer, I’m not flexible either. Kim, a teeny-tiny woman with a soothing yet commanding voice, led our class through the stretches and exercises. We started out slow, using yoga blocks and stretchy bands to better elongate our stretches and poses. Then we really got into the exercises. Pilates incorporated lots of strength training, from legs to core to arms. There were also meditative moments sprinkled into the exercises, allowing for a workout for not just the body, but the mind. I left feeling very loose and open, if not a bit sore.
Available at the SRC Sunday at 6:30 PM, Monday and Wednesday at 12:10 PM, and Tuesday at 7:00 PM.
Thursday: Indoor Cycle
6:00-6:50 AM
Difficulty: ??
Enjoyment: ??
This morning was one of the classes I was dreading the most. Indoor Cycling at 6 AM could possibly have been the last place I wanted to be. But when my alarm went off at 5:30 and I managed to roll out of bed and drive to the Rec, I was actually looking forward to getting my day started. The parking lot was still half full, even at that ungodly hour (as evidenced in my blurry Snapchat to my girl Michelle). So the Rec wasn’t empty, but it was definitely a bit less crowded than it usually is at 3 or 5 PM. When I walked up to the desk at 5:57 (AM!!) to get my ticket for the class, I was informed that the class was full! I couldn’t believe it. I hadn’t attended a class all week that was even halfway full, and the cycling class at 6 in the morning was entirely booked. But Pilates yesterday had mellowed me out, so I drove home and went back to bed rather than getting too bent out of shape about it. You win this round, Indoor Cycle.
Available at the SRC Sunday and Friday at 5:15 PM, Monday-Friday at 6:00 AM, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 12:10 PM, Thursday and Tuesday at 5:30 PM, Monday and Wednesday at 5:40 PM, and Thursday at 7 PM.
Friday: Friday Yoga Flow
5:15-6:30 PM with Alison
Difficulty: 2/5
Enjoyment: 9/10
I made sure to get to the Rec early this time so I didn’t have another cycling debacle. With my ticket in hand, I made it to the Miles Studio for my last class of the week. This is another class where you need to bring your own mat, but they supply the strap and yoga blocks for you to use! Before class began, the instructor, Alison (pictured above), handed out tiny cards with intentions written on them, and asked us to let them shape our experience in the class. It was a really unique and interesting way to begin class, and it allowed me to keep something in my mind in every pose and movement. Alison got us started with some stretches, before moving in to working on some balancing and core-strength. She would take us through several routines until the class got the hang of it. It was very low pressure, but there were still some plank poses and stretches that were difficult or that I definitely couldn’t master in one class. Towards the end of the time, Alison led us in a guided meditation that really helped me shake off the week and prepare for gameday in T-Town. I adored this class, and plan to continue to show up. So if you decide to come, be sure to say hi!
Available at the SRC Fridays at 5:15.
Favorite class: Friday Yoga Flow
Even though I was kind of dreading this, I have to say this week was seriously much-needed. I was starting to fall into that fall semester funk, and forcing myself to go to the gym everyday to participate in a quick, fun workout allowed me to destress and reset so as to better tackle the rest of my day. The Rec offers an insane amount of Group X classes, as well as some off-campus excursions for those who are looking for a little more adventure. I’ll admit, it was a little terrifying walking into a dance class with no prior training, or embarking on a one-on-one step class. But I always felt amazing after all of the workouts this week, and there are some classes I picked up that I really love. I’m now going to Mat Pilates on a weekly basis, as well as Friday Yoga and a few other miscellaneous yoga classes. (Even though I’m still consuming a copious amount of mac and cheese.) I feel stronger and healthier, and I’m more eager to try a few other classes throughout the year here. You’ll never know you don’t like it until you try it, so be sure to try some classes for yourself!