My first Tae Bo class

I went to the gym today again (two days in a row, go me!). I wanted to try Tae Bo, as the personal trainer who put together my training plan suggested it to me, and yes, it took me four weeks to actually go there and try it out. I know!

I started out with two exercises off my training plan on the weight machines as I had some time to kill and then went to the Tae Bo class. What I didn't know was that this was not a beginners' class. The instructor realized right away she'd never seen me in this class before and she asked me if I'd done Tae Bo before. She told me I can stay of course and just try to keep up and see how well I do but that she would not explain the different techniques and moves.

What I love is how small this group is. We were only about 10-12 people, and I think most of these people go to the class every week. I think it's great. While I don't go to the gym to socialize (and I love how anonymous this gym is) it is always nice to see a few familiar faces, to feel like you belong to the group a little.

I also like to chat with the other women in the changing rooms, though it gets a little awkward when they are naked and talking to me at the same time. Most Germans are very comfortable being naked, while I didn't grow up going to saunas or nude beaches, so it's a little outside my comfort zone. Though I am in the process of getting a little more comfortable being naked around other people (I had to take a shower naked after the race I did in September). My goal is to eventually start using the sauna at my gym which is for both men and women (and yes, naked).

But I digress. I did feel like I could give this Tae Bo a try despite it not being a beginners' class (and this is also why the personal trainer recommended it to me) because when I was in high school I did jiu jitsu for 4.5 years (green belt here!) so while it has been a while, I am still somewhat familiar with the techniques and I can definitely still punch & kick.

So, considering how uncoordinated I am when I dance, I think I did pretty well at keeping up with this Tae Bo class. And while it did push my limits and I had to take a few short (I'm talking 20-30 seconds short) breaks to take a sip from my water bottle, it did not push me over my limit, so I think this class is perfect for me. It's demanding and a challenge but I need that! It's what makes it fun. I was sweating more than in a very long time, but I also noticed how I was smiling most of the time. I actually enjoyed Tae Bo! The instructor was also really nice and gave me some tips when I had a hard time doing combinations of different moves, and she told me to just do one of them instead instead of the combination.

After class I talked to her for a brief while and she said to come to the beginners' class on Tuesday (which I had planned anyway, and always found an excuse, and then figured I'd rather start today because who knows how my motivation will be next Tuesday), but also to come to the class on Thursday again because I did great! Gosh, that made me kinda proud! I did notice that my left side is a lot less coordinated than my right (when I kicked and punched, though I got a whole lot better when I actually had something to punch and kick at than just air), but I am right-handed so maybe that's not a surprise (wish I was ambidextrous though!).

So for now I will be going to Tae Bo twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Starting next week, my gym is also offering two classes on Saturdays which is great (right now there are no classes on the weekend). One of the classes is a kettlebell class and I think it's cool that my gym is offering this class as I don't think it's that widely available in Germany yet. I want to try this, though it might be a little too hard for me. The kettlebells weigh 4kg (8.8lbs) and I know how well I do (or actually don't do) with dumbbells that weigh less.

I also want to do their back & stomach exercise class once a week (to save myself from other stomach exercises which I hate, in class there will be someone making me do them). And on top of that I will do my regular workout. I honestly think that will keep me plenty busy. I just hope that I will be able to keep this up and not get lazy again. Putting the gym on my schedule has really been working out for me so far though. I treat them as actual appointments now instead of something I can easily cancel in favor of something else.

If you are wondering when I am going to go running at the gym, well, I honestly think I will not keep up a schedule of running three times a week. I would like to do that plus classes but running is just very time consuming (you also have to consider that at this point I don't think I could do Tae Bo and running in one day, maybe I can do that when I am fitter in a few months but right now one hour of Tae Bo is plenty of exercise). I will try to fit in a run at the gym after my workout every now and then, but I am not going to keep up a program. Why? Well, I enjoy running, but I also enjoy Tae Bo, and that on top of the weights routine and the back & stomach class (which I think are definitely very important because I need to build up some basic muscle strength) is just too much. I am not putting away my running shoes for good but I am going to focus on general fitness for now instead of just running/endurance. I also think my body will enjoy running more when I am thinner (and therefore putting less stress on my joints). And let's face it, running on the treadmill isn't very exciting and neither is running outside in the cold of late fall or winter.

So, a short resume of my first Tae Bo class is, I enjoyed it a lot. It was great to move so much compared to how little I moved all day (at work and in class), it challenged me, it made me happy, and it left me really energized. If that's not a good workout, I don't know what is.