Classes Aren’t Just For Children

In a previous post, I wrote about ensuring your exercise routine is increasing in strenuousness as you improve your overall fitness and well-being. Well, that post got me thinking, and we all know when Aaron starts thinking about something, his subsequent post turns into a rambling hybrid of brilliance, common sense, and absurdity. Uh-oh… here we go again!

One of the ways in which I ensure myself of a sufficient workout challenge is to take classes at my local gym. There are all sorts of classes you can take, from “Boot Camp” classes, to dance classes, to yoga classes, and, my personal favorite, spin classes.

For those of you who’ve never taken a spin class, while it’s not necessarily a requirement Chris Powell suggests on his daily to-do list for Reshape the Nation, it’s a great way to get a surprisingly enjoyable workout. A spin class is basically like riding a stationary bike for an hour alongside 30 other sweaty, stinking people, and pedaling (spinning) at whatever speed and resistance the leader of the class tells you to. I realize that description doesn’t make it sound very fun. But I’m a naturally competitive person. When I’m surrounded by 30 people doing the same thing as me, I want to be the best. So I do silly things like watch everyone else and make sure I’m pedaling faster than them. The result is a more strenuous workout, and more calories burned.

Even if you don’t get your jollies from trying to go faster than everyone else on a bicycle that… well… isn’t actually moving, classes are still a great way to keep motivated. Classes push you harder, they give you supervision from an expert, and you might even make new friends who can become partners in setting your fitness goals. Additionally, a side benefit of taking classes is that they essentially schedule you a workout time. For example, if you know you need to be at the gym by 6:30 AM or else miss your class, you’ll be more motivated to get out of bed and get to the gym.

How was that for a rambling post? Still, I hope it had some interesting pointers. For me, I belonged to gyms for years before ever trying one of the classes. When I finally did, I regretted not having started taking classes much sooner. So give a class a shot. You might just end up finding a great exercise solution you thoroughly enjoy. And an exercise solution we enjoy produces an exercise regimen we keep.

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