The workout journey begins...

So yesterday I took the first step in my second goal for the summer. I went to Good Friends Group Fitness and signed up to use my 1-week Living Social deal. This deal is for a week of unlimited classes, and the next class they had available was a spinning class. I have never done spinning before, and I know I need to do a mix of cardio, strength training, and flexibility, so I went ahead and gave it a shot.

Spinning is really, really painful and difficult! Everyone said you get used to the seats on the bikes, but I feel like I have a million bruises on my rear end. I also recognized fairly early in the class that I did not have the stamina to do the whole class full out. Instead of 80-110 rpm, I was going more like 60, and on the inclines where we were supposed to be going 60, I was going closer to 40. And when I came close to throwing up, I realized it was time to back off. So I did, and that made it better, but I was still counting the minutes till the end of the class. This shouldn't be taken as a negative review of the class--I feel like the instructor was great, and she took a lot of time at the beginning of the class to make sure that the bike was set up correctly for me (even though I wasn't taking the beginning spin class), but I don't know if it's for me.

I should probably describe my fitness history--I don't do gyms. I've taken dance classes since I was 3 years old (with a break now and again--I danced all through elementary, middle, and high school, then did it sporadically in college, then not at all for the first year and a half I lived in Tallahassee, then began again in spring 2009). Dancing is the only form of exercise I really and truly enjoy, but at this point in my life, one or two hours a week is not enough to keep me in decent shape--as evidenced by the weight I've gained in the past three years. I'm hoping that taking classes will help to keep me motivated.

So this morning I took a Body Sculpt class, which was mostly about strength training. I actually really enjoyed it--I was using lighter weights, but I definitely could do the vast majority of the class and felt like it was a great workout. I was spent afterwards, but not destroyed as I was with the spinning class. I would absolutely take this class again.

Over the next week I want to take yoga and BodyJam at least, but I don't know how much I'm going to be able to fit in, because the daytime classes are primarily on Monday and Wednesday, and next week I'm starting my summer job--I'm teaching math at a summer pre-college institute here in town, on Mondays and Wednesdays. Oops. But I also have a month at GroupFit Studio and a month of unlimited boot camp classes, plus dance class, water aerobics, and I'm hoping to start going to Zumba. So I'm definitely getting my group fitness fill this summer! I just hope I take advantage of all of it.