Once, Twice, Three Times… I’m crazy?

Or Lazy. Kind of. Just stay tuned.

This morning at 6:40am sharp I left my apartment for the 7:00am Body Pump class at my (home) gym. The familiarity of the space was only mildly overshadowed by the unfamiliarity with the class… and the hour. Ugh.

It was my third Body Pump class of the week, and I gotta say, I kinda loved it. The class had a whopping 6 people so I considered it a private lesson of sorts. The instructor was AMAZING! She wasn’t perfect, but she was hilarious and encouraging… and hilarious. And she didn’t sing.

That isn’t to say that I didn’t sing. For whatever reason I had a blast! The 6 women in the class, primarily middle aged, were having a blast, too. I could tell. Unlike the 100% packed to capacity class that I take on Monday nights where the pretty-young-things get all gussied up and struggle to keep up with the routines, this class was just there to work out and support each other. They were encouraging and enthusiastic… Go middle aged body pumpers!

And – now that I’ve pumped, I can go to happy hour tonight as planned and not worry about choosing between my social life and my personal life (and the guilt I feel when I miss the gym). But why 3 Body Pumps in a week instead of just working out?

That’s where the lazy part comes in. For whatever reason, I have a hard time motivating myself to actually create a routine these days. I always feel like I’m doing it wrong or that I don’t want to do more. I convince myself long before it’s time that I can stop and go home. My accountability has gone straight down the crapper so… Body Pump it is! Thankfully they don’t all do the same routines, I’d get bored, and I think my muscles would get used to it.

My thoughts on what will hurt the most this weekend: Triceps. Chest. Holy goodness.

CLEARLY I have an affinity for Body Pump (and a possibly growing affinity for Zumba (blog on that to follow)), but my question to you is: What class can’t you live without?

Gym Anxiety

It’s been confirmed by my completely awesome, body-pumping, co-gymming boss (who may or may not read this blog) that I am not crazy for being nervous. What am I nervous about? I’m going to a new gym tonight. The one on the other side of town.

I decided that I didn’t feel like thinking about my workout tonight, so instead of going to the gym and doing free weights as would typically be the plan for  a Wednesday night, I’m going to a second body pump class this week where I can jam along to the music and leave feeling… pumped? (Note: must stop using the word “pump” so often. It could scare the kiddies.) But this class is not at my “home gym” but rather a different location in the same chain.

But for whatever reason, I cannot get past this little twinge of anxiety that I have venturing out into the great gym-wilderness without a safety net. My boss says that it’s actually not that uncommon, unless, she points out, she’s also crazy. Which I can pretty much say factually she is not. It’s the “first day of school” syndrome that we tend to get past at our gym within the first few weeks. Where are the locker rooms? Is there special gym etiquette that I don’t know about? Will the routine be different? Will the instructor single me out? (Can I nab my stellar spot in the corner with access to two mirrors? FORM IS PARAMOUNT!)

I’ll let you know how it goes. I guarantee it can’t be as bad as I’m making it out… unless I run into my entire high school class which is entirely possible and would be tra-gic.

Have you ever experienced gym anxiety?