Freshman year, my roommate Jenny and I bought group fitness passes for our Campus Recreation Center. We really didn't have an alternative choice for fending off the freshman-fifteen. Of our two on-campus fitness centers, one (now ARC, then IMPE) was under construction for the entirety of our freshman and sophomore years, leaving the remaining center (CRCE) heavily overcrowded. I might have cutthroat instincts when it comes to the last piece of double-layer frosted cookie-cake or to the final pair of size-9 black suede high-knee boots, but not when it comes to battling it out with a fellow undergrad for the last elliptical. I just don't have that kind of fight in me.
So, with the treadmills and weight machines completely overrun by our more dedicated classmates, Jenny and I were forced to explore alternative options to combat the freshman-year-lbs. We invested the $50 in a semester-long group fitness pass, each purchased a yoga mat and began to clear our semesters 2-4 times a week. We went to yoga, pilates, and yogalates. We went to Get on the Ball (a class that creatively used the medicine ball, bosu ball, stability ball, etc.), Zumba (a weird salsa-based dance class that taxed my limited-coordination) and Cardio Camp (a class that flat-out taxed my limited cardio abilities). However, in spite of a few set-backs, I became sort-of toned, sort-of flexible and sort-of in-shape.
Then, with the beginning of junior year in particular, ARC reopened and there were ellipticals available galore (ellipticals with TVs, better yet). I would watch Say Yes to the Dress and Jon and Kate Plus 8 (pre-Jon's mid-life crisis and the show's cancellation) before class and our commitment to yogalates, body blitz and cardio strength flagged. This year Jenny (still my roommate) repurchased the group fitness pass several weeks ago but insists on attending only 'Sunrise Yoga' (6:45 am). As I believe I've made quite clear by now, I don't do mornings, so the future state of my flexibility and/or core strength was looking dire.
But, tonight, I finally got motivated and made my way over to an evening yogalates class. I have, as suspected, lost all level of flexibility and strength. But I had also forgotten that by the end of freshman year, the classes were not just a final alternative to giving a fellow Illini a black eye in order to snag the last stationary bicycle. They had allowed me to envision myself as some sort of cool yoga-guru. For the space of an hour, I transport out of central Illinois and (if I really try) can imagine posing in bear- or child's-pose on a mountainside (or at the very least, in a space that does not smell slightly like sweat and varnish). Not only is yogalates good for my body, I forgot, it's good for the mental health. So stay tuned this semester as I revisit group fitness classes. I will practice positive inhale-exhale techniques and hopefully relearn to touch my toes.
So, with the treadmills and weight machines completely overrun by our more dedicated classmates, Jenny and I were forced to explore alternative options to combat the freshman-year-lbs. We invested the $50 in a semester-long group fitness pass, each purchased a yoga mat and began to clear our semesters 2-4 times a week. We went to yoga, pilates, and yogalates. We went to Get on the Ball (a class that creatively used the medicine ball, bosu ball, stability ball, etc.), Zumba (a weird salsa-based dance class that taxed my limited-coordination) and Cardio Camp (a class that flat-out taxed my limited cardio abilities). However, in spite of a few set-backs, I became sort-of toned, sort-of flexible and sort-of in-shape.
Then, with the beginning of junior year in particular, ARC reopened and there were ellipticals available galore (ellipticals with TVs, better yet). I would watch Say Yes to the Dress and Jon and Kate Plus 8 (pre-Jon's mid-life crisis and the show's cancellation) before class and our commitment to yogalates, body blitz and cardio strength flagged. This year Jenny (still my roommate) repurchased the group fitness pass several weeks ago but insists on attending only 'Sunrise Yoga' (6:45 am). As I believe I've made quite clear by now, I don't do mornings, so the future state of my flexibility and/or core strength was looking dire.
But, tonight, I finally got motivated and made my way over to an evening yogalates class. I have, as suspected, lost all level of flexibility and strength. But I had also forgotten that by the end of freshman year, the classes were not just a final alternative to giving a fellow Illini a black eye in order to snag the last stationary bicycle. They had allowed me to envision myself as some sort of cool yoga-guru. For the space of an hour, I transport out of central Illinois and (if I really try) can imagine posing in bear- or child's-pose on a mountainside (or at the very least, in a space that does not smell slightly like sweat and varnish). Not only is yogalates good for my body, I forgot, it's good for the mental health. So stay tuned this semester as I revisit group fitness classes. I will practice positive inhale-exhale techniques and hopefully relearn to touch my toes.
No comments:
Post a Comment