The number one way to have a better workout is to try something new. This rule (that I just made up myself thank you very much) comes with one caveat: you actually have to be willing to try something new.
Over the last week or so, I’ve experimented with three new workouts:
Zumba
The best person in the class is a man. I’m not kidding. Sergio stands directly to the left of me and, believe you me, that guy can swivel. And shimmy – a feat which neither I, nor the spectacularly talented twins next to me can master (and we even have the chest-age to shake! He doesn’t!!). Zumba is an aerobic dance class that incorporates many styles of latin dance. We salsa’ed, samba’ed, cumbia’ed, merengue’ed (and no that doesn’t involve lemon), and did some kind of Brazilian martial art/dance that was little bit funk, a little bit…camp. Well, it was. And I couldn’t stop smiling the entire time. Plus, you should see my hip action.
Calorie Burn: Not so hot
Fun Factor: MUY Caliente! You have to try this one. Especially if there is any part of you that loves to dance. (And don’t worry for one second about not being a good dancer. Nobody was. Except Sergio!)
Hip Hop Hustle
Turbo Jennie promised me a great workout and BOY did she deliver!
Hip Hop Hustle is from the same people who brought us Turbokick, except instead of kicks and punches you’ve got pops & locks. I was a little skeptical at first that “just dancing” could give me the insane calorie burn I expect from Turbokick but my heart rate was through the roof in the first five minutes.
I chalk it up to not being afraid to make a total fool of myself. While Turbo Jennie (will I have to give her a new name now? Hustler Jennie sounds, well, not good.) looked like a back-up dancer for a 50-cent video (okay, maybe Timberlake), I looked like… a certifiable dork. But I’m okay with that. I was having way too much fun to care if my “elevator” was going all the way to the top floor. “Wow, you were, um, really getting into it,” the girl behind me said during a break. “It’s fun,” I grinned. She grimaced, “I don’t think so. I hate not knowing what I’m doing. And my calories suck.” She left class early. So maybe it’s not for everyone.
This class was a riot and I think it will only get more fun with practice. And hey – you should see my “chaplin” – I’m awesome:)
Calorie Burn: Rockstar!!!
Fun Factor: Crazy fun but you gotta be okay with looking a little goofy at first. Just remember, it’s an aerobics class, not an audition.
Community Volleyball
My husband signed us up for a community volleyball league. And by league, I mean that anyone who shows up Thursday nights gets to play. Children, pets, dwarves (for real, there was an actual “little person”), grandmas with purple wigs – anyone and everyone gets a turn. And I should add that every single person there was better than me. Including the pets. The little person, who actually instructed me to call him “shorty”, taught me how to hold my hands – for which I was very grateful as the sum total of my volleyball skills date back to ninth-grade PE and a gym teacher who makes the metal mouthed guy from James Bond look nurturing.
Despite having to apologize profusely every time I touched the ball (my choice, my teammates seemed not to care one whit about my suckitude), I had a lot of fun. The sense of community was awesome and I got to know a lot of really cool people. With nicknames. Nothing beats being able to walk in the building and call out “What’s up Shorty? Heya Typhoon! Brought your A-game Really Tall Guy With Kneepads That Can Spike The Ball Straight Into Your Face And Scares The Crap Out Of Me When I Have To Play Front Row?” Soooo cool:)
Calorie Burn: Negligable – but I got an AWESOME bruise on my thigh the size of a softball. Trophy wound!!
Fun Factor: Fantastic! In fact, I’m going back tonight. With shin guards.
Okay, Charlotte. I have a question (with some back story, of course), and I have absolutely no idea if you can answer it.
I got a heart rate monitor for Christmas. My loving and lovely boyfriend got it for me but, unfortunately, he got me the sort-of cheap-o kind that just tells me my heart rate and not my caloric burn. So, my question is, is there some sort of formula by which I can enter my age/height/weight and heart rate for a period of time to get the calorie burn? I have Googled this and not found an answer… am I completely off-base? Is that not how the fancier HRMs work?
Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!
Charlotte you are such a gutsy girl! Way to get out there and shake it up!
Can I be you when I grow up? Okay, so I’m already 15 years your senior, but you are just so clever. How DO you manage all your research and experiments and workouts and on-line work and run a household with little kids? Seriously, when I grow up–hopefully in about 4 years (that’s when my youngest leaves home)–my goal is to be outrageous and brave!
I love Zumba! I got addicted to it at the gym I used to go to ~ ended up buying the DVD’s and it is my favorite way to get the exercise in.
Community volleyball! I’m jealous! I’ve been keeping an eye out for such social/recreational opportunities in my area, but so far no luck. I know they have to exist, so I must just not be looking in the right places…
How awesome that you tried three new activities in the same week! I need to get that kind of motivation myself. 🙂
I found your blog through BlogHer!