Hi, friends! TGIF, right?! I have literally had pretty much zero extra time this week due to my work trip to Dallas on Monday and Tuesday and a crazy hectic couple of days after. My bag is still unpacked, my dishwasher just got emptied and I haven’t put away my recent purchases… all of which are VERY unlike me.

BUT, I wanted to pop in today to share some exciting news on the fitness front:

I’m starting to teach a Muscle Work class at Fitness International, located within International Place in Boston’s financial district.

My company moved into the building in December, and when I heard that the on-site gym offered classes, I immediately went down to chat with them to see if there were any open opportunities… partly because I wanted to have access to the gym (which is otherwise pretty pricey), partly because I wanted to get experience teaching at other gyms, especially one that is located IN my office building. Once I checked it out, saw the locker rooms (with towel service, a sauna, steam room showers, and everything else you’d need to get ready for a day in the office), saw the class sizes (averages 15 people during the middle of the day!), and found out they pay $15/hour MORE than the BSC does, I realized it was a perfect fit.

Granted, I may not really NEED to add another class to my already busy schedule, BUT here are the reasons I decided to take it on:

• It’s an every other week schedule, meaning that I don’t have a weekly commitment.
• It is a much more relaxed environment compared to the BSC and YMCA in terms of needing subs and getting subs.
• It’s a 6:10 am class, which will be a nice change from my evening class schedule. I definitely don’t want to add more classes after work, but having an excuse to get up and workout before work will be really nice- I’m looking forward to having every other Monday evening “off” from the gym!
• It’s an hour of strength training, which is different from any other class I teach. I’ve been really into strength training over the past 6-8 months, so I’m looking forward to having a whole hour dedicated to it!
• I’m always looking to get my name out around Boston more, and the more places I teach, the more people and connections I can meet and make!
• Did I mention it pays more than my other gyms and there’s lots of room for expansion if I decided to do it?

So, I think I made the right decision and I’m excited to see where this will go, BUT I’m a little nervous for my first class on Monday: will they like me? Will I have the energy I do when I teach after work? Will I teach like the other instructor? Will it be too hard or too easy for them? Will they like the format and feel like it was worth their time? I feel like there’s more pressure when teaching a morning class because not only are people taking an hour out of their day for you to give them a good workout, they are getting up EARLY for it. Yikes!

Here’s where I need your help!! Fitness instructors- how do you make sure you have enough energy to teach a morning class? Any tips to make my first class go a little more smoothly? If you teach a strength-only class, what are some “go to” formats you use to take up a full 50-60 minutes? What about energy levels- do members like high-energy instructors or prefer quitter ones since it’s early in the morning? Class goers- what’s something about a strength-only class that you love? What makes you not miss cardio?

Do any of you belong to that gym, work in the building or have friends who belong to the gym? If so, let me know 🙂 I’m definitely going to have to follow my Wednesday Workout: Tips for getting out of bed before work to workout post for a reminder on how to get up and workout before work… I’ve been so lazy when it comes to that since I teach primarily after work 😉

Enjoy your day and weekend!! I’ve got a fun giveaway going up on the blog next week- so keep your eyes on the lookout!