“Sometimes I…” {Confessions of a Fitness Instructor}

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A few months ago, I wrote about my Fitness Instructor Pet Peeves. Gosh I could add to that list as of recently… I always seem to get the crazies in my classes! Anyway, the other day in the shower (anyone else have some of their best ideas while in the shower?), I started thinking about things I do as a fitness instructor that members/class participants may not think I do, and I thought it would be fun to share!

1. Sometimes I… make my workouts on the way to the gym or while in the locker room, 5 minutes before class. What can I say? I don’t always have ample time to plan my workout in advance. I don’t like to make my workouts up on the fly, but it happens sometimes and I just have to roll with it!

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2. Sometimes I… reuse workouts. Not generally for the same class two weeks in a row but if I am teaching similar classes on different days and don’t have time to make a whole new workout, I use the one I taught earlier in the week! I apologize to members if they end up coming to both classes, but they never seem to mind, or notice, that the workout is the same.

3. Sometimes I… Use workouts from other instructors or magazines. I think all fitness instructors can agree that we sometimes just run out of new ideas. What I love about the blog world is having access to so many amazing fitness blogs that provide inspiration and ideas for me. I don’t usually take the workout and do the exact thing in my class, but I do take some of the exercises or format ideas to help build my workout.

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4. Sometimes I… Stop doing the workout with the class because it’s too hard and I can’t breathe, yell, instruct, correct form AND do the exercise at the same time. What?! Can you blame me? Just because we are fitness instructors does not mean we are in the best shape or are the strongest in class. We are human, too, and have off days where we don’t have the energy to do everything! My goal as an instructor is not to make the workout tough for me, but to make it tough for everyone else, so while I’m instructing, I try to do most of the workout, but more than that I try to walk around, coach, instruct, correct form, etc. And that can only be done if I can breathe 😉

5. Sometimes I… Dread teaching. Say, what?! I know it seems like I’m always up for a workout and excited to teach (99% of the time this is true), but sometimes I really just don’t want to teach. I don’t want to go to the gym. I don’t want to smile and laugh. I don’t want to be peppy. There. I said it. Again, we are human, too. Days like this take SO MUCH MORE energy than days when I want to teach. But in the end, it’s always worth it!

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6. Sometimes I… re-wear my workout clothes before washing them. If it’s a big week of teaching and I don’t sweat TOO much in a class, I’ll wear them again before washing them. I know it may seem gross, but my rationale is that I am going to get sweaty in them as soon as I start working out. I don’t generally re-wear tops, but sports bras and pants? Yeah, sometimes.

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7. Sometimes I… find pleasure in making members come close to getting sick from the intensity of the workout. Wow, that makes me sound terrible, huh? What I mean, is that I love when members find my workouts tough, yet still come back for more. I love it when they thank me for coming very close to getting sick during some of the exercises. I don’t want people to waste an hour of their day in my class, so I want to make it worth their time!

8.  Sometimes I… get upset and feel bad when members walk out of class. As much as I want people to work hard in my class and think I’m a tough instructor, I feel awful when people leave because the workout is too hard. There are ALWAYS modifications (which I show), so even though some of the members might be doing something crazy hard, if that’s not your level for the day, then just modify! No one is looking at you or judging, trust me. They are focusing on not dying 😉

9. Sometimes I… Feel empowered because I have the mic and am in control of the class. It’s just something about yelling into the mic and having all eyes on me as I instruct that is a wonderful feeling 😉 Especially when I have great music on and a full class with high energy… I absolutely feed off of that and tend to get even more intense than normal! And yes, I feel sorry for my members during these times 🙂

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10. Sometimes I… avoid people in the locker room. I’m sorry, but the locker room is MY time to get changed, mentally prepare for class, etc. It’s nothing against the members who might also be in the locker room, but it’s more that I am not ready to chat yet.

Questions for you: Fitness instructor friends- Can you relate to any of my “confessions”? Do you have any that I didn’t list? Non-instructor friends- what’s a confession you have when taking a group ex. class or going to the gym?

Have a great weekend!!! 🙂

So, I used to hate spinning…

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… but I may be warming up to it!

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Let’s back up.

On Monday, all of a sudden, my lower leg/calf area started to hurt as I was walking to work. This has happened to me a number of times before, and I think it happened on Monday because of my new sneakers. I think they must have different support than all of my other sneakers and my legs/feet haven’t gotten used to it yet. Whatever the reason, my plans of running on the treadmill after work went out the window. Womp.

I decided I would row and do the elliptical as a way to get cardio in, but keep it lower impact so as not to bother my leg. However, as I walked up to the locker room, I looked at the class board and saw that there was a spin class starting in 10 minutes. My first thought was “ugh. It’s a spin class. Wish it was something else.”, but immediately after that thought went through my head, a light bulb went off and I was like, “maybe a spin class is a good idea! It’s low-impact, yet supposedly an incredible workout. Maybe I should try it.”

So, I did. And I didn’t hate it! I can’t say I loved it, but it was almost enjoyable. I think part of the reason why I liked it was because we did 45 minutes of spin and 15 minutes of abs- a nice way to break up the workout. Another reason why I liked it was because we did climbs and sprints based on the song, so it wasn’t just a 45 minute slow climb. Boringggg. Lastly, the bikes didn’t have knobs, but rather levers, so you could see what level you were at, as well as the RPMs and time, so when the instructor wanted you to change, she would say “Ok, bump it up to level 12, with RPMs between 90 & 100, and we are going to sit in the saddle for 30 seconds then bring it up to 3rd for 45 seconds and then hover in 3rd for 60 seconds.” Being able to measure the intensity, speed and time made the workout much more enjoyable. I always have a hard time when spinning has the bikes with the knobs and you’re supposed to do one twist to the right, two twists to the right, 1/2 twist back to the left, etc. Call it my Type A personality, but I like to know exactly how hard I am working and if I am on par with the class.

My only issue, and I can’t believe I’m even saying this, was I didn’t leave there feeling like I had legs of jello. Don’t get me wrong, I was a sweaty beast by the end, but the only time I felt like I wanted to knock my level down lower than what was prescribed was when we had a 4 minute hill climb in the seated position. Holy crap. My legs were dead! Other than that, though, I felt like I could have worked harder… or that I could have done another workout after. Is that normal? When an instructor tells you what level to do, do you follow it or do what you need to do to intensify the workout?

So, with all of that said, I think I am going to give spinning another shot. I really WANT to like it because there are so many sub opportunities for spinning at the gym, so it would be great to learn to like it, how to do it, and feel comfortable teaching it. It would certainly make me a more well-rounded instructor!

Questions for you: Spinning- love it or hate it? What’s a tip you have for me to make sure I’m getting the best workout in that I can? Where’s the best spinning class you’ve ever been to?

{Holiday Series} Wednesday Workout: 20 Minute Buns Burner

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Hi there! Happy Wednesday. December is a time where we are all faced with lots of holiday parties and outings, which generally involve cocktails and snacks, and often times replace your after-work workout, right?

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This month, for my Wednesday Workout series, rather than focusing on posting longer workouts I may have taught in class or done at home, I am going to post shorter workouts that you can do before you go to work, on your lunch break, or quickly after work before you meet up for your holiday get together. It’s easy to push workouts to the side when you’re busy (I get so tired of hearing “I don’t have time to workout”. Well, yes you do. You just have to rearrange your schedule and MAKE time for your workout), but when you’re skipping your workout AND indulging more frequently than usual, it will probably catch up to you, which is why it’s so common to gain weight over the holidays. Obviously, if you do this once and a while, that’s totally fine… we all deserve days like that and you won’t gain 5lbs because you skipped a workout in favor of cocktail hour, but when you start doing it a few times a week for a few weeks in a row (holiday season), you may start to notice some not-so-great changes.

SO! With that said, here is your first Holiday Series Wednesday Workout post! This workout is designed to be a quickie 20-minute thing, but if you’ve only got 10 minutes, just do it once, because you know what? 10 minutes is better than nothing 😉

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I got good reviews from the Booty Burner workout and video I posted a few months ago, so I thought it would be fun to post another glute workout for you. This one incorporates cardio moves that specifically target the glutes, as well as body weight strength exercises, also specifically targeting the glutes. No equipment is necessary, so this can literally be done anywhere- no excuses! 🙂

I’m thinking of doing an upper-body cardio and strength circuit next week, followed by abs the week after and a combination on the last week… thoughts? Do you guys like this idea of a “Holiday Series” of quick, but effective workouts? I want to know your thoughts!

Questions for you: What do you do to stay on track during holiday season? Do you workout before work or during lunch? Do you skip out on appetizers? What do you drink for lighter beverages?

Weekend {Picture} Recap: Kennebunkport, Lounging, Shopping

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This past weekend was awesome, partly because it was a long weekend, partly because it was spent with my family in Maine and partly because I was able to relax and have some “me” time. Here’s my recap.. in pictures!

Friday

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We decided to share some pizza’s (David’s is known for their pizzas), as well as a burger and I got the Beef and Barley soup.

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got my hair highlighted/lunch at Davids KPT/Drinks at Hurricane Restaurant/Checking out mom’s “ugly Christmas sweater” collection. Could be worth lots of money these days.

Saturday

Danielle and I got up early on Saturday to head back to Brighton for my kickboxing class and then hung around and relaxed for the afternoon.

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Gathering my Christmas decorations/relaxing/shopping at the Gap

Sunday

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Sunday morning workout/Birthday shopping for my sister (We got her AMAZING deals on workout clothes- 3 tops, 1 sports bra and 2 pants for $47!!!)/shopping for me (because I hadn’t spent enough $$$ all weekend! In all honesty, though, I needed both pairs of shoes!)/weekly food/salad/lunch prepping

Questions for you: What was the best thing you did all weekend? If you could always have a 3 day weekend, would it be Friday-Sunday or Saturday-Monday? What is the last thing you splurged on for yourself while shopping?

This Week: Workouts, Schedule & Things I’m Looking Forward To

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Hi there! It feels weird starting a “regular” week… one that requires me to go into the office. I went almost 4 days without wearing a stitch of makeup or getting out of my Lulu, and as awesome as that was, I am ready to be back on a regular schedule where I get up, get dressed, wear makeup and do the whole “commuting to work thing”.

I will say, though, that last week was the perfect week to work from home; the weather was frigid on Monday and it was rainy and gross on Tuesday and Wednesday. I wasn’t mad at all for staying inside alllll day. Even though it would’ve been easy to stay inside and do “at-home” workouts last week, I did force myself to get to the gym for social interaction and a little fresh air.

Last Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I was supposed to sub a kickboxing class at the Watertown BSC, but there was some confusion (I was subbing for a sub… confusing, I know) and as I started to introduce myself, the instructor walked in. I was bummed that I wasn’t able to teach (all day, I had been looking forward to my kickboxing workout because I had LOTS of energy to burn and knew my kickboxing class does the trick), but I decided to take the class with the hopes that I could get some new stuff. Unfortunately, I wasn’t too crazy about the style of class and my heart rate barely got up. Womp, womp. Normally, I would let this totally bum me out (“ugh, I can’t believe I just wasted an hour at the gym with a bad workout” types of thoughts), but I tried to put a positive spin on the situation and it really helped. Yeah, it wasn’t my best workout, BUT it was better than nothing and maybe it was a sign for me to slow it down for the day.
  • Tuesday- I didn’t want to leave the house at all, but I forced myself to get to the gym because I was really in the mood for a treadmill run. I ran 4 (slow-ish) miles and did about 30 minutes of strength and core work before calling it a day.

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This was my “I didn’t want to leave the house” face.

  • Wednesday- My UXF Burn class was cancelled for the holiday, but I had the opportunity to sub the 5:30 Sports Conditioning class. I pulled out an old workout and was happy that it was a good “butt-kicker”. As we were doing our bench pop-overs, I had the class think about their workout “mantra”, and suggested using Thanksgiving motivation: “I’m working out for ______ (pumpkin pie, stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey, etc.),” which was kind of fun!
  • Thursday- I did my I’m Thankful” Workout, and was happy to see that others did it, too (via Facebook and Twitter)!

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  • Friday- Rest day! It had been a while since I had a full rest day, and since I was sore from Thursday’s workout, it was perfect timing. We did a little walking around Kennebunkport, but that’s about it!
  • Saturday- I taught kickboxing at the Oak Square YMCA and had a special treat since my sister was there! My favorite part was at the end when everyone was literally GROANING during the ab section. They told me they had lots of Thanksgiving indulgences to work off, so I was really just catering to them 😉
  • Sunday- I went to my favorite Sunday strength class: “Y Pump”. After a cardio day on Saturday, I love Sunday’s as solely strength.

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This Week’s Workouts

  • Monday- I think for the first time in a while, I will head to the gym right after work! I’ll probably do a heavy cardio and abs day, with the anticipation of doing a primarily weights day on Tuesday.
  • Tuesday- Probably just weights!
  • Wednesday- The usual: cardio and teaching UXF Burn
  • Thursday- Teaching SHRED and Kickboxing… excited to be back for my double!
  • Friday- Probably a rest day since I’m teaching kickboxing on Saturday.
  • Saturday- Teaching kickboxing.
  • Sunday- It’s my sister’s birthday on Saturday, so pending on how I feel on Sunday will determine whether or not I’ll work out. I love my Sunday “Y Pump” class 🙂

Schedule

My schedule is wideeee open this week and I’m really looking forward to having my “regular” schedule back . My sister’s birthday is on Saturday, so the Shapleigh girls (and Jessi) are going to the Top of the Hub for cocktail hour and then dinner at Vlora on Friday night. I haven’t been to the Top of the Hub in a long time, and Mediterranean food is one of my favorites! Saturday Danielle and Amy are celebrating their birthdays at Scholar’s and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone! My friend Lauren’s Christmas party is on Saturday, too, so if I can get my act together, I’ll try to get there before going to the bar!

Things I’m looking forward to

As much as I love indulging on food and drinks, I am excited to get back to my regular eats and not drinking during the week schedule. I can’t wait to celebrate Danielle and Amy’s birthdays anddddd I think I am going to get my Christmas tree and decorate my apartment next weekend!!!

Questions for you: Do you have to force yourself to the gym when it’s gross weather? Have you ever been to the Top of the Hub? What are you looking forward to this week?