January 9th: Doubleheader

Okay-For those of you keeping count (and I know some of you are), you are right. I admit it. Things are looking grim. I am in trouble. While I have been attending class semi-regularly, I am definitely behind. However, I am making a comeback and fully intend to still make my goal of thirty group exercise classes in thirty days. It's not easy but it is possible. That is why on January 9th I decided to take two classes back-to-back.


My first class was a class called Sets and Reps. It was the most challenging class I've taken so far. This class tapped into my inner army commando. The teacher was a beast. Her name was Olga and she was tough. I have not done so many push-ups since high school gym class. There was the standard push-up, the elevated feet push-up, and the one arm elevated push-up. While most of the class is a blur, I remember lifting weights, doing crunches, and there may have been some crying. All in all, this class was a great workout. Even though Olga gave permission for us to modify some of the techniques, I felt compelled to push myself. I left the class feeling like not only had I received a great cardio workout but a pretty intense strength/conditioning workout as well.

My second class of the day was called Dance Cardio. It was a fun mix of a variety of different dance steps with an focus on latin moves. This class tapped into my inner Shakira. The teacher was graceful and a talented dancer to boot. Her name was Olga. Yes, yes, the SAME Olga who had just kicked my butt in the Sets and Reps class. She had enough energy to teach two classes back to back and she didn't miss a beat. I have to mention a couple of things about this class. First is that it is extremely popular. It was a smallish studio and it was filled to capacity. It was not difficult to maneuver though as Olga did a great job preparing choreography that fit the space and the number of participants. For a while I managed to forget about my ongoing fear of tripping over my own feet and knocking over several women like bowling ball pins. Another interesting part of this class was that Olga allowed time in her class for "free dance" which was a fun way to just loosen up and made things more interesting. Oh, and did I mention the disco lights? Dance Cardio is definitely a great way to de-stress and learn a few new dance moves.

You can take either of Olga's Saturday classes at Thornton YMCA. Sets and Reps is from 9:20am to 10:15 and Dance Cardio is from 10:20 to 11:20.