Through the years, exercise and I haven’t exactly been friends. I’ve never quite understood the desire to get up early and head to a spin class and to be honest, I’m not really a fan of sweating!
However, with this new #wellnessjourney I’m on, I know I’ll need to do so much more if I want to be my best self!
So, with much trepidation, I joined my blogger friends with ECM Media and headed out to a workshop with The Fitness Room ‘s Anna Townsend, where we took part in sample classes in Pilates, Barre, and Spin.
Let me give you a rundown:
Spin:
I thought I’d HATE it. I’ve heard of friends through the years who love spin class and talk of instructors who yell at them to pick up the pace and to move their lazy buts. And, while that might work for some…it’s most definitely not my style!
Add to the fact that I didn’t want to be yelled at, I also haven’t ridden a bike since I was eight years old onaccounta my hip issues…so I wasn’t really sure how that was going to play out PLUS I worried about the bike itself! Could I balance on it? Would it move? Did I have to do anything special or press any buttons?
And let me tell you…I was pleasantly surprised!
For starters, the bike was way easier to maneuver than I thought it would be. Anna started by teaching us how to adjust the “saddle” to the correct height for your body as well as the distance from the handlebars…as well as how to tighten your feet in the “baskets” on the pedals. Other than that, you simply moved a little turn dial on the front of the bike to either increase or decrease resistance and…..spun.
While spinning, Anna was chatting over a mic in an animated tone while directing and encouraging you to speed up or rest…to up the resistance or lower…to stand or sit. All the while, she changed up music and lights and motivated you to keep going.
The downside…holy smokes my butt hurt!
Apparently, that gets easier as time goes on but for the fifteen-minute sample class…I found it quite uncomfortable so I can only imagine what a full hour would do (plus, I don’t think I was actually sitting properly)! Also, due to hip issues, I couldn’t do any of the “standing while spinning” but I’m confident that in time, I might actually get to the standing position (if anything, to give my poor butt a break!)
Barre:
I’ll be honest, I always thought that “bar” class was a class where you worked with a weight bar (without the weights), and I always figured I’d be a complete nightmare…taking out folks along the way with my uncoordinated self whilst holding onto a metal bar! (Picture baton twirling but with a much larger baton!)
However, once I’d heard it was Barre…as in a ballet barre, I knew this would be my jam! After all, I’d take ballet classes for a total of three years when I was a wee child and surely could recollect the few positions I’d learned as a ten-year-old!
But I gotta tell you…this most definitely was NOT as easy as I thought it would be and in fact, I was quite miserable at it!!!!
Squats and plies and pointing your toes while holding a ball between your knees or having a band around your legs was so much harder than it looks. And let’s just say I DID NOT look like a graceful ballerina!
But, I learned a few things that worked for my body and a few others that I was surprised I couldn’t do…and all the while, Anna made modifications and allowed us to work within our body’s boundaries. Which was pretty fantastic.
While I now have a “Barre Star” hat (as Anna gifted us all with hats from her beautiful studio)…I’m not really sure I’ll ever be much of a barre star!!!
Pilates:
I haven’t done any yoga of any kind…EVER! So, I was a little nervous about the various twists and turns that my body was going to be manipulated into but in reality…I happily laid on a mat!!!
Pilates…I can probably handle. Again, with my hip issues and lack of toned muscles, there were quite a few things that I couldn’t do (like actually kneel while sitting on my bum or laying on my back while lifting my knees into a “table” position), but overall, this was rather enjoyable.
Except, I couldn’t figure out when to inhale or exhale even though Anna was instructing us to do so but for some reason, I’ve never been able to co-ordinate breathing while moving (yes, I’m a mess!)
Also…my back has been a little off lately so I found it a bit uncomfortable but Anna said there’s lots of modifications you can do and various props to help with back and hip issues…so I’m sure I could work through some of the problems I had.
Overall Thoughts:
For all three sample classes…Anna was incredibly encouraging and easy to listen to. I’d highly recommend taking a class from her.
Bottom line..here’s what I learned…I was misinformed about a lot of things. What was in my head about the various classes and what I thought I’d be good or bad at, was wrong. Taking a few sample classes and finding out how it all works, has opened my eyes a little and, when I’m ready and have a bit more energy (I’m still dealing with some health issues), I can definitely see me coming back to The Fitness Room to participate in a class or two.
The gym itself is absolutely gorgeous! As a “boutique” gym, it has everything you need in a warm and welcoming environment…it felt homey, comfy…and truly a place where I could find myself feeling embraced despite my apprehensions…and that’s a pretty cool feeling for someone like me!
About ECM Media and our Sponsors:
A very, very special thanks to Anna Townsend at The Fitness Room for hosting our ECM Media Influencers for the evening.
As well, thanks to In The Raw Organics, Viveau and Choice Health Centre for being part of our #JoyandMovement workshop. In the Raw brought fabulous snacks and sent us each home with a lovely gift bag filled with various treats (check them out online…HEALTHY TREATS! Viveau provided us with delicious drinks for the evening (again, check them out as the drinks were delicious and awesome for post work out). And Choice Health Centres chatted with us about keeping our bodies healthy (and they have this Infrared Sauna that I’m super pumped to try!) We were so happy to learn about each of the sponsors…and hope they enjoyed getting to know each of the influencers who came out to the workshop.
ECM Media connects Bloggers and Brands in Atlantic Canada. If you’re a business that would like to find out more about working with us, please make sure to reach out as we’d love to chat. We truly are lucky to work with some of the very best!
The following are links to other workshops we’ve held:
Finding Balance with the Most Amazing Women
Flower and Photography Workshop at Dean’s Flowers
A Day at the Seashore with Oceanstone
Container Garden’s with President’s Choice
Getting Creative with FAT Paints
To learn more about our sponsors, make sure to follow them on Instagram:
The Fitness Room
Viveau
Choice Health Centre
In the Raw Organics
ECM Media