Before You Start!

The warm weather has begun(hopefully it stays!)and with that people become more adventurous with their exercise regiment or they start exercising period and that is all good! But before you start any of that, let me help you out with a few things free of charge; ain't I sweet? Before you start with any of these high octane exercise Group Fitness classes or DVD'S, make sure that you are ready! Have you built up your endurance? How much can you lift? How is your form? Here are some ways to find answers to all of those questions.  I love and adore Group Fitness. There is nothing as great as being in a room full of people with one single thought: to SWEAT! But understand, Group Fitness is not Personal Training. It is not one on one. In a big class, you might have up to 30 people or more, so there is no way a Group X Instructor can constantly watch form. This is why before you go to the classes that have Box Jumps, Walking Lunges and Barbell Lifts, find a Beginner lifting class or better yet, a Cardio Interval class. This way you build endurance, burn fat, get toned and learn to lift in one class! Can you beat that? Nope. Always work on your level. You are in competition with no one. I can't say this enough because I have seen people focusing on other folks in class and I realized that they were competing! What the heck!? The beauty of Group Fitness is that everyone and I mean everyone is on a different level of fitness. A great Fitness Instructor knows this and will show modifications. If you just aren't sure about form and technique, this is when you hire a Personal Trainer. I know what you are thinking: "But Dawn! Personal Trainer's are so expensive(insert whine voice :)" Not true and not all. Most gyms have PT packages that are reasonable. Some Trainers will even work on a sliding scale if they feel you are serious about getting healthy. Now you can even Train with someone online! No excuses. If you hire a PT, the first two sessions should be assessments. Weight, circumference, endurance, how much you can lift, aches and pains, BMI, etc. Even if you don't hire the Trainer for long-term, you will have this information, review it and build from there. That is the whole point of assessments, to see your weaknesses and strengths, then correct and build. Whatever you do, just remember the most important thing is to listen to your body. I don't care what the Group Fitness Instructor or Personal Trainer is doing. If it doesn't feel right to you, don't do it. Your body, your time, your money. Wishing you Love and Peace, but mostly Peace!