Exercise inspired collage art: the admirable exercise by jesusperea on Etsy | The flying exercise II by jesusperea on Etsy
As I sit here with a jumbo kleenex box within reach and coughing up what feels to be a lung (thanks spring head cold…thanks), all I can think about is how excited I am about a conversation I had with my bestie this evening. You may recall from my New Years Not-So-Resolutions earlier this year that I wanted to find a way to get active while still having fun. Sadly, it is May now (uh, when did this happen?!) and I still haven’t committed myself to an activity. My bestie and I had a conversation recently about a group of ladies that try a new physical activity every month which I thought sounded like fun, but not something that I would ever be able to commit to! The conversation moved to a different subject and I forgot about it.
Cue the awesome phone call that happened this evening. My bestie asked me to be her workout partner and for some reason that surprised me and made complete sense to me all at the same time. She was actually the one that got me to try running a few years ago when we both lived downtown, and we kept it up for a good 6 months before the season turned to winter and I gave up to hibernate instead. We moved to opposite sides of the city and never thought of trying to work out together again. I think, however, that we are both in a state of restlessness right now since spring is finally here and we are tired of being trapped inside! We’ve promised each other to at least give it a try. The idea of working out with my bestie excites me, because I know she won’t take any of my crap and she’ll push me to do things I may not want to do. With that said, I want to try something unique! My idea of a workout does not include pumping iron or running laps. My workout needs to be disguised as something enjoyable or it will never happen. I can’t speak for my bestie, but I think she feels the same. Here are a few of the activities that have caught my attention:
Kickboxing
Based on kicking and punching, this would get my heart rate up and also turn me into less of a wuss. I’m not the type of woman who you would typically associate with kickboxing (even though I am a bit of a hothead) so I think this adds to its appeal. I don’t mind the idea of learning how to throw a punch properly – AT ALL! My lace dresses and polka dot tights may paint a picture of delicacy, but if anyone tried to mess with me…well I could show ’em a thing or two 🙂
Rowing
My aunt recently signed up for a rowing course which is how it landed on my radar as a possibility. I loved canoeing when I was a kid so the thought of doing it as a team to get a workout seems like a neat idea. Talk about a full body strength workout! I would build a solid core and arms of steel which is definitely appealing because again, I am a wuss. My “pipes” are non-existent and my upper body strength is lacking. Edmonton Rowing Club offers beginners rowing classes all summer long – this could definitely happen. How lovely would exercise outside all summer long be?
Barre
This seems to be a mix of yoga, pilates and dance. It incorporates free weights, mat exercises, and elements of dance to some good tunes in a classroom setting featuring a ballet barre. It’s low impact but they say you still work up quite a sweat. Through isolated movements, it builds long, lean muscle while improving posture, grace and flexibility – all three of which I’m lacking in. I’m known to sit in my office chair in rather odd positions which I’m sure is only encouraging the formation of a hump back (I’m cross-legged and hunched over as I type this…oops). I’m called grace sarcastically – I’ve got the random bruises and scrapes on my legs to prove it. And flexibility? Let’s just say my very long arms have a very hard time reaching the toes on my very long legs. This could do good things for me.
Squash
Seeing as my bestie and I are both MacEwan University Alumni, we could get memberships to the Sport and Wellness centre to make use of their squash courts. I remember learning how to play this sport FOREVER ago in junior high so I’d need a refresher, but I think hitting balls against a wall with rackets and running around like crazies could be good for us? It might increase my hand-eye coordination (there’s a reason why baseball didn’t pan out for me as a youth), get my cardio going and swinging a racket around has got to improve upper body strength, right?
Yoga
This is on my list because I’m still so curious about whether or not I’d love it. The thought of mixing stretching, balance, meditation and breathing is very appealing. I like that I could start as a beginner and choose to take more advanced courses as I progressed in order to challenge myself. Plus, the idea of escaping for a weekend yoga retreat (as seen on my 30 before 30 list) sounds really nice.
Any other fabulous and unique workout ideas that you’d like to share? I’m open to suggestions!
NOTE: This message has been approved by Hal Johnson and Joanne Mcleod 🙂
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