Om

There's a new order to my week these days. I joined a gym.

The gym itself isn't the real reason why I signed on the dotted line; they offer yoga classes. I've been looking for something local and was pleasantly surprised when my friend Charlotte told me that the gym she had just joined had a variety of classes, including yoga. And while membership isn't required to attend the classes, five class fees are the same as a full month's gym fee so it made financial sense to join. Now I have a cute little thingy on my key ring that magically opens the door to fitness 24/7. If only it were that easy.

There's just one drawback to the yoga classes...they're at 8 a.m. To know me is to know I'm not a morning person. I don't exactly jump out of bed at the crack of dawn; I'm much more into double-digit time. And the idea of getting up early to go exercise is just foreign to me. But I'm doing it. I've rolled out of the sack at 6:30 a.m. twice this week to dress, eat breakfast and be at the gym where I've contorted my bodies in ways it hasn't experienced in years. I'm not very good at it but that's OK; I love how my muscles feel when I walk out of class. I don't exactly love how they feel several hours later but that's what Advil is for.

It's kind of...um, different to exercise in a room with very low lights and soft music. Most of my class experience has been step aerobics or jazzercise where the atmosphere is high energy. This is soft and relaxing. I think I like it but I just hope I don't fall back asleep. And for the record, no one chants om...at least not in my classes anyway. 

The classes were the real draw but there's another benefit to joining. I took one look at the radar this morning and knew I was tempting those red and yellow blobs I saw on the screen. I'd been soaked once this week and that was enough; I went to do my walk on the treadmill at the gym. It thundered and lightning-ed and rain poured from the sky but I only felt a few drops as I made the half-dozen steps from the covered sidewalk to my car. Rain and cold won't keep me from getting my miles in now.

I don't think anyone will mistake me for a gym rat but I'm happy to have some options for my fitness routine.

Comments

[Linda P]

I would honestly consider doing that except I'm concerned that once I got down on the floor, I wouldn't be able to get up!

[Jan C.]

I love taking a yoga class. It makes me feel flexible and strong in some undefinable way. My class is only once a week though. That means I'm hittng the Advil the day after, too. Best part of any yoga class: savasana (corpse pose) at the very end. Provided you don't fall asleep and start snoring, it's really rejuvenating! Be sure to check out YogaJournal.com for tips on poses and such. They have a fantastic site that I have found really helpful.