Most the time you can tell it’s January at the gym because the place is packed. But at 6 a.m. in the deep end of the pool, I’m pretty sure I’m seeing life as usual.
And by usual, I mean the high school girls swim team practicing on one end, several old ladies in suits with skirts on the other end, and various coaches, lifeguards and random chubby men in Speedos in between.
Yes, that’s right. I’m taking water aerobics.
Taking a class – especially with a friend – is actually the best way for me to get exercise in consistently. The commitment of paying for something in advance combined with the accountability of knowing someone else will be tortured showing up with me is exercise gold for me.
While I’d love to take some sort of boot camp or kickboxing class, I know better. All the commitment and accountability in the world isn’t going to keep me coming back to something that makes me want to die causes major pain. (See: The 30-Day Shred.) And so, low-impact, old-lady water aerobics it is.
Thankfully, my friend Brittany is game for the early morning class that works with my schedule. If she wasn’t, I’d probably still be sleeping until the sun was at least thinking about coming up on Monday and Wednesday mornings.
Last week was our first class, and it wasn’t the best timing. Like most areas of the country, we have had crazy cold temperatures and large amounts of snow over the past couple of weeks. But we soldiered on.
And the class was fun! Those old ladies were barely fazed by the same workout that completely kicked my butt. But that’s okay. I think a workout that I feel but can manage is just what I needed. Even if I am schooled by grandmas.
Have you ever done water aerobics? What exercise are you doing these days?
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