So I bet everybody has seen the crop-tops that are hitting the stores for SS13. And yes I hear you saying: "But I ain't wearing a crop-top". Yeah sure, but didn't you say the same thing about skinny jeans? And what are you wearing at this very moment? Yeah, point made! So crop tops. This summer. That means: working out! Seriously: working-out.
You guys already know that I like to run. But running is not enough; one needs a full body work out. (But I still wanted to share the image above with you... cause it's true!)
I have tried two new classes over the last two weeks:
Hot Yoga and
Insane total body work-out.
Curious? Read on!
Hot Yoga
Two weeks ago I went to Yogacentrum Tilburg, just minutes from my home, to take a Hot Hatha yogaclass. I had done yoga a few times before, so I knew the basics. I was really curious to the "hot" aspect of the class. The thing is, you do regular yoga, but in a heated room. So I was wearing sweat shorts and a very light tanktop. I brought a big towel and a bottle of water, and waited patiently for the lesson to start. I was a little early, so I could adapt to the heat in the room. It actually made me quite sleepy. The room is heated in a clean way, just like sauna's are heated. The temperature was not too bad. I'm not sure how hot is was, but I read some articles about Bikram Yoga (the real Hot Yoga, some would say) and they do yoga at 38 degrees Celsius. This surley wasn't 38 degrees. In the following 75 minutes we did basic yoga exercises, started with finding our inner balance, followed by some balancing exercises, and concluded with a ground routine.
I didn't find the exercises challenging, I found that a pitty. The thing is because of the heat you are really flexibel, and all of the exercises where quite easy for me (not to brag, but when everybody was falling over, I was standing there in full balance, thinking why the F people were falling over...). The next day, I did feel my muscles, but I have that a lot lately. Because of the heat you sweat like a pig! It's a little uncomfortable at first, that you can smell everybody. You get so sweaty, that it's dripping all over your body. After the lesson I seriously looked like I fell in a lake, a very hot lake I might add.
I talked to the teacher afterwards, and he gave me to do a more active Yoga class next, so I'm really curious for that. I liked to do yoga in the heat. The only downside is that I already have a membership to a fitnessclub, and I'm running now, I don't really want to have a nother membership what I'm paying for every month.. (I'm mean... do you know how many pairs of shoes I could buy from that money in a year?!)
If you are looking for a good way to do yoga, without the chance of getting injured (because of the heat) and want to really sweat it out: this is the work-out for you!
Insane Total Body Work-out
So I'm a member at a fitnessclub. Since a few months they teach Insane. It's like a bootcamp, inspired by insanity and Nike Training Club (like the Iphone app). It's unlike any work-out I have ever done. If I hadn't done Hot Yoga the week before, this would have been the first time I had been sweating so much!
It's a 45 minutes work-out, but you'll feel it for days. And it's not for the untrained among us.
So we got our equipment and started in a high paced jog. It was then that I learned that this jogging would be my "rest" during the whole lesson. Okay, this was something different. I am a real interval person. Good at sprints, not a marathons. I know what my weak point is: breathing. Not that I did anything about it, and I was panting quite soon. My body wasn't tired at all, I just needed to get my breath back. It's the same thing with running: the breathing kills me! So that is my traininggoal for the nearby future.
Good breathing is vital for your muscles; that is why I can still feel them right now, even though the class was 3 days ago. Nothing to take pride in. Of course I did the whole class with full and total dedication.
It was great, we pumped weights, did jumping jacks, heaps of push-ups, burpees, jumps, and heaps of exercises that I can't remember anymore. Above all, the energy in the room was so good! Everybody was into it. The instructor was there to really motivate and push you, but did tell you to do your own work-out. She gave great advice (like: Breathe Amy...) so that was cool. Afterwards I felt to re-energized, so alive. I'm seriously a fan, without a doubt. I'm going back next week, but then I'll pay more attention to my breathing and I'll make sure my body is warm before I attend the class. The body is going to be in shape this summer, without a doubt!
Well I hope I have inspired you to go and take a class, or start running. You'll feel so great afterwards!
Which work-out are you going to try?
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