BACK TO GOOD OL’ HABITS

This is not a post about getting back into shape as a New Year’s resolution. I don’t believe in those anymore. If you feel the need to change something about your life, do it when the time is right. New Year’s resolutions are an excuse to procrastinate. At least they were for me. But seeing as we are starting a New Year and some people do make resolutions about wanting to get back into shape, I thought this’d be a good time to share what made me become a physically active person and actually enjoy what I’m doing.

It all started two years ago when I went to a Zumba class out of curiosity. One of my friends was already a regular and kept telling me how fun it was, and my best friend had tried it out a few times as well and kept telling me I should try it. I knew it was all the rage, but seeing as I’m not exactly a fan of latin music, I was always reticent to try it out. Until my best friend STRONGLY suggested we go to a class together. Best. Idea. Ever. I really enjoyed it even though it was a bit hard for me. Being my first class, I wasn’t familiar with the choreography, so I struggled a bit in the first couple of classes, but trust me, you quickly get the hang of it. It’s a little harder for some people, but I think if you have a good sense of rythm and a musical ear, it helps a lot! So anyways, it didn’t take long before we found a gym offering group classes at a better price, closer to where we both worked/lived and finally got a membership at Énergie Cardio close to both our homes. We quickly became regulars, making our weekly schedules on sundays, obsessing over choreographies, downloading our favourites Zumba songs from iTunes and talking incessantly about our new found love for Zumba to anyone who had ears. Hell, we loved it so much that on days we couldn’t make it to the gym, we’d go over to my place instead and do hour-long Zumba sessions in front of my TV with choreographies we’d find on YouTube!

Before I discovered Zumba, I had been a member at various gyms over the years and would mostly do cardio with treadmills, ellipticals, etc. and a bit of weight training. But as soon as something would happen, i.e. my workout budy giving up, membership being over, going away on vacation, I would quickly lose my motivation and quit altogether. In order to avoid this, the key is to find something that you enjoy and that you don’t feel forced to do. For me it was Zumba. I love dancing so even though I sweat my ass off in class, it never feels like “going to the gym” for me. Sure, sometimes I’d have to kick myself in the butt to get up and go to my 9am class on a Saturday, but once I was there, I was loving it! Some days I would be a little more out of shape and my class would be harder. But never once did I regret going, nor did I ever feel like I wasn’t having fun. And that’s what I loved about Zumba. And discovering Zumba, in turn, made me discover other group classes which I would attend when I had to miss my Zumba class due to another commitment. And I am proud and happy to say that I worked out on a regular basis for a year and half, always going back after vacation breaks and never losing my will to keep going (having the best teacher definitely helped – shout out to Kim M.!)…. until the freakin’ gym closed. Now I’m sure they had their reasons (maybe that branch wasn’t profitable enough), but nonetheless, it was the worst thing that could have happened to Nath and I. Needless to say we were two sad little ladies.

Fast forward a few months to a couple of weeks ago, when a friend of mine tells me about this fitness center she goes to called Muzifit that happens to be close to where I live and offers group classes at a decent price. So I’m happy to say that I’m finally going back to my old habits and start moving and having fun again. I even got a deal for a 3-months membership on Groupon for a fraction of the price, which is perfect as it gives me the chance to try out different classes and teachers before I actually commit to a full-year contract. So this thursday, I’m dancing my butt off again couldn’t be happier!