Instructor in the Water

Exercise 1 Response »
Feb 072012
 

Today, I went to my water aerobics class.  Our regular instructor was not there.  Adam was our sub.  We had Adam before and he’s great.  Today, he surprised me by joining us in the class.  He came into the water and did the entire class with us.  It was so much fun.

I think it’s good for me to change things up a bit, especially in the water.  Usually, I feel good after class, but when we have Adam, I am beat.  I really feel like I get a great workout.

He seemed to do a better job than I remembered making moves more difficult if needed.  I think when an instructor can modify to make exercises both easier and harder, they gain the support of a wider variety of students.  All of us are definitely not created equal.

My favorite moves of the day included racing Shayna down to the deep end with our noodles.  We had several races that included flutter kicking and bicycling (forward and backwards).

I’m so glad that I take this class on a regular basis.  The water workouts are a nice change of pace and are definitely fit well in my routine.

Shayna and I decided to figure out a 15-20 minute workout to do while the kids take their swim lesson on Thursdays.  I see some additional racing in our future.  I can’t wait!

Biggest Loser Workout #2

Workout 1 Response »
Jan 262012
 

Tonight, we had the second Biggest Loser workout at the J.  This is the 3rd year that the J has had the contest, but this is the first year that more departments other than the Total Fitness Center are involved.  This workout was in the pool.

27 participants showed up for the workout.  I thought that was a great number to have.  There were two instructors, Bobbie and Adam who are both trained water aerobics instructors.  There were 3 lanes open and I felt like we had plenty of room.

The water was super cold.  On Tuesday, it was warm, so I was quite surprised with the temperature.  We started with a few announcements and introductions and quickly moved into the warm up.  The warm up was all done in a big circle.  I hated that part.  We tossed a few balls around, jogged in a circle, skipped in a circle, etc.  It was challenging to get caught in the current in the deep end.  For the most part, I felt crammed and didn’t like that we couldn’t see or hear the instructor for much of the warm up part.

Once the warm up was complete, we received the heavier water dumbbells and began a circuit workout.  The circuit included about 10 different exercises.  We did each of them for 1 minute and then repeated the circuit 2 additional times.

The circuit included exercises such as jumping jacks, frog jumps, cross-country skiing, seal jumps, rocking horse, etc..

One challenge that I have is knowing the modifications to make the exercises harder.  For the most part, I know that it’s more challenging to do them faster, without touching the bottom, etc..  I’m thinking of doing a personal training session in the pool to learn more about intensity when using the water.  When I workout in the water, I am tired when I am done, but I don’t feel sore or fatigued in the same manner as a land workout.  I’m glad that I include it in my weekly workout mix.

Back in college, I used to swim laps.  I have swam a mile before.  I’d love to get back into lap swimming.  I’m not sure the best way to approach it since the pool at the J is usually pretty busy and I’m sure I’ll need to brush up on my strokes and pool etiquette.

I had about 2 hours of workout out today, and I’m beat.  I’ll be sore tomorrow, but in a good way.

A Sub for Water Aerobics

Workout 1 Response »
Jan 102012
 

For a couple of months, I’ve been taking a “high intensity” water aerobics class.  The class meets on Tuesday and Thursday.  Due to my personal workout scheduling, I attend only on Tuesdays.  Our regular instructor is good.  It’s a great class with a nice core group of participants.  Most classes we have about 8 people.  Our regular instructor came from another gym and she had followers come with her.  A few weeks ago, there was a sub.  It was on Thursday, so I wasn’t there, but I heard all about how terrible the class was.

Today, I walked in and it was obvious that Adam was substituting.  Adam is one of our personal trainers in the fitness center and he also teaches two of the evening water classes.

At first, people were complaining because he didn’t want us to use the weights and was having us have our arms out of the water, etc.  It really boiled down to people complaining because he wasn’t the regular instructor.  Different doesn’t equal bad.  Once everyone got a little used to his style, it was an amazing class.  Instead of counting 8, 7, 6, 5, etc., Adam would have us do an exercise for a minute.  At the end of the day, we are working all of the same muscles and moving.  To me, that’s the point of exercise.

I really liked that Adam used a different piece of equipment.  About 1/2 way through the class, he gave us Water Fan Paddles.  I had never used them before.  It was so different and hard compared to using the weights.  I really can feel that I worked out my arms today.

I think that everyone gets in their comfort zone, especially at the gym.  We take the same classes, talk to the same people, like the same instructors, etc.  We forget that it’s good to get out of our comfort zone and try something new.  I’d be lying if I said that I always like it when we have a substitute, but I always give them a chance.   I strive  embrace the differences and try to take something new away from each experience.  It’s how we grow.

One of my principals used to make the morning PA announcements.  He always ended with “make today a good day for learning”.

Water Aerobics

Exercise No Responses »
Jun 102011
 

I had a great workout today.  For the first time since my knee injury, I completed an hour long class.  It was nice to take the water aerobics class, and it was even nicer to be able to do almost all of the exercises.  I didn’t attempt the frog or soccer kicks.  I exercised good judgement and did other exercises during that time.

It was nice to workout and not be sore today.  I’m looking forward to getting back to my trainer workouts starting on Wednesday.

Injured.

Exercise No Responses »
May 132011
 

So, I made it to the JCC today for the water aerobics class.  It felt good to be in the water.  My knee, however, doesn’t feel so great.  I’ve been trying to take it easy.  I made an appointment with the doctor for Monday.  I’m bummed that I am injured since it was totally my fault and I am hoping that it’s a quick fix.

Next up: rest until after the DR appt Monday.

Water Color

Adventures with Nick and Sally, Exercise No Responses »
May 062011
 

Today, I went back to the water aerobics class.  We used some water dumbbells and balls today.  It was fun and made it easier to modify the exercises.  This is one class where I need to work hard to make the workout difficult.  I always stay toward the deeper end and really focus on each exercise.  We do things like cross country ski, jumping jacks, biceps curls, balance, core etc.  We really get to work all of the major muscle groups.  I feel great after an hour in the pool and it’s a great Friday workout for my mix.

After a bunch of errands and nap time, Nick wanted to paint.  He likes mixing the colors.

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He also really enjoys making a mess.

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I’m glad the paint is washable and easy to clean up and that Sally was still napping during this project.

Next up: day off tomorrow.