Keep up the fall fitness!

TGIF and Happy Friday everyone!

Fridays are a day filled with fun, excitement for the weekend, and for me—a day off of fitness classes. As a fitness instructor, I look forward to exercising, laughing with, and seeing all of my participants, and value all of the acquaintances I have made over the years.   As much as I love Fridays, it sometimes feels weird to have an empty spot on my schedule that doesn’t involve me running home to change into workout clothes, and rushing to teach.

Fort HealthCare is fortunate to have a multitude of group fitness-style classes offered at various times during the week that range from low impact to high impact, and from laid back to “let’s get moving!”  Depending on what your schedule allows, and your interests with exercise, Fort HealthCare has many exciting opportunities for classes.

Group fitness classes are unique in that you pay to receive instruction, get to exercise with other individuals, and you’re at the mercy of what the fitness instructor decides to do for the day (*insert evil laugh).  They can be intimidating at first, but they offer many benefits to each participant and I think once you find your niche, you are hooked for life.

Some of the other benefits you receive from group fitness include:

1. Structure. Group fitness classes take the guess-work out of exercise. You know you are getting a quality class, with a lot of thought put into it. With many classes, there’s a certain order that exercises can be done in to maximize your calorie burn and strength-building and why not have someone take care of that for you?  All of the classes at Fort HealthCare offer structure, in their own way. Yoga  will start with meditation and body-awareness, whereas some of the other classes such as Body Blast and Kickbox Cross/Kick-Step-Box begin with a cardio warm up.
2. Proper Form. Group fitness instructors are paid to set up the workout, and to work with all participants on their form as well as be able to offer modifications. Having someone instruct on good posture/form helps to ensure a safe class, an injury-free class, and the opportunity to make more progress when focusing on the correct muscle engagement. All of the instructors at Fort HealthCare have many, many hours of certifications and trainings under their belt to ensure a great and safe class. All classes at Fort HealthCare emphasize good form, but many go above and beyond, and can be a great starting point. Form and Function is an awesome all-around toning class that emphasizes form and muscle progression. Other classes that are great for learning proper form are Above the Belt, Below the Belt, and Absolute Arms.
3. Accountability.  Group fitness classes are great for accountability because you can sign up in advance (usually), and if it is a recurring class, then you can put it on your calendar and know when to NOT schedule a meeting, walking the dog, or go grocery shopping. I am also the type that knows if I pay for something, then I want to make sure I get my money’s worth and I will be more apt to attend.  The Fort HealthCare instructors are not going to come to your house if you miss a class or 2, but we do notice and want to make sure you are happy and content in the classes offered. We’re approachable, and willing to help make adjustments if you are unhappy.
4. Variety. I know I already mentioned this once, but, I wanted to highlight this again. There are many opportunities at Fort HealthCare for fitness classes, and there’s something for you. It’s great to have the variety in your own workout regime to keep things fresh and to keep your muscles firing, and you never know, you just might find something you love! We offer mind, body and spirit classes with Yoga and Meditation; strength classes such as Boot Camp, No-Nonsense Low Impact, and Glutes and Abs; and cardio classes such as Aqua Zumba® and Kickbox Cross. I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and try something new!
5. FUN.  This is my numero uno rule with fitness classes—HAVE FUN. If you aren’t having fun, then you probably are not going to come back. I believe between the music, the people next to you, and the possibility that your instructor wore her pants inside out (ok…ok…it was ONE TIME) you’re going to have a great time at fitness class. All of the classes at Fort HealthCare offer a fun factor, and will leave you feeling better than when you came.
6. Motivation.  This one is an important one. If you sign up for a class, you know the other people that signed up (hopefully) had the same thought in mind—they were ready to get moving and to make some changes to their life. I think once you join a class, or bring friends with you to class, you start to not want to disappoint your classmates or the friend that signs up with you. You want to keep attending and it becomes like second nature.

Fitness classes are a great way to get your workout in, and to learn new exercises that you can do on your own. It’s a way to meet new people and to make new friends while getting your sweat on.  We are so fortunate at Fort HealthCare to be able to offer such a variety of classes, and to have such qualified instructors.  Which class(es) are you going to try?!