step plus

since my cycle post, i have since tried two more classes. the first one was step this past saturday. it was good.

this morning i got up in time to go to the 9:15am "pilates fusion" class. i called ahead to find out if i needed to bring my own mat. i did. so at 9:10am, i headed out the door, mat in hand. i signed in at the front desk and then went upstairs only to see people setting up steps in the classroom. i stood there for a second and then looked at the schedule by the door only to see that i'd forgotten it wasn't monday. it's tuesday today and there's a 60 min "step plus" class about to begin. so i set down my mat outside the door (i didn't want anyone to see me carrying it) and went in to set up a step.

i was feeling like, "yeah, i've done a step class before...it's all good" but then i saw people getting weights out and those heavy bar things and balls and i thought...what have i gotten myself into? i asked someone what i needed and she was very helpful. then i thought i'd better tell the teacher that i've never done this before so that she doesn't think i'm terrible. she's like, "great. i'm a substitute so no one will be used to my steps and calls." great.

we start and i'm a little near the front and i'm messing up my steps here and there but it's going okay. when we stop to get water, i make a joke to the girl behind me. she's nice. but that's just the warm-up - now the instructor powers down and we're flying all over the place. v-step, v-step turn, repeater knees, up up lunges...it's out of control. i'm getting pretty tired and then the instructor tells us ot get our weights. i'd grabbed 5 lb. weights but man...i should've taken 3lbs. i thought my arms were going to fall off. lunges. squats. lunges. squats.

now something that i hate is that i'm a very red-faced sweater. i used to think it was just because i wasn't used to working out but as it turns out, i just get a very red face. it's a stark contrast to my very white skin from the neck down. you just can't even imagine how red my face gets unless you've worked out with me. i tried to take a photo of it when i got home (because it takes a long time to go away) so i could post it for you but it didn't do the red justice.

well today...? my face was more red then i perhaps have ever seen it. i was sweaty. it was gross.

but finally, 65 minutes later, the class was over. now that i'm home, i'm feeling good that i went. but i'd planned on also doing a cycle class tonight and i'm thinking i'll be skipping that now. give me a couple weeks before i can double up on classes.

then i remembered my pilates mat. shoot.