The first day of my Jumpstart program began with a steamy, humid bootcamp. I went back and forth, considering whether to cancel or confirm the outdoor class. Although it was wet out after a night of heavy rains, and it was still coming down lightly, I decided to commit to the class. The sky showed a promise of clearing with patches of blue, so we went ahead with our workout.
Only the HARDCORE participants showed up with the drizzle still coming down. So class was small. But mega-sweaty! Thanks mostly to the humidity which was surely at least 100%. It felt like more. I continuously attempted to remember and sing the final song in the movie "School of Rock" which repeated the lyric "HARDCORE" in almost every phrase, although I couldn't remember most of the other words. I hope that my off-key singing was inspiring to my participants. Although perhaps they were just running faster to get further away from me?
When the sun did eventually begin to peak through the clouds, the temperature immediately rose and we all wished for more rain instead. Yet, we persevered. I have to say, I am very proud of our small but determined group for getting that workout done despite the very uncomfortable circumstances.
Because I had another intense workout planned for the early evening, the middle part of the day involved a long nap. You might not think that taking a nap is a great way to jumpstart your fitness, but rest and sleep are just as important as good nutrition and working out. If you don't balance the hard work with enough rest, there is no way your body can repair and become stronger. And this becomes even more crucial as we age. We no longer repair damaged cells at the same brisk pace as when we were young.
Day One ended with an hour of Zumba-style dance aerobics. (I have changed the name of my class to Fit Jam instead of Zumba now.) After class, we jumped into the pool and did a few laps to cool off. If you have a pool, or access to a pool, or any swimmable body of water, I strongly suggest getting in there on a daily basis. Especially if the water is cold, your body will respond by revving up the metabolism and burning more calories. The longer you spend in the water, the better. You can mimic this response by using cold baths, but I guarantee a pool is much more fun.
I hope you are joining me in this 2 week quest to jumpstart your summer fitness. I'd love to hear how you are getting more active!
Only the HARDCORE participants showed up with the drizzle still coming down. So class was small. But mega-sweaty! Thanks mostly to the humidity which was surely at least 100%. It felt like more. I continuously attempted to remember and sing the final song in the movie "School of Rock" which repeated the lyric "HARDCORE" in almost every phrase, although I couldn't remember most of the other words. I hope that my off-key singing was inspiring to my participants. Although perhaps they were just running faster to get further away from me?
When the sun did eventually begin to peak through the clouds, the temperature immediately rose and we all wished for more rain instead. Yet, we persevered. I have to say, I am very proud of our small but determined group for getting that workout done despite the very uncomfortable circumstances.
Because I had another intense workout planned for the early evening, the middle part of the day involved a long nap. You might not think that taking a nap is a great way to jumpstart your fitness, but rest and sleep are just as important as good nutrition and working out. If you don't balance the hard work with enough rest, there is no way your body can repair and become stronger. And this becomes even more crucial as we age. We no longer repair damaged cells at the same brisk pace as when we were young.
Day One ended with an hour of Zumba-style dance aerobics. (I have changed the name of my class to Fit Jam instead of Zumba now.) After class, we jumped into the pool and did a few laps to cool off. If you have a pool, or access to a pool, or any swimmable body of water, I strongly suggest getting in there on a daily basis. Especially if the water is cold, your body will respond by revving up the metabolism and burning more calories. The longer you spend in the water, the better. You can mimic this response by using cold baths, but I guarantee a pool is much more fun.
I hope you are joining me in this 2 week quest to jumpstart your summer fitness. I'd love to hear how you are getting more active!
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