Note from Audra: Click here for the UFC Gym Class Schedule…I dare you to join Beth for a class!
Written by Guest Columnist Beth Dubsky
I saw a T shirt the other day that said, “buck furpees“, and I came this – close to buying it . I hate, hate, hate burpees. Hate them. But there is something about being in a group of people who also hate burpees, but have to do them, that makes it a tiny bit more tolerable. That, and I don’t want to be the one who can’t do them.
I think that is one of the reasons why I love taking classes. There is a kind of competitive air. Who wants to be the one who can’t hold a squat for 30 seconds? Not me! Plank for a minute? Yes, please! I like picking out one person in the class who I think I can do better than, and secretly competing with them. They may not know, but I do. It is even better if the person is younger than me, (which isn’t hard to do). My daughters, 20 & 18, would often come with me to classes during the summer, and I loved hearing the coach tease them, “how does it feel to get beat by your mother?”. (That doesn’t sound right, but you know what I mean. Don’t worry. I do not beat my children.) That definitely made me work harder. My kids also pushed me to try different classes. They like the boxing and kickboxing conditioning classes. I was super reluctant to try those because they seemed to be more intense than I like. Also, those gloves! What if you have an itch on your nose? And how do you pick up your water bottle? Or run to the bathroom?! Seemed kind of inconvenient. But, I made a deal with them, “I will do boxing with you, but you have to do yoga with me”. I LOVE yoga. Turns out, I kind of like boxing, too. I couldn’t lift my arms for a couple of days after, but it was fun. (And you CAN pick up your water bottle with the gloves on. I had to use my teeth to open the top, but, whatever.) You can take out a lot of aggression in that class. But yoga is not for sissies! You may not be punching anything, but you know it is a workout when you hear the big, fit guys in the class grunting as if they were lifting 300 pounds of weight. (I secretly compete with those guys.) Sometimes I choose a class based on how I am feeling that day. If I feel like I need to stretch and strengthen…yoga. Strengthen and burn a bunch of calories…Daily Ultimate Training. Beat something, (not my children),…boxing, which also torches a bunch of calories. And sometimes I choose a class based on who the coach is, *cough* Jose *cough*, or who I think will also be taking the class, (someone I can beat). And sometimes it is simply a matter of what fits into my schedule. I like having a variety of choices, but at the same time, I like having a routine…Friday night DUT, Saturday morning yoga. I know who will be there. And if I can drag along a buddy, (Audra), even better. Come to think of it, I haven’t been to yoga in a while. I think I will go this Saturday morning. Beat some big guys. (You know what I mean.)
Great review, Beth! You’re a funny writer.