While I’m home for a visit, I still find time to hit the gym (all the calories found in all the great food here, aren’t going be vanquished on its own). There a lot of classes I like doing, but I had not tried an intense class, until the other day.
My regular class was canceled, because the instructor was ill, so they decided to replace it with a newly introduced class, called Body Shred by Jillian Michaels. If you know Jillian Michaels, you know you’re in for the workout of your life —or death, depends how you want to look at it. As the instructor explained what the class was about, I thought to myself I had at least a few minutes to make a run for it — but, I didn’t, I pay for this gym membership, and I like to get my money’s worth. It is a 30-minute interval workout, that incorporates cardio, strength, and abs. It is very fast and intense. I decided to give it a try and challenge myself.
When I say “intense,” I mean INTENSE. We’re talking about a non-stop workout (you can grab water anytime, but you don’t have much time, so keep this in mind). Obviously, the instructor encourages you to take this at your own pace, and do ‘squats’ if you can’t follow a move, which is good. But as the first 5 minutes went by (they felt like 1 minute), I asked myself what possessed me to stay in the class. I still stayed, I was curious. It felt like it was going faster and faster, and I started to hear grunting (that’s when you know it’s tough). I looked in the mirror in front of me, and somehow everyone was able to keep smiling — I like to think it was because they were in so much pain, their smiles were paralyzed.
It was by the middle of the class, during an abs workout, that my muscles wanted to call it quits. I was so exhausted, I literally crawled to grab a sip of water (more like 20 sips). My body was determined to finish the class (even if it meant losing my courage), but my soul became a prize to be won between the heavens and hell.
I managed to survive, but I lied on the floor like a recently squashed tarantula. My soul was gone, its crying probably open the gates of Hell. But, once the angels saved me and made me snap out of it, I felt like I accomplished one of the most challenging workouts I’ve ever done. I felt really good afterwards, and told myself I would do it again. I do recommend it, you basically do a year worth of workouts in 30 minutes. The first workout will feel like you’d rather throw yourself into a pack of wolves, but I’m telling you, it will feel worthy in the end. I do recommend it!
Oh, and make sure you go to the bathroom before this class. Those tacos you had a few hours before, might make you charge and shoot your classmate behind you.
Of course! The world sort of rules me today!
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This is who I am... 