Friday, March 20, 2009

FITNESS: The New Craze

On Tuesday night in my Full Body Blast class (which is amazing BTW), the instructor Chris (who only refers to the people in his class as “athletes,” which cracks me up) said something that really stuck with me. He gave Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results and compared it to exercise.

For instance, a person who does the elliptical (which I despise) everyday for 45 minutes, gets off, does 10 dumbbell curls, 10 squats and 2 sets of 50 crunches isn’t getting themselves in any better shape. While they are sustaining and burning calories, the repitiions aren't helping their bodies evolve.

I never do the same workout. Mostly because I’m way too ADD to do the same thing every day, but also because I love trying new things. And, thank god I live in a city where every month there’s a new fitness craze. Enter Bikram, CrossFit and Zumba.

Bikram yoga is practiced in a room heated to 105°F (40.5°C) with a humidity of 40%. Classes are guided by specific dialogue including 26 postures and two breathing exercises. Classes last approximately 90 minutes.



I kid you not when I say you’ll never feel better than the way you feel after Bikram. It tests you’re physical and mental strength, releases all the toxins in your body and is truly a spiritual experience. The only problem is it’s a bit pricy. But, none the less, it’s the perfect thing to do once a week (or every couple weeks) and I recommend it to anyone looking for a workout that rejuvenates them.

CrossFit is the new TAE BO, without Billy Blanks. My sister first told me about it a few months back and of course, I had to try it immediately. She directed me to the CrossFit website: http://www.crossfit.com/, which gives readers and followers daily exercise regimes to follow. Today is a rest day (figures when I write this post it would be), but yesterday’s workout was:

Thursday 090319
Ten rounds for time of:
3 Weighted Pull-ups 45 pounds
5 Strict Pull-ups
7 Kipping Pull-up

Although I haven’t done it daily, there are a few workouts I really like. One in particular is the interval running and squat training. I learned in my college soccer days that interval running is a must. It tests your endurance, boosts your metabolism and brings about the best results. I’ve been doing 20 minutes of 20-second sprint, 5 second rest and it’s definitely hard, but leaves me feeling better than I would after a simple 3 mile jog.

There are also CrossFit studios popping up in big cities. I just found this one in Chicago: http://www.crossfitchicago.com/schedule.php. I’m going to give it a shot and report back at a later date.

Zumba is something offered at my gym (Lincoln Park Athletic Club) that a friend told me about. Zumba fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy to follow moves to create a dynamic fitness program that helps you achieve long term benefits.

1. I love salsa dancing and 2. I love long term benefits so I’m in! The routines feature interval training sessions where fast and slow rhythms and resistance training are combined to tone and sculpt your body while burning fat. I haven’t it tried it yet (because it’s only offered Friday nights at 6:30 WTF?), but Kristin and I are going to give it a shot tonight!

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