OK, so it's the first day of Trim and Fit and I've arrived ready to exercise and a little late. I get in line last, waiting for the first session with the instructor, Paul, who had just finished measuring the hip and waist circumference, flexibility and weights of class members who had arrived early. I soon discover that some participants are like me, brand new to Trim and Fit, while others have been enrolled previously. While we wait, those with the most experience, are giving the newbies advice - "be prepared to hurt," one says, "but you will be amazed at the results."
Rather than finishing the measurements of the late arrivals, the instructor signals the group to quickly follow him down a set of stairs and into a combined basketball court/weight training room. Items line the gym walls, laid out on the wood floor. We're told to start exercising immediately and to circulate through the different "stations." (In my field of education, we would call these "learning centers.") There are 2-3 floor mats for push-ups and sit ups, several small weighted balls and bars are laid out on the floor along the gym wall. As the large group begins filing down the stairs and into the gym, several large colorful bouncy balls roll out of a big closet and are placed along the gym walls by the instructor.
Paul begins demonstrating the movements required for each station. Some are directed to do sit-up movements while sitting on the large balls with toes braced against the wall. Others are directed to do sit-ups AND push-ups on mats, 15 each. Some are to throw the small weighted balls at a targeted height on the gym wall, again 15 times. Some are to lift the weighted bar from the ground to waist 15 times. Others are instructed to do 15 "squats," a move where you "first sit in the air and then stand straight up." As Paul demonstrates the proper form, some are instructed to take two trips up and down the stair case. (Seeing the stair exercise elicits a loud groan out of me. I have avoided stairs the last 15 years.) We rotate or circulate through the exercises at our own pace. Some waiting for others. I am either a slow learner, or a perfectionist, because I seem to need multiple demonstrations of the exact movement or form required at each station. I feel quite comfortable asking anyone around me for help, including the instructor.
I begin at the first station thinking that I can at least "catch my breath" when moving from one station to the next. Not true, Paul moves us rapidly through each "break." I finally have circulated to the mats/push-up and sit-up station and blurt out adamantly "There is NO WAY that I can sit or get down on that mat. It will hurt my knees!" A more experienced participant shouts "You will be sitting down and standing up on that mat before the end of class!" Meanwhile, Paul has already pointed out alternative movements simulating sit-ups and push-ups and I am on to the next station with sweat dripping down my face and eyes, and a soaked t-shirt. I check the clock to gauge if I can make it through the 45 minute period. Yes, if I ignore the pain, I can just make it. Even before I start the long huffing and puffing climb up the stairs, I'm pooped, exhausted, worn out, beat, dog-tired. (Honestly, I may as well use all the synonyms for dead-tired.)
We finish two rounds of "stations" and head back up the stairs to the "cardiac" room for another 10-15 minutes of cardiovascular workout on bicycles. (We're all on different machines. I'm on one that is "easy on the knees.") I soon realize that no matter what, I can't avoid exercise, but that Paul seems to be OK with adjusting or adapting to the comfort level of each participant. I've decided to be patient with myself, after all, this is a whole new language, and I am carrying around a lot of weight! As I finish the "cardio" part of the workout and stumble down the hall to the 30-minute Nutrition Class, I think to myself "Next time, I'm taking Ibuprofen 15 minutes before the workout starts!"
P.S. To show my fitness ignorance, I didn't know that this was considered a "circuit" until the three-month class was over. And it took me nearly four months to figure out that the "instructor," Paul was also considered a "fitness" or "health" trainer, and that you utilize the skills of a "trainer" much like that of a "doctor." Obviously I still have a lot to learn! (The exercise assessment is not included in this description.)
Submitted on Saturday, September 5, 2010.
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