Our contributor’s journey to look good naked…
Even though I’ve been hearing about the benefits of exercise since elementary school P.E. class, I’ve only ever worked out for one reason: to look good naked. Not even to look good in clothes, because as a fashion writer, I’m well-versed in things that hide my fat: namely, bias cuts, shirt dresses and Spanx.
Needless to say, this hasn’t encouraged a dedication to fitness. Another thing that hasn’t helped: I can lose weight pretty easily just by eating well. If I ever need to drop a few pounds, I just sub salad for pasta for a bit, and it usually does the trick. When the pasta comes back, so do the pounds. It’s not exactly yo-yo dieting, but it certainly feels like a variation of it. Unsurprisingly, the same is true about my workout habits: I binge on hot yoga by going to class everyday for a month, and then I promptly forget about it for another two.
This inconsistent behavior has plagued my life for nearly a decade, but I’m determined to change it, because a long time ago, I read in some women’s magazine that, whatever good habits you want for life, you’ll need to master by the time you’re 30. I’m 27, so that gives me three years to work on it, which I started this month by signing up for the FlyBarre Challenge.
FlyBarre is a body sculpting class from the folks at FlyWheel, the stadium cycling class that’s like spinning on steroids. The classes, which burn about 600-800 calories, have been embraced by celebrities such as Jessica Alba and regular fitness fans alike. FlyBarre is more focused on toning, and the Challenge offers a 6-week program of 4 classes each week. Participants get weekly measurements, nutrition sessions and intensives, designed to help Challengers learn more about the exercises related to a particular body part, such as arms or thighs.
I’d only taken one FlyBarre class before the Challenge started on Sept. 16, and it was painfully obviously all last week as I struggled to get through my four classes.
In my second class of the week, I was so sore from the previous day’s workout that I could barely complete the exercises. I felt embarrassed, but the instructors will tell you this is normal—newbies can expect to struggle for the first two weeks before things ease up.
Which they did by class four last Friday. I still can’t make it through the full class—at least in proper form—but I can honestly say it’s getting easier as I go. I’ll be blogging about my experience here for the next five weeks and hope you’ll stay tuned. Encouragement, advice and constructive criticism are all welcome. And if you have any questions for the FlyBarre instructors, please leave them in the comments!