My first jazz (hands) class!

I just took a beginners jazz class in the same studio where SYTYCD (Canada) rehearses. And I liked it.

I'm normally not experimental when it comes to working out. I stick to what I know and what works - mostly because I'm very, very uncoordinated. But tonight my friend asked me to come along to her commercial jazz class, and now I'm bloody exhausted! It was so much fun.

The class is run by Lindsay Ritter. We started off with a fairly intense although seemingly simple warm up of stretching and control exercises that left me red in the face (both from slight embarrassment at my awful flexibility and exhaustion). We then did some runs of pirouettes (HARD) and kicks. It ended with some really fun dance combos that required a bit of booty shaking (something I enjoy ironically as I have no butt).

After just on hour, I can barely walk. My hamstrings are WAY more worked than from last week's hamstring curl exercises. At only $10 a drop-in, I think I may go back. Moral of the story: step outside your comfort zone every now and then! You won't be sorry.

Cardio question

For any of you out there reading this at any point (your answer is always relevant): how much cardio do you do a day/week? What type of cardio do you do, how long do you do it and how hard do you go? What is your goal -- fat burning or cardio training?

Don't forget to stop and smell the dream roses

Well, I last posted asking about motivation because I was lacking some. I'm happy to say that there has been a nice turnaround. I know my little mantra in the left sidebar mentions not over-obsessing about working out, but it's hard not to! Forget calorie counting; I'm talking about overworking yourself because it's just so darn fun.

I personally prefer to weight lift and do some light cardio after each lifting session. On my off days, I would love to pop into the gym even for just 30-40 mins of ellyptical work. Really, how could doing a bit of cardio every day harm you?

The simple fact is we need rest to recover. We need rest to build muscle. We need rest to be mentally healthy and alert enough to push ourselves just as hard the next time -- especially when we lift weights. Just like with not getting enough calories, not getting enough rest can seriously dampen your results.

I have yet to lose an inch or even a pound, though I can feel myself getting stronger, and I'm already itching to go back to the gym next time. I imagine those of you noticing the benefits have a case of workout addiction much greater than my own.

Just remember... it's not cheating to take a day off. It's not cheating to take two days off. Don't even think about how much you're working out in terms of days. Think of it in weeks or months. Just remember that you're pushing yourself hard every time, and then enjoy the recovery period. Proper sleep = greater improvement. I'm down.