I'm the Black Widow of Exercise Class

A couple of years back , I joined a local gym.  I had belonged to this gym before but eventually quit because I wasn’t going.  (It was summer and I wanted to be outside)  Plus the gym was one of those 24 hour deals and didn’t offer any classes.  I figured I would run and eat right and be healthy.  And save myself $45/month.  

About a year, or maybe it was 6 months later, I learned the gym was expanding and they were going to be offering classes.  I checked out the list and learned that YOGA and PILATES were going to be taught.  Ohhhh yeah!!  I was so excited and decided that I would rejoin the gym.

So I did.  And I began taking yoga and Pilates classes.  I loved it.  The instructor, “Carol” (changed her name), was perfect for me. She was a relatively new teacher, but did a great job and was really “into it”.  I loved going to classes and felt great.

Then Carol got Lyme’s disease.  She took a month off.  That stunk, but I dealt with it.  I learned she would be returning after about a month and I came back to class.  But when she came back, she didn’t seem “into it”.   Distracted?  Not feeling well?  I couldn’t put my finger on it, but she didn’t seem engaged in her classes.  About a week later, we were told Carol wouldn’t be teaching there any more.  And guess what?  There was no replacement teacher.  Wahhhhhh.  

I eventually found yoga being taught 12 minutes (distance is important) from my house.  It was held at a ballroom dance studio and taught by an older lady (late 50’s?) that was very experienced.  It was usually a small crowd, like 6-8 students, and I loved it.  “Lisa” knew what the heck she was doing and really helped me grown in my yoga practice.  I felt wonderful.  

Summer eventually came and attendance at class started slacking.   I admit, I didn’t make it as often as I liked.  The class then got word that yoga wouldn’t be held for the month for the month of August but would resume in September.  Ok.  I could deal with that.  Running, stretching at home, etc, would fill in the gap.

THEN, we got word at the end of August that the yoga program was cancelled.  WHAT?  Again?  Why did I keep losing my yoga teachers?  In my area it is incredibly difficult to find yoga close by (remember distance is important) in the morning.  (Morning is absolutely necessary because that is when my body wants to exercise plus my nights are jam-packed busy.)  I couldn’t believe this was happening again.  

So next came my exercise hiatus.  This tends to happen every couple of months.  You know, where you make excuses not to exercise.  You eat a bunch of bad stuff. Gain weight.  Get pissed at yourself.  Eat some more and just generally act like an ass.  So after putting on 10 lbs since summer I figured it was time to find some exercise in addition to my (nonexistent) running.  

There is another gym close by my home that just offers classes and personal training.  I checked out the schedule (no yoga...boo) and noticed they offered 9:30 classes every day.  Perfect.  It was also super inexpensive so I agreed to give it a try.  I bought 3 months of unlimited cardio kickboxing and knew I’d pay extra to attend RIPPED classes.

I started going and I was hooked.  I adored my instructor “Sharon”, who had the most ridiculously perfect body and was completely motivating.  Classes were way hard but I went several times/week, knowing I’d be getting into bathing suit shape in the coming months.  In just 1 1/2 months time, I felt myself getting stronger and tightening up.  Awesome.

Then I got a message that Sharon was leaving immediately.  RIPPED would be cancelled in the mornings.  Cardio kickboxing would still be held, but taught by a different instructor.  Bummed was an understatement.  I knew Sharon would still be teaching, but at a gym that was further away.  I really loved going to HER classes. I guess I’m willing to try out different instructors but I’m really sad.  

I think I get attached to people teaching my exercise classes.  I feel like they are helping to make me better and stronger...and I feel in awe of their abilities.  So when these classes go away (3 TIMES now people), I get upset.  I don’t want to have to find anyone else to teach me.  I wanna keep doing what was working.  

So here I am, once again, upset that “I’ve been left” again.  While I know it’s not the instructors faults, I still feel broken up with and like I have to start over.  I know that’s a bit of a dramatic reaction, but it’s going to take a lot for me to not let this trip me up.  I will try different classes and hope that I can stay in my groove.  

And pray that I don’t head down the Tastykake Highway as I mourn my loss.  So far, I’ve kept my head on straight and managed to run and walk the past couple of days.   We’ll see what happens this week.

Back to the drawing board.

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