Cardio Sculpt: The Morning After

Last night I tried my 4th new class at the gym: Cardio Sculpt with Cleo.

I'm getting more comfortable and creating more of a routine with this whole gym thing; I remembered to bring a water, I realized that there are lockers in the corner of the room (I'd been keeping my bag and sweatshirt on the workout floor, thankfully no one tripped on them), and I'm more social with the people in class.

Cardio Sculpt seemed to involve a lot of upper body work, but that could just be because that's my weakest area so I noticed more. (It's like my muscles get less toned as your move up my body.) So while it did feel like my arms may fall off in the middle of our 80 push-ups, I made it through.

Today my chest and back are sore, but (so far) that's it! Must be getting the hang of this whole "fitness" thing. That's not to say that my chest and back won't be racked with stiffness and discomfort tomorrow, but I'll worry about that when it happens.

Cardio sculpt wasn't all that different from Bootcamp, not that I can see anyway. They both combine a cardio warm-up with muscle toning exercises in the middle and a cool-down. The music was high energy at both classes, which really helps to keep me motivated. Cardio sculpt was more crowded last night, but I'll attribute that to the fact that Christmas is over and everyone has more time on their hands. It definitely wasn't a New Year's Resolution crowd as I seemed to be the only one who didn't know what she was doing at points.

When comparing Cardio Sculpt to the Bootcamp class I took, the two instructors are the main difference. Cleo's more maternal and Nia, of Bootcamp, is more of the hardcore trainer type you might see on The Biggest Loser. It's just a matter of who I respond to better. Cleo is quicker to say you can stop if you can't handle it, so I felt less compelled to push myself, but she's a good back-up to Nia who I obviously prefer.

I'm still avoiding the main gym like a hornet's nest. I had to go in last night before class because my card wasn't registering and my glasses fogged up the minute I entered and I just felt like people were looking at me (perhaps my stellar gym outfit of my burnt orange bar softball t-shirt, black cotton shorts and black leggings had something to do with it) and I wanted to exit ASAP.

My goal is to continue taking classes so that I'm toned and healthy at my cousin's wedding in May. If I keep going at this rate I should be right where I want to be.