Variety is the spice of life

When it comes to working out and actually life in general, I love to try new things. And sometimes I end up dragging my friends along. But to be honest they are always great sports and don't need much prodding. Love them for that!!!

As a cyclist and swimmer, you tend to do everything in one plane. It's always good to wake up those muscles you don't necessarily use and incorporate some lateral movements. Last week I had a girls night out to try one of the newest types of workouts. It's called Lagree Fitness. I thought it looked interesting as I've done Pilates for years. Sebastien Lagree has taken the traditional Pilates workout on the reformer and transformed it into a unique exercise experience. It fuses the elements of core, strength, cardio/circuit and stretching into each of the movements. I called it a chihuahua workout because your whole body shook as your muscles were taken to total fatigue. It was a feeling I've never experienced before...that night and for three days afterwards...yes I was sore!! But a good sore. Right?

Check out one of the local studios in Highland Park, IL that offers this workout - The Studio. It is nice because it is a full body workout that's low impact. As we all get older, low impact is nice to have. The studio is far from my house and expensive, so not sure I'd go back. But if they open one closer, I'd definitely reconsider. Lagree is taught all over the world, even in Hong Kong where one of my friends is living and enjoys this workout.

Another great workout I've found is at Title Boxing. It's an hour cardio class that works your whole body....core, legs, chest, arms and that lateral movement I so need. This is the second year I've been a member at Title. I start about October and then put my membership on hold in April or May. It is a franchise so that if you travel, you can go to any club in the US.

Pole dancing was another workout we tried a few years back. I have to say, it was fun to do once but I have no need to do it again. It was an amazing workout and you really had to be strong. I just kept getting bruises on my thighs from the pole. But it was definitely good for some great laughs while getting a good workout.

Finally, another time we tried aerial yoga. This I wasn't too enthralled with. I found many of the positions painful as the yoga silks would dig into your hip bones. Even the instructor said it is painful but you get used to it. Some of my friends even got motion sickness from swinging upside down. My favorite move was at the end when you cocooned yourself in the silks like a hammock and took a 5 minute nap. All in all it was fun to try.

So get yourself out of the same old workout rut, grab a friend and try something totally new. It will wake up your muscles that have been laying dormant and "shock" your system. This is also a great way to lose weight. As your body gets used to the same old workout day after day, it learns to adjust. But throwing something new into the mix "shocks" the body and can triggers weight loss.

Share with me what you've done to bring variety to your workouts.

Enjoy the ride,
Sheri