Charlene's fitness blog

Well, Fighting fit at Highgrove was very similar to Boxercise at Queensmead - except for the fact that it was in a studio and not a school sports hall and there were a lot less people in the class.

I did notice though, that both the classes are about working different muscle groups and there's not much room to concentrate on technique.

Well, Fighting fit at Highgrove was very similar to Boxercise at Queensmead - except for the fact that it was in a studio and not a school sports hall and there were a lot less people in the class.

I did notice though, that both the classes are about working different muscle groups and there's not much room to concentrate on technique.

Well, Classical yoga at Queensmead on Saturday was a very different experience to the whole range of other classes I have tried out so far. That's probably stating the obvious, but, in a way I was glad to being doing exercise that didn't involve getting out of breath.

It was everything I expected it to be - apart from the fact that there were only six people there! I thought it would be absolutely rammed. I was under the impression everyone was into yoga nowadays.

It was a much nicer experience being in a small group though, because the instructor gave everyone individual attention. As soon as I walked in she asked me my name and asked why I was trying out yoga, and she seemed to know about everyone else's body problems.

When I booked the class, however, I forgot that yoga was all about the breathing. I just remembered it being about flexibility.

The breathing thing was very different to me, which is quite amusing because that's the one thing you'd expect human beings to be able to do without needing advise.

At one point I felt like I was going to faint because we were doing an exercise where you had to breath in and out as fast as you could for about a minute - I think.

The instructor did say that you get better at it with practice though, which made me feel a bit better about the slow pace I was going at.

We had to twist our bodies into lots of awkward positions and stretch our muscles a lot, so I know if I keep it up I will be a lot more supple in a fairly short amount of time.

We also did a breathing exercise that is meant to cure everything, from depression to migraines. It involved breathing in through one nostril and then breathing out through the other. I must admit, I wasn't completely convinced.

It was quite a relaxing experience, so when I'm not in the mood to kick and punch things I think I'll definitely go back.

My next challenge (almost coming to the end now) is Fighting fit at Highgrove.

When I booked the boxercise class at Queensmead I expected it to be like the energy kick and cardio kick classes - basically sparring without actually hitting anything.

But, I was gladly proved wrong. When I saw a circuit laid out with a number of different stations with pads to kick and punch I got quite excited. I think that's a definite sign that I need to go back to martial arts.

Boxercise was, without a doubt, the busiest class I've been too yet. All the other classes I've been to at Queensmead only take up half the sports hall, but in this one we needed the whole of it. There must have been about 50 people, men and women, young and old, and fit and not so fit. I think I still fall into the latter. I don't seem to be getting any fitter from these classes, which is a disappointment, but, maybe I just need to do more than one a week.

So after quite a strenuous warm up of running around the hall for a long time, we did a few stretches and got straight into the 18-station circuit.

In this class you do everything in pairs so I was quite glad when a friendly woman, who I later learned was called Christina, said I could be her partner.

We started off at a punching station, but with only one minute on each station (swapping over after 30 seconds) it really wasn't enough to really get into it. It was all a bit haphazard actually, but, I suppose that was the point.

After every few stations we had to do a group exercise like star jumps and running. That made the whole thing 10 times harder.

After completing the circuit, which also consisted of press ups, sit ups, running, skipping, weight lifting etc. we had to run around the hall again before finishing off with a bit of stretching.

Again, it was another very challenging class and it really did make me realise that I need to go back to martial arts. However, if I can't find a good club to go to by the time I have tried out all the fitness classes at the two gyms, I think I might go back to boxercise again.

My next challenge will be Total toning at Highgrove.

I haven't been to a fitness class now for two weeks, but I think I still managed to pick the hardest one out of the lot.

Circuit training at Queensmead was an absolute killer. The class was the busiest one I've seen yet and half the people there were men, and not just any old men, they were fit looking men. So, I just resigned myself to the fact it would be hard.

The instructor was also a man and when he jokingly said the class was easy I knew he really was joking.

After a short warm up, consisting of a few stretches and bit of running and jumping around, we got straight into it.

There were 10 stations to the circuit and four people to each station. I was the youngest person in my group, so it was shameful when I realised I wasn't as fit as the other three. Embarrassing! As the class progressed I started to look around at everyone else and it hit me that I was probably one of the most unfit people out of everyone there!

We did a minute on each station, working all the muscle groups, and on some of the stations I actually had to stop because I physically couldn't do any more reps. My shoulders were killing me by the end of the class.

After finishing the 10 stations we then had to go round again doing different exercises. I couldn't believe it and I'm surprised I managed to complete it - just!

At one point the instructor even came over to tell me I wasn't working hard enough. I don't think I could possibly have worked any harder.

By the end of the second round I was wondering if the hour long class was really an hour. If felt at least an hour and a half. Definitely the longest exercise hour of my life!

We then did a quick cool down and we were finished. At last.

It was a really challenging class, but I don't really find circuits that fun, especially if we were going to do the same thing every week, so I'm not sure if I would pick this class to go back to.

However, I would recommend it to anyone who has the will power not give up - no matter how tired you are.

My next challenge is Boxercise at Queensmead.

WHEN I booked the Energy kick class at Queensmead I had a feeling it might be similar to the Cardio kick class I did at Highgrove two weeks ago. Therefore, I was a little bit nervous.

I had a look at the other people waiting for the class to start, and they didn't look overly fit so I assumed the class wouldn't be that hard. However, that was before the really fit people started to arrive.

When there is men in the class it usually means it's going to be quite a tough one, and when the instructor turned out to be a man, I knew I was in for a strenuous hour.

Thankfully, the warm up was quite calm, unlike the warm up in the Cardio kick class.

There was no circuit workout like in Cardio kick but the exercises almost killed me because we worked out for about 30 minutes, with no break. It involved a lot of kicking and punching, and it was done at quite a fast pace. I felt shattered, but everyone around me seemed to be doing okay, so I thought I should at least try and persevere with it.

We then got the mats out and did exercises on the floor. They were mainly toning exercises for the legs and stomach. They were just as hard, but at least I got to lie down.

Like the warm up, we did a long cool down. The only bit I didn't like about this was when he told is to try and do the splits. I have never been able to do the splits, but I felt quite embarrassed that the male instructor could do them but I couldn't.

I really enjoyed the class because it was very challenging and I would definitely go back.
Surprisingly tough, I wasn't aching the next day or the day after that. I must be getting used to the exercise.

I am on holiday next week so I will upload my next blog on April 10.

I was a little apprehensive about Aqua fit. I have never done anything like it before and I imagined the class would be full of old women, so I decided to bring an experienced friend along to show me the ropes.

When I was little I used to hate swimming. I remember my mum driving me to my swimming lessons at Merchant Taylors' School in Northwood and I think I used to cry the whole way there and begged her to take me home.

I have got over that fear now, but whenever I walk into public swimming pools it seems to come rushing back, so when I walked into the Highgrove pool I did start to feel a little nervous. I think it's that overpowering smell of chlorine.

I'm so glad I had someone with me!

We spotted a group of women sitting on the side of the pool and after checking we were in the right place we sat down and waited. Oh, I forgot to mention, I also hate swimming costumes. The only time I ever go swimming is on holidays and I always wear bikinis. Therefore, I had to borrow one of my mum's costumes that, by the looks of it, was bought back in the dark ages. Great start eh?

The instructor came along and a group of about 15 women all piled in to the shallow end of the pool. We did quite a few exercises to warm up. You forget just how hard it is to do perfectly normal and easy exercises in water. Firstly, it's hard to stand still because of all the waves everyone else is making and, secondly, because the water is pushing against you, you feel about three times your actual weight.

We then got given underwater dumbbells. This made the exercises even harder because we had to push against the water with a bigger surface area, continuously. It killed my triceps.

After a few exercises with those, we were given those foam tubes that help you float. We used them to do similar exercises to the first part of the class, and then finally some stretching off.

The class was only 45 minutes so I wouldn't say it was hard work. My triceps and quadriceps did take a bit of a beating though, but I can safely say I wasn't aching the next day.

It was a very fun class, full of laughs, and my friend seemed to enjoy it. However, I doubt I will go back because it's just not really challenging enough for me and I don't think I got that much out of it. It also means I don't have to wear a swimming costume again!

My next challenge is Energy kick at Queensmead.

When I picked Cardio kick for my next blog I just assumed it would be like all the other classes I have done: fun but not too challenging.

I was wrong!

I decided to drag my mum along to this class with me, again reassuring her that it wouldn't be hard. Ooops.

When we entered the studio people had already started to set up the equipment and it looked very much like a circuit......and circuits usually mean hard work.

The instructor noticed there were a few new people in the class so she told us the warm up was quite hard, but we could take it at our own pace. I just shrugged it off not really expecting it to be hard.

We started with some 'knees up' exercises and my legs felt like they were made of lead straight away - not a good sign. We then started to do a lot of punching and kicking while bouncing around. It was one of the longest and hardest warm ups I have ever done. I wondered if it was every going to end. I stupidly didn't put my hair up as well, so that made it even worse because it was clinging to my face.

My mum didn't seem to be enjoying it much either and I did feel a bit guilty for dragging her along. She's not as fit as she used to be.

We then moved on to the 10 station circuit in groups of three. This was easier than the warm up because even though you had to do two minutes on each station, you could take it at your own pace. It was a mixture of weight lifting, sit ups, step exercises, skipping, lunges, press ups and running.
I tried to push myself as much as I could but I did give up on some stations because my muscles just couldn't take it anymore.

With 15 minutes of the class still left I was a bit nervous about what we would be doing next. We started jumping around and punching again. My calves were killing me and I just couldn't do it. I felt so unfit and most people in the class were older than me!

After a bit of stretching to cool down it was finally the end of the class. It was one of the longest hours of my life. However, it was definitely closer to what I was used to doing in kickboxing classes than the other classes I have done so far.

My mum said she wouldn't go back again but I definitely would. I like a bit of a challenge. My whole body was still aching three days later though.

My next challenge is Aqua fit at Highgrove.

It's already been three days since the Step class and my calves are still aching. I didn't realise how much until I was walking up the stairs to the second floor of Highgrove gym for the Stretch and tone class.

I had a bit too much to drink the night before as well so I wasn't feeling 100 per cent and I was yawning a lot as I was standing around in the studio waiting for the class to start. I had only just got back from court (as a journalist, not a defendant) an hour earlier as well, so it had been quite a long day.

It was the same instructor as the Aerobics class and it started off very similar with a few basic moves to get our muscles warmed up. I was convinced it was actually going to be exactly the same as the Aerobics class.

However, after the warm up things started to change. It really was a Stretch and tone class. Not once was I warn out but my muscles certainly were feeling the strain.

This time we had hand weights and rubber bands, like before, but we also had these small rubbery balls that I had never seen before. They were kind of like mini medicine balls.

After a lot of stretching with the rubber bands my arms were killing me. I almost felt myself giving up at one point.

Then the instructor told us to partner up! I didn't know anyone in the class so I just went with the person closest to me. I wasn't sure about partner work. It was a bit embarrassing really. We had to hold hands a lot and it's not very nice when you're both a bit sweaty. It was quite fun though and it did get everyone laughing. Not too sure I would want to do it again though. My partner, who obviously attends the class on a regular basis, said the instructor had never told them to partner up before, so it might have been a one off.

Then it came to the sit-ups, and we did a lot of those. My neck started aching more than my abdominal muscles.

After a few stretches to warm down it was the end of the class. It is now the day after the class and my legs are aching a bit, but not massively.

The class definitely does what it says on the tin.

My next challenge is Cardio kick at Highgrove.

So, it's the morning after the Step class at Highgrove and I'm shattered. I had a really big lunch yesterday as well so I was shattered even before I got to the class. I probably wouldn't have gone if it wasn't for this blog and the fact I had already paid for the class.

For some reason I thought the class would be similar to the Legs, bums and tums and Aerobics class. It never actually occurred to me that it would be based around an actual step. Why I thought that I do not know.

As I was setting up my step (I used two rather than one because I obviously thought I could take it) the instructor came over to me and asked if I had ever been to the class before. I of course said I hadn't and when I said I had never even been to any sort of step class before she looked quite shocked. She told me the class was in week six out of eight and so it was quite advanced. My heart sank. She then took my extra step off of me. Embarrassing!

As I have said in a previous blog, I am not very good at choreographed dances - especially the advanced type.

However, reassuringly, she told me to go at my own pace and not to worry about what everyone else was doing. She also said no one else would be looking at what I was doing. I didn't believe that though.

We started off with some basic steps on and off the step and also on the floor, and I found this confusing enough. I had a huge mirror in front of me but I tried not to look in it because I didn't want to look at myself making a fool of myself - I left that up to everyone else.

After a little bit of stretching we really started to get into the swing of things. We started with one move and carried on adding another until there was a long sequence of moves.

I managed to get the hang of it (a bit) towards the end but there were still a few moves I just couldn't get. Considering I started in week six, rather than week one like any other normal person would do, I think I did okay.

It was really quite fun actually and I did work up a bit of a sweat. My calves were killing me for two days after the class. I'd definitely consider going back, even if it was just to better my coordination.

It was also the first fitness class I had seen two men in. Amazing.

My next challenge is Stretch and tone at Highgrove.