Body Crushers!

I came back out to Long Island for the weekend so that I could attend Yves and Dana's Body Crushers class at Fusion Fitness. I'm a big fan of these special classes that Yves offers, and I especially like them when they are hosted by Fusion Fitness in Great Neck. Nice people, clean space. My only complaint is that the super shiny floors that are great for dance classes can be treacherous during sweaty kickboxing classes.

Look at those guns.

Body Crushers was a hybrid class that I like to describe as the Girl Talk of Fitness. It's perfect for those of us who are ADHD and get bored easily. We started off with some Zumba, then moved onto kickboxing. Then we did a little dance, followed by sculpting, and then we did more Zumba, and then we ramped up the dance we had learned earlier, and that's when shit got awesome.

When you get lost, just shake.

There's a moment in dance classes where the choreography and my feet seem to just click. My legs just know where they should be and what they need to do next. Unfortunately this does not apply to my arms and it doesn't last once I try to think about it. The picture above was taken before this clicked.

I would never deprive you of an unflattering photo.

After an hour and a half, I was sweaty, lightheaded, and busting out some mildly inappropriate dance moves. I also remembered how to do a pada beret. I have found that sneakers can make dance moves even more awkward and clunky than normal, but I was very pleased with how my K-Swiss Micro Tube 100 fits held up. If you're looking for a trainer that you can use for a variety of activities, these are sick shoes. I wouldn't run in them, but I use them for everything else.

Because it's completely normal to take pictures of your
reflection in shop windows.

If reading about Yves has made you want to learn more or attend one of his classes, you should check out his website: http://www.yvesmaco.com/

Dancer's Delight

I removed my own splint yesterday morning because I couldn't figure out how to take a shower alone with it on and my hair looked greasy. I took a performance art video of me doing this. If you're interested, I guess you could arrange to have it emailed to you.

The weather was beautiful all day yesterday but I was still in a Percocet fog that didn't lift until 10 PM last night. I woke up after 12 today and assessed my life. If I didn't do something active, I was going to start being destructive. I decided a 4 mile run in the rain was a better decision. I couldn't get a momentum going, mostly because I was afraid of falling and I was keeping my right arm glued to my side.

After binge-eating a bag of Skinny Pop (my popcorn addiction is getting ridiculous), I finally opened my birthday presents. Hooray for Day-Glo and leopard print! I picked everything out, but was still excited to have my new C9 gear for Yves' Dancer's Delight class tonight.

Best 90 minutes of ass-kicking dance ever, even with a bum wrist. I got my groove on, especially when we bent over backwards and did some oh-so-classy hip thrusting. I do have to admit that I was embarrassed by my love handles. How did my once-washboard flat abs turn into this jigglethon? Alcohol, that's how. Oh, and day-after hungover Chinese food binges. GROSS. While I had a blast, and finally ditched the tank top to show off my new sassy hot pink C9 compression bra, this was an eyeopener to say the least. Eating disorder Diet starts tomorrow.

So I Think I Can Dance

It's taken me a few years, but I think I have finally developed some rhythm. Today Yves taught a 90 minute Dance Fusion class at Fusion Fitness in Great Neck. Dance Fusion has minimal choreography so its not overwhelming for us non-dancers, but it's still an intense workout. Yves breaks down the movements of each dance, providing ample time to practice each step. I am always amazed by the playlist - how does the same dance performed at different speeds fit so many different songs? How does Yves manage to do this for three different dances each time class? Is it a secret talent? Is there an app for that?

Somehow all the classes I have taken came together today and I managed to actually dance. I adopted my Dance Persona from the very beginning, and successfully executed moves I normally stumble my way through. Perhaps my dream of being a backup dancer in a rap video is closer to coming true than I thought...