My daughter has been taking ballet at DanceFIT for many years and when I realized that I could take group classes there as well, I cancelled my gym membership and became a DanceFITTER.
2. As a Virtual Client, how has working out with DanceFIT changed your workout routine?
Jumping into the virtual world has allowed me to have a regular exercise schedule and maintain the feeling of an exercise community without the guilt of sacrificing family time. I know that time for me is important, but it's not really worth it if I feel anxious the whole time about
being away from my family when we have so little time all together. I also don't like working out in the evening now that both of my kids are in school all day. Between that and playing taxi-driver for all of their afternoon activities, the last thing I want to do is have another evening commitment.
With virtual classes, I can work out in the morning, before the kids are up. I wake up, make lunches and coffee and then "chat" with the other virtual clients for a few minutes before class. Then I get to have "me" time and still get the kids off to school and the husband off to work on time. As a bonus, I never have to figure a commuting time into the mix!
To be perfectly honest, I have to admit that I'm an ultra self-conscious person and working out at home has finally allowed me to have the best of both worlds. I get the community of amazing people I really need to motivate and inspire me, and I also get the freedom and comfort of being in my own home and not constantly comparing myself to the others in the class or worrying what they all think of me.
I feel very comfortable with my virtual classmates even though I've actually met very few of them in person. We are all seeing into each others' homes which creates a certain level of intimacy you just don't get in the studio but we're also only seeing a small pic of whatever chaos may be happening all around. Thank goodness for that mute button!
3. What songs on your playlist keep you motivated during a workout?
What playlist? Other than DanceFIT classes, all of my workouts involve either my children, my husband, or both. If you've met my children, you'll understand why I have quite enough to listen to without a playlist.
4. What is your favorite DanceFIT class and why?
I don't really have a favorite class. I love all of the ballet-inspired classes. Ballet is such a beautiful and structured art and even the simplest move always has room for adjustment and improvement. You can break a sweat just by trying to perfect one pose, without moving at all. The morning stretch class is a complete
luxury and I wish I could take it everyday. I love the Pilates classes because they are so gentle but they work your body so hard. CountryFIT Yoga was my first ever experience with yoga and, after one class, I stopped wondering how yoga could possibly be called a workout. And Zumba-well that's the most fun I've ever had working out. I really miss those classes but my schedule just doesn't work for them these days. This about sums up my Zumba love:
5. Tell our readers what your favorite go-to pre-workout snack is!
Since I'm a morning class person, I almost never eat before I workout. I do love to have an apple and peanut butter or sun butter right after class though.
6. What is your best piece of fitness advice or inspiration?
I feel like I'm not the best person to be giving fitness advice but I can say what rings true for me is that everything has to happen in balance. I think we all struggle with balance. If I eat too much, I gain weight. If I eat too little, I also gain weight. If I work out too much, I risk injury or burnout or end up sacrificing family or rest time. If I don't exercise enough, I feel sluggish and I don't eat well because I turn to comfort foods and caffeine and sugar, triggering that whole cycle.
Beyond that, I have had to learn to let go of things. If I eat poorly, I feel awful and adding guilt to that just makes it worse. I used to tell myself that every day is a new day, but that meant if I had junk in the morning, I let myself wallow all day and eat more junk because that day was a loss and I would start fresh in the morning (or after the weekend, or next week, etc). These days I really try to start over before the downhill momentum can gain speed. I wrote a blog post about this last year during 6FIT: http://gethealthybyforty.blogspot.com/2012/04/inertia-isaac-newton-was-on-to.html
7. What is your FIT fashion? What do you usually wear for workouts?
Fashion is definitely not my thing-another reason I love virtual classes. I like inexpensive, comfortable capris, and tank tops but beyond that, it's really about what's (relatively) clean, supportive and on top of the pile. I'm usually dressing in the dark so it's a good thing my fellow Skype-ers can't see me really well!
8. What do you tell your friends and family when they ask about why you love DanceFIT so much?
What's not to love? Being healthy and modeling healthy habits are so important to me as a parent. My kids see me laughing and having so much fun during class, even when I'm sweating bullets and cursing the torture. They get to know many of my classmates and they see a group of families that all strive to eat well and take care of their bodies. Caring about what we eat and knowing that we are strong and capable are just what we do. It's part of our lives and not just something we pay attention to once in a while or on special occasions. We're all different shapes and sizes and colors and no ones talking about being "skinny" or "superfit." We're all just doing what we need to do to stay strong and healthy. That's what I want for my children and that's what DanceFIT has helped me to create in my life.
Thank you for letting us feature you this week, Mari-Chris! We are honored to have you and your family in our DanceFIT community!
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