Over the past few months, I’ve made some changes as far as my fitness goes. I’ve tried so many new things that it’s been a lot to follow. This post is a documentation of what I tried, why I tried it, and where I am now!
When I lived in Syracuse, I didn’t venture outside of my fitness bubble much. As soon as I set foot in Urban Life in July of 2014, I didn’t try much else. There were a few reasons for this:
- I LOVED going there every day–the coaches and members were like family to me and I never wanted to miss a workout there! (I could honestly say a million amazing things about my time there and all that it brought me as far as personal growth, connections, knowledge, and athleticism, but that could be its own post.)
- I was suuuper into CrossFit and wanted to be good at it, and trying non-CrossFit classes didn’t seem to align with that goal.
- There weren’t a ton of options in Syracuse. Sure, there are gyms, but the city is not exactly a hotbed for innovative fitness companies.
When I got to Charlotte in July 2018, all of these things kinda went out the window. I was entering a transition period where I wanted to try new things, and that trickled into my fitness journey. I was questioning if CrossFit was still the best thing for me (even though I was really enjoying my membership at CrossFit Dilworth). I was presented with a LOT more opportunities for fitness classes, and I was seeking new connections. All of this lead to the perfect storm of me branching out and trying new things with my fitness.
In October 2018, I decided to take a break from CrossFit and try a Mind Pump program, so I got a YMCA membership and purchased MAPS Strong, a 3-month lifting program. I quickly realized that I missed the energy of group classes, but I stuck it out for the full 3 months for the sake of finishing out my investment and building my metabolism. The program had fun, interesting and effective lists, and I learned a lot by doing it, but going to a gym and just lifting is not for me.
When it was over, I decided I wanted to get back into group exercise and try a variety of fitness classes. So many gyms offer a free trial (one day, a week, X number of classes) or a deeply discounted first month. I’ll save my in-depth analysis of each class/gym for another day, but I tried:
- Burn Boot Camp
- Yoga One (Central) – deep stretch, power beats, and power flow
- bloc
- F45
- CrossFit ATP
- Crown Town Athletics
- and got a SweatNet membership (for $10/month, I can get discounted drop-ins at SO many local gyms, as well as discounts at coffee shops, healthy restaurants, and more!)
I had a great experience at each gym I tried, but I missed having a home base. I don’t love the feeling of not having a gym membership. I like to have a plan in place as far as my workouts go, and just bouncing around didn’t feel quite right to me, so I started thinking about what gym I wanted to spend most of my time at so I could get a membership again.
As soon as I dropped into a CrossFit gym I knew I was ready to come back. Doing CrossFit makes me feel like an athlete. The movements require a lot of skill, the environment is high energy and competitive, and the Open was calling my name.
So as of February 2019, I am participating in the CrossFit open and back to being a member at CrossFit Dilworth! I plan on doing CrossFit at least 4x/week, but I also plan to continue trying other fitness classes. I really enjoyed Yoga One, F45 and Crown Town Athletics so I will continue dropping in at each of those from time to time. I also plan on trying:
- CycleBar
- Gold’s Gym classes
- Orangetheory
- Barry’s Bootcamp (when that comes to town!!)
- Tread Happy
- Stax
- and more!!
When’s the last time you tried something new with your fitness? And if you’re in CLT, tell me: what else should I have on this list to try?