Gym Group Classes

The past 12 days I have not been on a Home DVD program; instead, I have been doing something quite different — I went to the gym. I know that I have posted before about the benefits of a home gym, and I still love my home gym, but I was ready to try going back to the club again to add some variety to my routine.

Last summer, when my baby girl was still a newborn and I still in my postpartum month, my husband and I joined the Bay-O-Vista Swim & Tennis Club. They had a smaller gym area, but we joined because they had a wonderful pool and child care during their class times for $1 an hour. It was a place that fit our family lifestyle and it was a nice place. My son Roger loved the kid pool and my husband enjoyed taking him every weekend. We even hosted Roger’s 2nd birthday party there.

I went once when Jane was 2 months old, another time when she was 6 months old, then I didn’t go back until two weeks ago when Jane is 10 months old. At 2 months, I had a hard time leaving my baby. I would be swimming and yet I would be able to hear her cry. It is amazing how a mother’s ears can pick up the cries of her baby even under water. Hearing her cry made me lactate and I would lose my ability to concentrate on my exercise. So I stayed away from exercising for a few months. At 6 months old, I tried going back. This time, Jane’s separation anxiety kicked in pretty fiercely — she was so upset about being away from me she had a diaper blow out and so they had to call me in to take care of her. This experience made me stay away for a few more months, but I found ways to exercise this time around. The past 3 months I have been doing lots of strolling and the home gym  pretty well but I also wanted to try going back again. Since Jane and Roger has been getting along better now, my husband and I would all go to the gym together. The two kids would be in the club child care together. We did this a few time and it worked out very well. Roger was already comfortable and has fun at the childcare area with the trains and dinosaur toys available there and he knows to happily wave goodbye. While Jane was not so happy to be separated with me, since her brother was there she calmed down pretty quickly and was able to stay for a whole hour without much problem. Then I took her back just by herself without her brother while he was at the preschool, and while she did cry when I left, it apparently did not last for long and she did quite well according to the moms who worked in the child care room.

Being able to go back to the gym has allowed me to explore the classes as well as use the treadmill. I started running again with the goal of participating in a 5K. I took classes like cardio circuit, weight works, Pilates, Zumba, Step & Sculpt, and Yoga! Each of the class kicked my ass in a different way and made me sore (in a good way). I was able to get a little more social interaction, which is always a good thing. I met women like me, who had their kids in the child care room while they worked out. I love my home gym and stroller but sometimes it is also good to get out of the house and take a group class!