Why Virtual

Check in time! 
Being back in 6FIT mode was a bit of a reality check for me. I’d been feeling pretty proud of myself for being fit and eating healthy enough – or so I thought. But by Week 2 I realized a few things including that I do not exercise as much as I think I do. Many of my days go like this: I get sleepy by 8pm but stay up late doing prep for the next day and mindlessly surfing the web unless my next book club meeting is coming up. Then I cannot fall asleep when I finally get into bed. I wake up at 5am no matter what but fall back to sleep right before 6am for a half hour or so. I bail on a totally awesome Virtual class because I have to get breakfast on the table and the kids ready for school. I finally get to work feeling tired so I rely on coffee (and not enough water) to get me through the work day. If I cannot leave early to take my favorite spin class, I go home and do the mom thing - feed the kids, hang with them, bathe them, and put them to bed - and I am tired again by 8pm. It's a bad cycle.
 
(Disclaimer: My husband is amazing and totally an awesome partner in life but this isn't about him. It's about me and setting my own boundaries and priorities for myself.)
 
When I do exercise regularly I tend to sleep longer and more soundly. I eat healthier food and drink more water. Eventually I have more energy to reduce my reliance on coffee and I am way more fun around the kids and nicer to my husband (see attached pic!). So I started jotting down notes to motivate me next time I feel like bailing on a morning Virtual class and I ended up with a long list.
 
Here are my "Top Ten" reasons for putting my excuses aside once 6FIT is over and taking a Virtual class: 
 
10. Convenience - It's convenient! I can wear my exercise clothes to sleep in and roll out of bed by 5:55am, pop in my contacts, and log on to class by 6am. 
 
9. Variety - Barre, cardio, strength training, Piloxing...there are so many different classes that you cannot get bored of the same workout. You think your arm muscles adapted to the weighted punching and the next day your legs on fire.
 
8. Privacy - #realtalk 
Labor and delivery with my first born was tough. (If you don't have kids, cover your ears.) Recovery was harder. It took weeks before I was be able to sit or walk comfortably. There were things happening with my body that no one warned me about. While I wanted to exercise, I was afraid of doing it in public with all the, um, aftermath that comes with birthing a 9 pound human. Virtual classes are taken in the privacy of your own home so no one sees you, smells you, or hears you. Cast your insecurities aside and just do it.
 
7. Flexibility - If you're recovering from an injury, are pregnant/postpartum, or need to take it easy for whatever reason, the DanceFIT instructors can provide you with modifications or alternatives so you can fully participate like everyone else in class. Your classmates probably don't even notice - see #8 above.
 
6. Fun - Who doesn't love wacky jacks and punching and pretending to be a strong, graceful ballerina?
 
5. Forgiving - Whether it's your dog or the kids or an unsuspecting spouse/roommate walking around half-dressed, DanceFIT Virtual welcomes you and anyone else who may be joining your Virtual class. No judgement. Assuming anyone even notices because, again, #8.
 
4. Economical - Follow the studio on social media and sign up for monthly newsletters. There is always a special that makes it very reasonable to buy a class package. Or buy an unlimited monthly and take all the classes! One class is probably cheaper than the breakfast and/or lunch you have to buy if you didn't meal prep on Sunday. 
 
3. Easy - Okay, the classes themselves are not easy but it is easy to set up a space in your home, sign up for Zoom, and log on. I live in a small apartment and have taken classes in a 3 by 6 foot hallway in the dark and on mute whenever we have family visiting and sleeping in our living room. I once used my iPhone to take a Stretch class at my office on a snow day. A few years ago I used liquor bottles as weights to take a class at my parents' house during the holidays (they have more liquor in the house than water bottles or canned goods). Improvise!
 
2. Inspiring - These are some of the women I've taken classes with: Mom of five carrying an infant while she breaks a sweat like no one is watching. Smart women with cool careers who also work for professional sports team in their free time. Mom of four with a deployed military spouse who always greets you with a smile. Single mom who travels frequently but still works out at her hotel while finding healthy meal options at an airport. Students. Professionals. Caretakers. All amazing women who manage to fit a class into their busy lives. No excuses! 
 
And the number one reason to take a Virtual fitness class at DanceFIT...

1. Effective - The classes work. I can feel muscles right now that I forgot existed. I have more stamina today than I did 14 days ago. I have not taken any measurements but my dresses fit great and I am not wearing Spanx today.

 
“See” y’all soon in class!