Omg,omg,omg!

And... OMG! I went to my first 24 S.E.T. class at 24 Hour Fitness today and I LOVED it! I must admit, I almost chickened out at the last minute and started to tell myself, "Oh, maybe I'll just do some sprint intervals on the treadmill instead... I'll try the class next week." But another part of me didn't want to wait another day, so I pushed my shy/introverted self to the side and made my way to the class room.

I introduced myself to the instructor, Debbie, and she was really nice and upbeat. She looked at my arms and said I looked like I had been doing fitness classes for a while, but I told her that with the exception of a Jazzercise class I tried with my mom, this was actually my first class ever. (I don't like to count the Jazzercise class because it sucked and I just didn't care for it at all.)

She gave me a quick run-down of what gear to set up, so I got started, basically following what others were doing. We use an aerobic step, a small barbell and dumbbells.

I'm really glad I had done my share of Jari Love DVDs prior, because the set-up of the class was really similar to those workouts; cardio step moves, squats & lunges with weights, push-ups, an ab circuit, etc. There was a good mix of fitness levels in that class, so I didn't feel intimidated at all. It was good to see some more advanced people around me so I can kinda follow their leads as I start to get more familiar with the pace/moves. And the music didn't suck either!

Debbie even complemented on my lunge form, which really surprised me! Having only done lunges by myself with no coaching, I always questioned my form, but apparently I'm on the right track! I struggled with a tricep lifting move though; Debbie really had to coach me on that because my elbows were flaring like crazy. I've always had trouble with that though, even during DVD workouts. It's so hard to keep elbows closed in!

As expected, some intervals were tricky because I didn't really know what kind of weight to use beforehand. Now I have a better idea and will be able to challenge myself a bit more next time. Don't get me wrong; it was DEFINITELY a kick-ass workout that left me dripping (and embarrassingly so), but there were some parts where my choice of weight was way too light. Oh well.

Love, love, love this class. I'm officially hooked and plan on going regularly! Now that I no longer have first-class jitters, I also signed up for a Biggest Loser Boot Camp class that they're offering April 10th. So excited!

I came home to gush about my experience to Doug; I must've sounded like a little kid who was totally stoked about their first day of school, haha.

Anywho, I gotta get going; we're hosting a party tonight and have some major house cleaning to do! Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!