Reminding myself why need Jazzercise

I was never one for regular exercise, I mean I was already active enough. I ran after my children, spent a lot of time gardening, walked to the stop sign and back every couple of days and just generally led an active life. After going through treatments for cervical cancer I kind of lost some of myself and my energy, driving back and forth to doctor visits and stress for 3/4 of a year really sucks it out of you! That was in 2001. Then my dad passed away in 2002. That was a blow. After that I quit smoking and started getting serious about my health. Slowly I realized, hey girl, you’re definitely not getting any younger! I knew I needed to start something that would stick with me. It was either December of 2005 or January of 2006 when I saw the ad in our small paper for a Jazzercise class.I’m a shy person by nature but this really seemed to jump out at me! I called the lady (well called and left a message with her husband who worked 3rd shift at the time and who I woke up, sorry!) and found out the class times. I was nervous and almost chickened out but I talked my neighbor into coming along.

After the first class I was hooked! I bought myself new shoes, a mat, weights, and workout clothes for the first time ever! I’ve been going to Jazzercise 3x a week (for most weeks!) for about 4 years now! I can’t believe I’ve stuck with something this long! I love “dancing with the girls” and will even wear my exercise pants & tanks in public now! (this from a girl who NEVER wore a swim suit without a T-shirt for her entire life!) My instructor is a bubbly, petite blonde who amazes and inspires me! I can just feel the energy surrounding all of us when we’re “in the zone” and it’s completely awesome when I get goosebumps when we all nail a song! I’ve been Jazzercising with many of these ladies since the beginning and it’s an awesome feeling knowing you’re doing this for yourself, but not by yourself. When you’re surrounded by people who are doing the same thing, it doesn’t matter that you may not know each other in real life, or that one might be a teacher, a guard, a business owner, a housewife. Together we are something more, something great! During class the stress and daily annoyances just fall away, they melt off you while the music takes over and you’re just you, no kids yelling, no husbands, no bills, no worry, just you doing something good for you! And at the end of that sweaty and satisfying hour class you suddenly feel better about where you are in life and where you might go.

Since I started Jazzercise the location has changed several times, from a tiny rectangular room in a small local gym (so tiny that in the summer the walls would literally sweat from our body heat!), to a large open studio that was housed in an old unused grocery store (that lasted until the roof caved in from snow a year ago! Luckily no one was injured!), to the upstairs of a church building, to an again tiny studio in a renovated fur exchange building. I don’t think it matters where class is, or when for that matter (even though I’m going to desperately miss 8:30 am class!). I’ve had friends and family join in with me and drop out (Mom you suck!) but it’s become a part of my life and I’m so glad it is!

All this to say that I really do love Jazzercise! In fact, I miss it, during the winter my body feels like it wants to hibernate so I haven’t been to class in about 2 weeks.. or has it been longer? I don’t know but I do know that I need to start going again. My jeans are feeling tight and my outlook on life needs a major pumping up. I’m only disappointed in myself because I’m 99.8% sure that I didn’t make it to the 400 class mark by the end of this year! I guess there’s a first time for everything, I need to make it my goal to get OVER 100 classes in 2010. I can do it, I know I can!

* Photo credit to Sylvar / CC BY 2.0