I was asked by a relative a while back what my next goal would be now that I’ve completed my masters at Stanford. I have a couple of new goals and skills I’d like to work on which have been on my list for a while. Most immediate though is really to get back in shape and become a better golfer. My dear family member thought that neither of these two goals really amounted to the status of trying to get my masters from Stanford.
I now sit here, on a Saturday afternoon, with all my muscles aching except those in my fingers which I am using to type this entry and I beg to differ. I have had the fortune of having a gorgeous new Club One open near our home which coincided with my goal to get back into shape. So for the past 2 months, I have been following a strict exercise regimen involving an hour of cardio followed by free weights during the weekdays. However, Saturday’s are a different story. Saturdays mornings, I am at the gym for 3 hours – starting off at 9 am with a cardio dance class (Zumba), 10 am on the elliptical (Precor being my favorite, although Cybex is really starting to edge in there), and then Pilates class at noon. At 1 pm I grab a quick lunch and at 2 pm I am wrestling with little white balls on the driving range. So, in terms of the amount of determination and time commitment, Saturday’s come pretty close to the effort of getting a masters at Stanford. It is also just as rewarding I think.
Now, I’ve done this for the past 2 months of Saturdays. So what prompted me to write about this today? Well, today, instead of that 1 hour elliptical session that sandwiches my Zumba and Pilates class, I had the insanity to take a “demo” class in a Kinesis class that was starting up. Being adventurous, I signed up and paid the price today. On the website, Kinesis is described as:
“Kinesis™ stands as a new way to work out, through which it is possible to perform an infinite variety of exercises and movements, ensuring strength, stability and flexibility.”
What this all means is that it is a hell of a workout, much more intense than the elliptical and hence me being especially sore today. If you are hitting a plateau in your workout, check to see if your gym has this offering because it will definitely take you to the next level. I ended up not signing up as Saturday’s are my Pilates classes and weekdays are out because I travel quite a bit. However, I did convince Clint to sign up for the Kinesis class – he is going to love me for it. I do think it will be good for his hockey.
For me, I have one more month on this gym regimen before I change it up depending on what my condition is at that point. As for my golf game, I think I’ll withhold judgement or expectation of improvement for a year and see where it gets me – I really hope I can muster enough athletic ability to get better.