Join a Gym or Fitness Class Today

By Mona Caron

We’re a few weeks away from 2020. Are you thinking about your New Year’s resolutions? “Staying Fit and Healthy” and “Losing Weight” are the top two resolutions to be made and broken. After the holiday revelry, we all resolve to eat better, exercise, lose a few pounds, etc. Make 2020 the year you achieve your fitness and health goals!

One way to ensure success is to make goals reasonable and attainable. A goal of “losing weight” is too open-ended, but if you decided that losing five pounds the first month was your goal, you would have an easier time reaching it.

Another way to ensure your success is to not go it alone. It’s easy to get pulled away with family and work obligations and not work out. Especially when the daylight hours are so short. Accountability to someone at the start of a fitness regimen is a key to meeting your goals. The social aspects of gyms and classes will motivate you during your workout and keep you coming back.

If you’re not making resolutions, you can still change things up from your normal routine. Eliminate the following from your vocabulary: I’m not fit enough (to try spinning if you’re a runner); it’s scary (to try TRX); I don’t have time (to go to yoga) – you get the idea. Now is the perfect time to try something new, because many others are also joining in at this time of year!

Join a gym or fitness studio or register for a boot camp or personal training sessions. Many of these options will have introductory offers or a complimentary personal training session for new members.

In the Greater Capital Region, there are nearly two dozen branches of YMCA networks such as the Capital District YMCA, Saratoga Regional YMCA and Glens Falls Family YMCA, and Fulton County YMCA. Membership at a YMCA offers fitness and community support for individuals and families. Most facilities include group fitness classes, yoga and Pilates, free weights, cycling classes, cardio equipment such as treadmills, elliptical or stair climbers. Some branches have pools with open swimming, masters swim classes, aqua aerobics and more.

Plus, the YMCA offers the “SilverSneakers” fitness program, a proven, results-oriented program for older adults. It improves overall well-being and strength, offers a social calendar, and is provided by health plans at no additional cost. SilverSneakers includes kettlebell, boxing, an array of swimming and water aerobics classes, and much more.

YMCA memberships include child care, nutrition and wellness professionals, locker rooms and showers, so there are no excuses to be made. Check out cdymca.org, srymca.org, glensfallsymca.org and fultoncountyymca.org.

If a full service health club is not what you’re looking for, a great option for you is a fitness or boot camp style workout. These cardiovascular and strength training workouts offer variety, motivation, and calorie and fat burning exercises that can supplement other sports you do.

Rock Your Fitness in Malta is one such example of a terrific total body, high energy workout. Instructor and owner of Rock Your Fitness, Becky Weyrauch, incorporates kettlebells, medicine balls, TRX, battling ropes and more, alongside traditional pushups, jump ropes, running, squats and lunges for a unique, fun and sweaty workout in every class. For newbies or anyone who’s nursing an injury, there’s always a modification provided for each exercise. Participants of all ages, abilities and interests can build strength, use different muscle groups, and improve cardiovascular health while working out to music. 

As a longtime “Rock Fitter,” this cross-training class has happily kept me coming back for nearly 10 years, helping me stay injury-free while running weekly. Sessions are six weeks long, with options to join one, two or three sessions a week. Visit rockyourfitnessny.com.

Yoga is much more accessible than ever before – it’s a physical, mental, and spiritual practice and discipline that originated in India. The most well-known types of yoga are hatha and vinyasa, however there are different varieties of schools, practices and goals – including ‘yoga for athletes,’ so find something to suit your needs. The expertise of a trained yoga instructor can also help improve the physical and mental aspects of running, bicycling or any sport you do. You’ll find a schedule of yoga classes at the YMCAs and most gyms.

Socializing with fitness friends can be a lot of fun. Anyone who has experienced the social aspect of training together, working toward conquering difficult physical feats and challenging yourself, understands that this fosters a community spirit. Work hard and play harder. Use this new year to improve your health, reach fitness or race goals, or try something new. Happy 2020!