You want to get back into exercise, you know it’s good for you and the class looks like fun.
You put off starting. Why?
You’ve created an image in your head where you’re the elephant in the room. Everyone will stare at you. Everyone will already know each other and no one will speak to you. You will be the only person over 21 with a dress size in double figures. Everyone will be super fit and you’ll stick out like a sore thumb struggling to keep up at the back.
Better save yourself the embarrassment and stay at home, right?
Well it’s time to banish these ridiculous fitness class myths once and for all!
I’ll be the only ‘bigger’ person.
This is the most common worry. “I’ll be the only person who is overweight.” Won’t that be embarrassing?
I’ve had many ladies warn me when they enquire about my classes that they are overweight as if I might turn them away.
But I ask you to stop for a moment and think about why someone goes to a fitness class like Dance Fit. What’s the first reason that comes to mind? To lose weight!
Everybody is in the same boat and going to the class for the same reasons you are.
At my classes there are women of all shapes and sizes. Yes, people are at different stages. Some have lost weight and want to keep it off or tone up. Others don’t need to lose weight and come to keep fit and have fun. But many women are there because they want to lose weight and therefore you won’t find a class of size 8, supermodelesque skinny minnies!
I’m really unfit and won’t be able to manage the whole class.
In the same way people imagine a sea of skinny people at a fitness class, they also imagine a sea of really fit women that glide through the class effortlessly.
Wrong again!
You go to a class to get fitter. It’s unlikely to find many people who are at peak fitness already!
Nobody said it was going to be easy and I won’t lie to you and say it is. But with my class I try to make the process fun!
People come to me at different fitness levels. That’s why with all my routines there is the option to really go for it or dial it down. They can be high or low intensity. The idea is everyone takes the class at their own pace.
Even I don’t get off lightly! Despite doing more than the recommended amount of exercise every week, I still get sweaty, out of breath and need water and a quick breather between each routine!
I’ll be the oldest person there.
I cannot stress enough that age does not matter at my classes and women have made friends across age ranges.
In the same class you will find women in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s! Some women bring along their teenage daughters too so it really is a class for everyone because as I have already mentioned the class can be tailored to suit all fitness levels.
It would be very rare for you to come along and not find someone of a similar age to you.
Everyone will be really good.
The term ‘Dance Fit’ does seem to scare some people off as it includes that daunting word dance!
You’ve never danced before, you’ve got two left feet, you’ve got no co-ordination. Trust me, I’ve heard it all before!
Basically, Dance Fit is just a normal exercise class with a dance element. The routines are not complicated dance routines. Some routines are a bit more ‘dancey’ than others but I find these are the ones people enjoy the most and have the most fun with. No one’s watching you so why not let your hair down and dance fit like nobody’s watching!
It is only the minority of ladies that have done any dancing before, in most cases when they were younger. Most come just because they enjoy music and dancing.
If I come on my own no one will speak to me.
Many women won’t go to a class unless they’ve got a friend to go.
Understandably, the idea of going with a friend or a family member seems more fun and is less nerve-wracking. However, you shouldn’t put off going to Dance Fit if you haven’t got anyone to go with.
Everyone at class is friendly and people get to know each other by name. Everyone has something in common. For a start everyone is trying to get fitter or lose weight and many have busy lives they enjoy escaping from for an hour!
So please don’t worry that you will come and be on your own for the whole class with no one to talk to – that won’t happen! Everyone’s far too chatty for that!
