Zumba
Love, love, love it!! It really is one of the best exercise classes I have found for larger women. I have been to many classes with many different teachers and have always had a fantastic time. It's fast paced, inclusive and easy to learn. It is best to wear gym clothes that you are comfy in as there is lots of moving around. The classes include a warm up and cool down and in the middle is some insane dancing. This class really does not feel like exercise and an hour can pass in the blink of an eye. The only issue I found is that it can be hard on the knees if they are something you suffer with anyway. However, you would be surprised how resilient the body is and you might not notice any discomfort until the morning after. A really great class that everyone should try at least once.
Boxercise
Now I cannot claim to be an expert on this class as I have only attended one in my whole life. I ended up without a partner at the class I attended and was paired with the instructor. The class involves one person wearing the boxing gloves and the other wearing the pads and then it is basically loads of punching. I'm not sure if it was just the class I attended but it was not very varied and incredibly repetitive. As I was paired with the instructor I wore the gloves for the entire hour and was near death by the end of it!! I even had to go for an x-ray as my finger was bent out of joint. The class was hard however if I did it every day I could kiss my bingo wings away in a month!
Pilates
A very enjoyable class that masquerades as simple stretching exercises when in fact it is an all over work out and you do break a sweat. A good variety of standing and floor exercises. This class is generally done bare foot in loose fitting clothes with an emphasis on strengthening your core. I have not felt my core for years!! I can see why people enjoy Pilates more than yoga and I can definitely feel the difference the day after a class however it does feel like more of a class for toning up rather than weight loss. I will definitely go back to it when I am in a position to concentrate on toning.
30 Day Shred
I stumbled upon the 30 day shred after browsing a weight loss forum. This is an exercise DVD by The Biggest Loser's Jillian Micheals. The basic premise of the DVD is to complete a 20 minute workout once a day for 30 days. After reading lots of reviews the feedback seemed to good to be true so I ordered the DVD from Play for about £10. There are various levels on the DVD however you only progress when you feel ready. I enjoy Jillians training technique as she does not suffer fools gladly and the workouts all though short are extremely intense. In my opinion this is a fab workout and if stuck to for the 30 days I could see most people getting fantastic results. I aim to complete the whole 30 days in one block before the end of the year.
More to come, watch this space................xx