Tennis
Freezing Windy Tennis: Not Recommended. Yet, you think I’d have known that, huh? Well, I paid a good $46 for this lesson and I was going to it! I bundled up in the following:

Wife Beater
Long Sleeve Thermal Shirt
Another Long Sleeve Thermal Shirt
Sweatshirt

And of course my coat for while I was not playing tennis. Not to mention the fact that I was wearing pants, socks, sneakers.

I walk outside and it was WINDY. I figured it was extra windy since I was by the water and wouldn’t be so bad once I moved towards the east. I was wrong.

It was just as windy. I stopped for a coffee to warm myself and wake myself, but because of the wind all it really did was spill on myself.

I did feel very cool carrying around a tennis racket. I felt like people on the  street saw me and thought, “That girl plays tennis.” I also felt cool later in the day when I was walking into Physique 57 and a girl in the elevator asked me where I play tennis. I pretended to know what I was talking about. So cool!

So I found John Jay, where the lesson was and go up to the court. I signed up with BumbleBee Tennis because they are the cheapest I  found in Manhattan. Probably because everyone else has a TENNIS BUBBLE. Although the rooftop view of the Hudson River was gorgeous. I am sure it is wonderful there on a nice day. There was a children’s lesson going on when I got there. I figured if these little kids were surviving out in the cold, surely I could too.

There is a limit of 4 people per class. My class consisted of a husband and wife, and me. The instructor had us run laps around the court while hitting balls that he threw at us as a warm up. It warmed me up. Two minutes later, I was freezing once again.

The wife was clearly way too good for the beginner class, and after about 25 minutes she decided to leave the lesson anyway because of an injury she got while cleaning that morning. That left just me and the husband, who was also clearly much better than me.

I was impressed that the wife left, because I was seriously contemplating leaving as well. But I didn’t have the guts to do it. I was just so cold. My ears were stinging. My hands were red and wrinkly. I wanted to tell the instructor it was just too cold, and leave.

I thought hard about it. I also thought about the fact that I paid for this lesson, the fact that I might need to make a decision on Tennis Camp soon. All good reasons, but let’s face it: really, I am a wimp. The thought of telling the teacher I was leaving, of calling attention to myself — especially when I was clearly not good at the sport anyway — was just too much for me to bear. I decided to stay.

The instructor taught in a fast paced way and everything happened quickly. I did okay, but I am not at all good. I am actually just as bad as I thought I would be.

I hated the lesson. I was miserable the entire time. It sucked.

But I was freezing. I couldn’t grip the racket because my hands were so cold and all I wanted was gloves. My ears were so cold that I had to wear my sweatshirt’s hood. As a result, my hair was pushed in front of my eyes and I couldn’t see. When I tried to throw the ball up in attempt to serve, the wind knocked it off course. When the instructor tried throwing balls for me to hit, the wind knocked them off course. Everything was difficult and frustrating.

This actually portrays it perfectly:

Despite the drawbacks, I did learn a bit. We covered a good amount in an hour, did some repetitive drills. If it was a nice day, I probably would have said it was a great class. But would I have enjoyed it? Enough to attend Tennis Camp?

Well, I don’t know. Thanks to my freezing discomfort, I couldn’t exactly guage how I would feel learning and playing on a warm, sunny day. Which means…. I might have to take another lesson before I  decide. The problem? Another $46. There are other things I would rather spend my money on, honestly. The reason I even took a lesson so early in April was because my decision on camp was needed ASAP. Things have changed though, and I do have a little more time. But if I had to decide right now, I would say no to tennis camp.

I’m not athletic. I wasn’t enjoying myself (because of the cold, or in addition to it?) and I couldn’t imagine playing an actual game and having to hit all the balls where I wanted them to go. But I can’t really know for sure.

The verdict: Undecided.

Physique 57
Then I walked over to Physique 57. I freezed the entire walk over, but once I got there I felt much better. It was nice and clean, with Lululemon clothing adorning the walls for sale. I met up with Sara and Ashley in the waiting room and we went into the classroom together. Ashley has taken P57 classes before, but it was the first time for Sara and me. The room was carpeted and smaller than I expected.

Ashley brought her expertise to us by advising Sara and I to claim a spot at the barre with a towel before class. They’re a bit taller than me, so they went to the higher barre and I got a spot at a slightly lower one. And I am happy I did!

Class started, much the same way as Transfigure with the initial leg/arm lift moves and right into using handheld weights for arms. I actually found the arms portion less challenging than Transfigure and the Core Fusion DVD. I took 2 and 3 lb weights, but I think next time I will take slightly heavier ones. When I do the other classes, I can’t go any more than 2 lbs!

Then…. it got HARD. I have to say, I really liked that we hardly did any planks at Physique. At Transfigure, we do them for a long time, lifting arms, etc. I hate it.

The thigh work was intense and painful. I wanted to stop but I didn’t. Same with the butt. And the abs. Aaahh. Every time I was about to collapse from exhaustion from an exercise, we moved on to the next one. The class was extremely fast paced. There were two instructors, which Ashley told me they typically do for Beginner classes. This way, one person can teach and the other can correct form. I thought that was wonderful, and really shows that Physique 57 cares about making sure everything is done correctly for maximum results.

I did experience a great deal of leg and foot cramping through the class. I plan to try and drink more water beforehand next time. I can’t eat bananas. If water isn’t enough, I will then try PediaLyte.

The music was great and the instructors were SO upbeat. The way they taught made me feel excited about being there and determined to do my best. And I liked when they encouraged us to dance a litte bit during a couple of the moves.

The verdict: Amazing.

To the point where I started considering putting my gym membership on hold to try this out (or one similar) for a full month to see what the results are. I feel like I need more. And by the way, I am sore today.

There were some aspects of Transfigure that I found more challenging, and some aspects of Physique that I found more challenging, but I will get more specific in comparisons between classes once I take my Exhale Core Fusion class later this month,  The Body class later this month, and then the Nalini Method either later this month or early next month. I also have another visit to Physique 57 next week and I have yet to do the complete Core Fusion DVD or even start the Core Fusion Pilates Plus one.

Here is what I can tell you so far about Physique 57, Transfigure and most likely the other Lotte Berk method classes: ADDICTING. Just ask Melissa!   I am so excited to try the others and provide a full report.

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