The search for the perfect type of exercise

As a female, it seems like the obvious choice when thinking of taking some sort of exercise or wellness class is...yoga.  Always yoga.  And I can see why.  Especially for someone like me who sits at a desk all day and often is hunched over editing documents, opening up and stretching has a lot of benefits.  To that end, I've tried different yoga classes over the years but usually end up annoyed when I have to pay 16 bucks a pop to go do yoga in a room with a pretentious instructor and a bunch of clones in lululemon gear. But, if exercise isn't fun, or at least a bit lighthearted, I lose interest pretty quickly. 

Joel and I went to classes together at a couple different studios and I almost busted into a fit of laughter as the instructor made a poor attempt at describing super-scientifically what the yoga was doing for our bodies.  Being a real scientist makes it hard for Joel to let fake science talk slide. Other studios were so unwelcoming, boring and serious that it made me want to flip out.  I know that different people want different things from classes but I also know that serious and pretentious is not for me.

This led me and my friend Rebecca to try boot camp.  It was a hoot.  Yeah that's right, I said hoot.  We listened to music from The Bounce 91.7 (Katy Perry etc.) and did all sorts of hilarious stuff.  Boxing drills, cardio circuits, relay stuff.  It was a good time, and we lucked out because our instructor definitely had a sense of humour about it all.  Then Rebecca had to take a hiatus from it all, which led me to...

Moksha yoga.  I was skeptical when I decided to try Moksha yoga.  It's a type of hot yoga but it's not bikram.  And I totally like it.  Go figure.  It markets itself as being welcoming and they actually are for the most part.  And their studios are totally sweet.  They're newly built and have gorgeous change and shower rooms.  As someone who rarely sweats, even when I am exercising pretty hard, it's a new and strange experience to be somewhere so hot that my shins and inner ears are sweating.

Latest addition to the random fitness attempts is KARATE AQUASIZE.  Does it get any more hilarious than that?  I didn't think so.  It's totally great. 

Anyways, writing this post has helped me conclude that the big draw for me with exercise is to do something different and possibly ridiculous, amusing, or embarrasing.  Or, to put it scientifically for Joel

hilarity + intensity / embarrassment ^ 2 = success!