Back on the mic and riding the MUNI

And it feels so good …

This week I returned to the front of the group fitness studio and taught a full CXWORX class to a huge group at the California Street 24 Hour Fitness.

I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed teaching regularly, until I had the chance to get up there this week.

It didn’t end there.  I also ventured outside of my walking area and taught at the University of California, San Francisco Fitness & Recreation Center on Saturday morning – both BODYPUMP and CXWORX.  I taught alongside the instructor who usually teaches those classes in hopes of becoming a substitute instructor for the UCSF group fitness team.  The class, the fancy equipment and the experience was awesome.  I won’t find out for a few days if I will be asked to officially join the team, but I’m confident I gave it my best.

I’ve always said that group fitness is my hobby, but I believe it’s more than that.  I can’t explain how much I get out of it.  The exercise aspect is really just a portion.  It’s the performance.  It’s the connecting with members.  It’s the pushing people to work just a little bit harder so they too can feel great.  And of course, it’s the music and the fun.

Group fitness takes a lot of preparation.  While also holding down a full-time job, at times it’s challenging to learn new choreography, prepare for class, show up without fail and give it your all, even if you don’t particularly feel at your best.  There have been many nights when I would rather be watching TV than practicing for a class, especially after a long day at work.  But I can honestly say I’ve never once regretted the time commitment involved.

Moving to San Francisco has been a huge transition, and one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle missing for me has been the regularity of teaching my classes.

This week I begin my very own regularly scheduled BODYPUMP class in the City on Thursday evening at the Marathon Plaza 24 Hour Fitness, and I couldn’t be more excited.  It’s just one hour a week, which is all mine, where I can hopefully make a difference for a group of people.

Although there are several gyms within walking distance to my apartment that I can teach, I’ve decided to add into the mix the opportunity to teach at UCSF Fitness & Recreation Centers because it offers classes on the weekends (unlike many of the City gyms in downtown, which just offer Monday through Friday classes).  This means more public transportation is in my future.

Saturday was a big day for me.  In addition to teaching at UCSF, I took the MUNI for the first time.  Many people take the MUNI to get to work downtown, but I hadn’t stepped foot on one before.  Although I’ve been on the BART (underground subway), the MUNI is a totally different type of public transportation.  It’s a light rail streetcar that runs on tracks and goes both on the street and through some tunnels.  It was only $2 to get home from the gym, but I had to wait a while for the right one to come along.

It was a busy day on the N train, and I took the last open seat nearly on top of a girl.  I had some questions about what to expect and she was kind enough to answer.  (For instance, do I have to tap my Clipper card against the reader on the way in AND out, or just in?  Do I have to push a button for the doors to open at my stop, or will they just open?)

It was good that there were others on board so I could ask questions.  But due to the crowd on the train, and the close proximity to my fellow passengers I had to resist from eating my post-gym apple, which I had in my bag and was dying to consume.  There’s nothing worse than sitting next to a stranger gnawing an apple down to the core, therefore I held back.

Perhaps I should pack a granola bar next time, which might be less offensive to the other City folk.

Check out the MUNI and BART station photo below.  Bright, white, clean and easy!