Sarah Warsi

We had quite a warm start to September with 30+ degree weather consistently for several days. It made for a pleasant start to the month. But alas, all great things must come to an end and today it was noticeably cooler and cloudier in the GTA marking the early signs of fall. I’ve written many posts on how to stay uplifted during the cooler and darker months, but one thing that is universal is to always be conscious of nurturing your mental and physical health.

If you have been following my blog for some time, then you know that I am an exercise junkie, though, admittedly, the pandemic threw a wrench into my routine for some time. Although COVID continues to linger, it’s pretty much in the rearview mirror at this point, (thankfully), so we can effectively get on with our lives.

I’ve had my on-and-off moments with getting into a regular gym routine, and at the moment, I’m on track with the group exercise aspect. I used to attend a cardio dance class before, fairly regularly, but it is no longer offered at my dedicated gym. I figured I couldn’t stagnate on my fitness regime simply because a class is no longer available. This is when you need to pivot and find a comparable alternative.

So for me, that alternative is Body Combat – which is basically a martial arts-inspired, high-intensity cardio class. It’s super fun. This class is not new, by any means, and I’ve attended it before, but only recently have I started going to it more regularly. It’s always uplifting to be greeted by warm smiles that eventually turn into familiar faces each week. There is always something special about communal exercise. You feed off of each other’s energy and it becomes a great way to get your day started off right.

One word of advice, try to be 5-10 minutes early to give yourself time for a quick stretch and to mentally prepare. I find that this is pretty important as it sets the tone for the pace at which you’ll begin your 60-minute workout.

I used to always be a little early for classes, but with time moving at the speed of light, you think you have all the extra time, and before you know it, you’re making a mad dash as the door closes. Today, I was just on time and happened to walk in as attendance was being done so I had no extra time beforehand and basically just had to get right into it. This can sometimes slightly throw your mojo off so always best to have that extra padding before the class starts.

Anyway, if you’re still recovering from all the summer fun and trying to garner the motivation to get back into the gym, just start with whatever you are comfortable with. When I first started going to this class, I felt the initial struggle because I hadn’t gone in so long, and it was tough, but the satisfaction I felt at the end made it all worthwhile, and it got the ball rolling for me to keep coming back.

So whether you’re a ‘do-your-own-thing’ kind of person or a group class fanatic, just begin your journey at your own pace and the rest will fall into place.