Friday Five: Fitness Trends I’ll Never Try

I learned long ago to never say never. When I started running several years back, I remember saying to myself/out loud/who knows?! “I’ll never do a triathlon.” When I started doing triathlons shortly thereafter, I said, “but i’ll never do an Ironman.” It has happened over and over that I dismiss something too soon because I think I can’t or shouldn’t or won’t like it without first giving it a chance. So with that said, I reserve the right to change my mind about the five things listed below at any time. I also want to say that fitness is a personal journey and what gets you out the door is different than what gets me out the door–most people cringe at the thought of a 100 mile bike ride let alone completing 12 additional miles on the bike and then a marathon after!

1) Boot Camp: I have had to condition myself to become a morning person, to learn to wake up in order to get in my morning workout, and I do it in a way that works for me. If I had to face a drill sergeant type before dawn, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t get out of bed. I have some friends that love their boot camp in the morning and get a lot of motivation from that type of environment, but it’s just not for me. I much prefer the sanctity of the pool.

2) Themed Runs: Now don’t get me wrong, the color and escape from the zombie runs have their place, but not in fitness. In my experience with these races, there is not actually much running going on at all at the color run. I am all for going to these events and having fun but for a group outing or a date night, not as a fitness activity. In addition, I find that running in costume can be difficult at times (read chaffing) and therefore I tend to opt for runs where I can wear typical shorts and t-shirt. I do however have some friends that are masters of the running costume and will fly threw the themed races like superheroes!

3) Pole Dancing or Aerial Fitness Classes: A few years a friend and I tool a Zumba class together at our fitness center. We are both tall and slightly unflexible and uncoordinated and we stood out like a sore thumb. I think I would have a similar experience in any of these types of classes. I like, as much as possible, to keep of the facade of being that gazelle-like creature when I am working out (even though I know it’s not true) and there would be way too much rhythm and coordination needed to keep the charade going in these classes.

4) Streaking: every year I see people on social media participating in the Runner’s World run streak and I contemplate joining in but inevitably something comes up or things start to hurt and I realize that I’m not an every day runner…or biker or swimmer for that matter. I have learned that I need to give myself opportunities to be successful, especially in training and trying a streak is something destined to fail as some day it will be broken whether next week or next year.

5) Hot Yoga: It’s hot enough around here as it is. We do hot running, hot cycling, hot swimming…when I think of yoga, I think of something that I want to be relaxing and hot is not relaxing to me at all. I can understand the concept behind hot yoga and have in the past done yoga fairly consistently, but it’s just not something for me.

As I said before you have to find what gets you out of bed and motivated to be fit and sometimes you end up finding out what doesn’t in the process. So move on to another option and see if that works for you.

What fitness trends have you found that work and don’t work for you?

**This week I am linking up with other running bloggers writing about their Friday Five hosted by Cynthia from You Signed Up for What, Courtney from Eat Pray Run, DC and Mar from Mar on the Run.