Aerobics Class Etiquette

As of late, I have been regularly attending Zumba and Latin Jam classes at my local gym. They are great classes! They are high energy, lots of fun, and the teacher is a full on maniac! I mean seriously, if a spastic, Latin woman, with wild, long, curly hair and a rockin' bod teaching a latin-ish dance class doesn't motivate you to lose a few elbees, then I don't think anything will.

Well, apparently, I am not the only Kaysvillite that is motivated by this instructor. By the time the class starts, there are about 40 women in the average sized aerobics room, trying to get their work out on. This is where the etiquette comes in.

When you enter an aerobics room, I understand that it might be a little intimidating. Especially if you are going it alone (like me). As you walk toward any particular wall to set down your water bottle, you think to yourself "there is now way I am going to take a place in the middle of the room and you can forget about going up to the front near the teacher! So, I guess I will just stand right here!" Now, what is the problem, you ask? Well, the problem is that there are already three other women that have had the same thought as you and now there is a cluster of women all trying to workout in the same 2 ft square space.

Which leads me to my next point. Find a window people! Even if the room is crowded, odds are good that you can move over just a foot or so to avoid standing directly in front of the person behind you. She probably wants to be able to see the instructor some of the time, and maybe once or twice take a look at herself in the mirror, just to make sure that when she is doing these latin steps (salsa, anyone?) that she isn't making a fool out of herself, or at least just making a tiny fool of herself.

Next don't! Don't stand within arms length of your neighbor and then decide that even though the step requires you to move side to side, that you will just do the steps in place. If you do this, your neighbor WILL run in to you! I guarantee it! And she may or may not feel bad about it. To refer back to my previous point, stand in a window!

Now this next one, you will only find in Utah. I completely understand trying to lose weight after having a baby. I also understand the struggle of trying to find ways to work out if there is no one available to watch your child. But please, young mothers, do not, I repeat, DO NOT, bring your infant to class with in you in his/her infant carrier and just leave them along the wall next to a speaker (FYI-the music isn't lullaby worthy), with a bottle propped up on a blanket (that will end up getting kicked out of said carrier and on to the disgusting sweat and dirt covered floor) and tell yourself they will just cry it out!

Now, I know I am not the only one out there that feels the same way, so aerobics goers unite! And pass this message along! Power to the People!