Opportunities

“Opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss”

So I’m two months into my London life so far, and I think it’s fair to say that I have grabbed every opportunity that has come my way in group fitness! From being called up to cover a triple in Camden the day I arrived, to whipping out my CD and finding the mic at Baker Street when an instructor didn’t show to a class I was participating in, I’ve been seizing opportunities left right and centre in the quest to become an established instructor in a new city.

My best class this month would have to be a 2 hour RPM I rode at Bloomsbury Fitness First to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. I think I managed people’s expectations of the ride well, and had quite a few members who were adamant at the beginning that they wouldn’t last the full 2 hours, actually stay for the duration! So a real sense of achievement for many in that class, and of course it was a great cause. For me personally, it probably wasn’t a good idea to ride 4 other RPM classes that morning and lunchtime, haha, I estimated that I rode 180km worth of classes that day – I should have swum 4km and run a marathon then I could tick the iron man off my list ;-) One day!

Favourite play list for the month was the special class I selected to honour the Chiefs (Hamilton based NZ rugby team) playing in their first ever Super 14 grand final! Playing “We Are The Champions” for the cooldown was, in hindsight, a little presumptuous, as the Bulls destroyed us in the final 61-17. Here is the full playlist:

Warm Up - One Step Away - DJ Jurgen (51)

Squats - Walk On Water - Milk Inc. (61)

Chest - Breakaway - Inaya Day (65)

Back - Never Surrender - 2 Unlimited (43)

Triceps - Hungry - INXS (64)

Biceps - Eye Of The Tiger - Heart Attack (42)

Lunges - Love (Rugby) Is A Battlefield - Rochelle (48)

Shoulders - War Machine - Techno Boy (52)

Abs - Stronger - Kanye West (65)

Cooldown - We Are The Champions - Robbie Williams (40)

Having instructed at many different and new clubs this month has brought some interesting and memorable moments, perhaps the most outstanding was the first class I instructed at Walworth Road Fitness First. I was a little nervous, as you always are at a new club (sssh, don’t tell anyone). Not sure what the members would make of my music selection, whether they would laugh at my jokes, if they would be able to understand my hybrid Kiwi-Aussie accent, and so forth. Well before I even had a chance to introduce myself, a larger than life Afro-English woman, with a smile to light up the room, approached me and said her daughter usually comes to these classes but was away this week; and then she asked if I had a girlfriend! To which I quipped back “Well that’s a little forward. How do you know I don’t have a boyfriend?” We both burst into laughter, and that has really set the tone of that class, it’s my new favourite!

My current schedule of permanent classes is:

Monday - 630pm - BODYPUMP @ Covent Garden Soho Gyms

Tuesday - 700am - RPM @ Fulham David Lloyds

Tuesday - 745am - Ab Blast @ Fulham David Lloyds

Thursday - 600pm - RPM @ Covent Garden Nuffield Health

Saturday - 1130am - BODYPUMP @ Walworth Road Fitness First

Saturday - 1230pm - Ab Blast @ Walworth Road Fitness First

My main goal for the remainder of the year is to attend the next Professional Development Module (September or October, as I missed the cut off for the July module). Once I have completed that, I will take the necessary steps from there to become part of the UK national presenting team! I will keep you updated on my progress.

Also, and I have literally been saying this since I was 16, I have to do my BODYBALANCE training this year! It’s time I started looking after my body, instead of constantly punishing it with BODYPUMP and RPM.

On a final note, the biggest challenge I have faced this month… Having to wait for the new music!!! Seeing facebook updates, and pics from fellow instructors launching the new music in NZ and Oz is absolute torture! Even Fernie will be launching in Singapore before we even have the workshops in London. I continue to wait (not so) patiently.

Kia kaha, be strong.