Whether you struggle with accountability during private workouts or you just want a little company, fitness classes can be a great addition to your workout routine. The structure of classes alone makes it easier to show up for your health journey, while the benefits of having a trained instructor speak for themselves.
But what happens if you’ve signed up and geared yourself for success, only to find that you fail to thrive in your chosen class environment? While it may seem like classes simply aren’t for you when this happens, we doubt that’s the truth. Instead, you may be suffering because of these three easily addressable problems.
1 – A Generally Poor Fit
Not every class you try will be a good fit. Sometimes, you won’t gel with the workout, or the instructor’s teaching style might not chime with you.
This definitely doesn’t mean you should give up on classes altogether, but it is a sign that you could benefit from trying something new. Luckily, this will be easy to do if you sign up for classes at a club like Fitness 19, as they provide a whole timetable of classes for you to try out at no extra cost. If you don’t like one, sign up for another, and keep on going until you finally find your one true gym class love.
2 – Skimping on Structure
While we’ve just advised a little class hopping, remember that this is solely for discovery purposes. Once you find a class you enjoy, it’s actually quite important that you attend on at least a semi-regular basis.
That’s because constantly switching up your classes, or missing massive chunks of lessons, is guaranteed to stop you from both feeling like a part of the group (which is more important than you might think!), and also from truly thriving when you do attend. Instead, you’ll find yourself left behind and feeling like a sore, stiff newbie every time. Structure can help you to overcome this by ensuring you get into a reliable exercise flow that sees you making friends and working out well without days of pain afterwards.
3 – Falling for Unrealistic Expectations
If you feel at home in your class, attend regularly, and still feel downheartened, then you may have fallen for unrealistic expectations. This is all too easy to do, but, considering that it increases your risks of giving up prematurely, it’s a habit you’ll want to snap out of.
The fact is that classes can do a lot for your body, but they’re unlikely to transform you in a few short sessions. Skilled classes like dance particularly take time to build on and perfect. That doesn’t mean you’re not doing well; it just means that you need to give yourself a little grace, accept that you’re in it for the long haul, and enjoy the process of learning the intricacies of a whole new form of exercise.
Exercise classes can be disappointing when you don’t see the results you’re hoping for, but these issues are all surprisingly easy to address!