Have you found a workout that you love?

Can I tell you something? I absolutely love, love, love to line dance! I started back in July of 2008 and I had no idea at the time that I would love it so much. It has become my major mode of exercise. The really cool thing about line dancing is the social element. There are parties and weekend long events that take place all over the country. And it's amazing to be a part of hundreds, even thousands, of people all dancing in concert with one another.

If you've been having trouble sticking to an exercise program, try line dancing! If you are a member of dancepartythrive.com, I've got some awesome line dance workout videos you can try.  It’s the perfect solution if there are no classes in your area or you want extra practice. If line dancing isn't your thing, try it anyway--you never know, I sure didn’t know I would love it so much!  I don't expect everyone to love it like I do but my point is, try something new.  Stop trying to stick to an exercise program that you haven't been able to stick to in years.  It could be you're having trouble sticking to that workout because you don't like it.  And guess what? That's ok! Go out and explore and keep exploring until you find an activity that you truly enjoy and would do if health, weight loss, and fitness were not a consideration. Good luck!!

Antoinette

P.S. I found a video of myself at the first line dance weekend event I attended, courtesy of I AM Kenny J Productions.  I found it on YouTube, but the song was removed due to licensing issues.  The song playing is The One by Mary J. Blige but more importantly, check out the looks on everyone's faces.  they are so into it!  

Spring means Renewal!!!

When you think of Spring you think of a time of renewal. Look around  your neighborhood and what do you see.  Lawns being tilled, flowers being planted, houses painted and gardens growing.  Trees are bursting with green leaves giving everything a new and exciting look.

Spring is not only a time of renewal for our neighborhoods but for our bodies as well.  It is a time to renew our mind, body and spirit.  During the winter you may have been sitting more than usual because of the cold and now your joints are a little stiff.  After a long dark winter it's time to get out and feel the sun on your face. You will need to wake your body up slowly. Start with a walk or bike ride to get re-acquainted with your neighbors and friends.Get out of the office at lunchtime for 5 - 10 minutes. Take the kids to the park or zoo. Instead of joining a  gym to get in shape look for activities that you can do outside and in the sunshine. Try finding something new and exciting that will keep you from getting bored.  If you like to dance try line dancing. It's something you can do anywhere, in your back yard, in your basement and at a park with the kids.  It's fun and exciting and guess what: great exercise. Check out: http://www.dancepartythrive.com.

Remember: "Spring is a time for Renewal", so get out of the house, smell the roses and find something new to start your renewal process.

Shirley

Go Hard or Go Home, Baby!

There’s a line dance called, “Go hard or Go Home”.  Where I live, people refer to it as “the Mary J.”  It’s a pretty advanced line dance that was created years ago and it was one of the first advanced dances I ever learned. 

What makes a line dance advanced?  An advanced line dance will have:

·         longer rotations, meaning it will be a long time before it starts over (for you dancers out there, probably more than 64 counts)

·         complex steps

·         and sometimes, but not always, a faster tempo

 

I love advanced dances!  They get my heart going, I love the complexity of the routines, and they usually have great music.  Doing an advanced line dance is like doing a high-intensity workout, so I decided to call our high-intensity dances and workouts, “Go Hard or Go Home”.  Depending on the workout routine, I might sneak a “Go Hard or Go Home” dance into it (like the one I’m going to start in our live class next week J).  But I’ve also put together some “Go Hard or Go Home” workouts and all I can say is, “Whew!”  Get ready!  

 

Antoinette

Let's Kick It Up a Notch!

There’s a part in almost every workout when the music gets a little faster, a little more intense.  This means you’re moving a little faster, with a little more effort.  You’ve just gone from low intensity to mid- intensity (this happens at the club but you’re probably having too much fun to notice J).  At Hustle Fit, we categorize mid-intensity dances as, “Kick It Up a Notch”.  It just means that you’re warmed up and you’re ready to do more.  We recently conducted a survey and 93.75% of the people who participated said they prefer mid-intensity workouts.  That’s great news because the bulk of our workouts fall into the “Kick it Up a Notch” category.  Here is an example of a mid-intensity dance—we’ll be using this in our upcoming live class.

 

As with any workout, if you’re trying it for the first time or if you don’t exercise regularly, do not overdo it.  Keep it low intensity (take out jumps, keep movements small, drop the arms, etc.) and as your endurance improves, you’ll be able to bring those elements back in.  Or in another words, “Kick It Up a Notch!”

 

Antoinette

Let's Get This Party Started!

I'm going to change gears this week and talk a little about exercise (and anyone who knows me knows that I can't talk about exercise without talking about line dancing, lol).  

Remember your clubbing days?  You didn't jump right in and go all out on the dance floor the minute you got the club, right?  You put a lot of time into getting dressed--picking the right outfit, putting on your makeup, picking the right shoes.  Putting on your favorite body lotions, creams, and perfumes and getting your hair just right.  You didn't want to ruin all that work that by sweating it all out on the dance floor within the first 15 minutes of your arrival.  So you took it easy and you warmed up with a two-step, a turn every now and then, a little booty shake.  If you did anything more complicated than that, you took your time with it.  I would call this part of the night low intensity-you're working but it's manageable and you can probably talk with being too out of breath.  In an exercise class, this would be the warm-up.  At Hustle Fit we call it, "Let's Get This Party Started". 

 

Every workout begins with a Let's Get This Party Started dance however, we also have entire workouts created with just Let's Get This Party Started dances. Let's Get This Party Workouts are a great way to learn basic steps at a good tempo.  I use the above dance, "As Good As I Am" as way to help people learn the "kick and cross".   That's a tricky move for some and learning it slow for the
first time is definitely better than learning it fast and while traveling...
 

I hope this gives you a little insight into Hustle Fit.  I can't wait to see you in class or online (we'll be launching soon!).


Antoinette

Who Complains About Dancing?

There is only one physical activity that I can think of that people do not complain about—dancing!  Think about it. 

1.       At a party, people dance for as long as the music lasts. 

2.       People don’t complain about dancing all night but,

3.       People do hope the music is good enough so that they CAN dance all night. 

And when the DJ plays great song after great song after great song, people keep on dancing.  Even when our feet hurt (high heels were not made for dancing).  In fact, don’t we judge the skill of a DJ by his or her ability to keep the dance floor packed?  And more importantly, people are happy when they are dancing—happy and laughing as you can see in the picture below.  That’s me, center, in the red top, feeling the groove. J

 

When you think about it, isn’t dancing a form of exercise?  We just don’t think of it as such because it’s something we WANT to do rather than something we think we have to do. 

Why can’t working out be the same way?  Why can’t it be good for you and fun?  That’s what Hustle Fit™ is all about.  It was born out of my love for dancing, particularly line dancing.  It’s a lot of fun--try it out and let us know what you think. Just go to www.hustlefitonline.com and you can sign up to receive three free videos.  Enjoy!


Antoinette