There’s not a shortage of options when it comes to working out in Lakewood Ranch. There’s Orange Theory, CrossFit, iLoveKickboxing, LA fitness. I’m actually going to have a trial at the new LA fitness at The Green on SR70 so will tell you all about it!

For now though I’m at the Y. People scrunch their face when I tell them where I workout. They barely hide that fleeting pity that they’ve assumed I’m on a budget. Well, I am! At the Y, on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, you get a lot for your money. I’m a member for something like forty bucks a month! There’s a pool, gym and classes. Yes, there’s no frills but I really don’t need a heated towel. I also have some workout buddies at the Y. They will text me and make me feel guilty if I bail, which I need and I like to return the favor! What I enjoy the most about the Y though is the Les Mills program. Particularly Body Pump. Without googling the sales pitch, Body Pump is basically a coordinated workout where the beat of the music is in synch with the reps of the activity. The activity being lunges, chest press, clean and press etc, with a weighted ( if you choose) bar. It’s the kind of workout I would take one look at and run if I was hovering at the door. It looks extremely intimidating, especially if everyone in the class knows the routine and are all squatting with a 20lbs bar in synch to Daft Punk.

Luckily for me I know the instructor from school! Thank god for the kids! Therefore, I know she’s friendly, encouraging and wouldn’t have a culture of eliteness in her class, so, I walked in. OK, the truth is she spotted me, so I couldn’t back out. The beginning of the class is a little hellish as there’s a scram for the equipment and some of those women will rugby tackle you down for their favorite corner in the room, I promise you that! The end of the class isn’t much better as the seniors swarm in with their balance balls, charging toward you as you desperately try to unclasp your weights off the bar and escape. So yeah, it’s the Y, like I said, no frills.

I enjoy this workout because it’s my kind of music. I love a good dance tune. There’s no glow sticks or vodka but I can still get lost in the music. That’s what it is, I think, I can zone out and before I know it, it’s the end of the biceps track. I also enjoy that compartmentalism. It keeps me going, I know I will survive now that the lunges are over. I know the squats are about to end because I know the song is wrapping up. Although it looks like everyone is hardcore, everyone is very much at their own level. Some people have an empty bar, some people have Popeye weights and then there’s me in the lunge track quite happy with my hands on my hips! Whatever the level, this workout is a challenge. I feel so self satisfied afterwards, and even more so the next day when I can’t squat on the toilet.

Nothing works miracles, you have to up your weight eventually if you want results, have to do more workouts to lose the fat. Les Mills has a great spin class to raise the heart-rate, but BodyPump really feels like it hits those muscles you didn’t know you had, It not only makes you burn the calories but it makes you feel stronger. But I’m not going to bull shit you that strength is my goal. I just want to have sex with the light on and fit into my jeans.