Its really not my mom's Jazzercise... though she likes it too.

I've always had this idea in my head of what Jazzercise must be like... I imagine women my mom's age and older bouncing around in front of a wall-sized mirror to upbeat 80's music wearing leotards and leg warmers... I know I'm not the only one.

There's been a Jazzercise center in Fayetteville for as long as I can remember. Its on the main drag in a tiny little shopping center. It just so happens that I go by it often, since its close to my mom's house. I was amused a couple of weeks ago that the sign out front said "this isn't your mom's Jazzercise". A week later my mom told me she'd gotten a pamphlet in the mail and that she was thinking about trying it out. I told her she should. When she asked if I wanted to go with her I didn't know what to say... on one hand it seemed like a good way to get me motivated to exercise, but it all seemed so... dorky. I also really figured it must be expensive, or at least, more than I'd want to pay to bounce around to 80's music with a room full of middle-aged sweaty gals.

She was determined to check it out, so the next time we talked she asked again, and this time threw in that she found out they have free childcare and that the first class is totally free. I really had no way out at that point, so I went.

From first glance around the room, I was utterly shocked. It seemed as though my original fears were unfounded... there was a huge range of ages and ethnicities and there were no leotards in sight! Plus, the dreaded mirror didn't exist! I was extremely relieved that I didn't have to watch myself shimmy and wobble for an entire hour. Its just a big open room with a stage at the front. The instructor does her thing on the stage, and you have the rest of the room to do yours. There's mats, exercise balls, and weights all there for the taking. The childcare room is full of toys and kids, and I was actually very impressed. Its clean and the kids have loads of stuff to play with.

My first class was awkward to say the least. I tripped over my own feet, bungled the moves like nobody's business, and felt as though my heart would absolutely explode by the time I left... but I really actually enjoyed it! In fact, my only concern at that point was the cost. Young parents, especially those that are small business owners, such as myself, don't have money floating around like maybe we'd like... in fact, most of the time we're budgeted pretty tight. I was very nervous about signing up to do something that wasn't just absolutely necessary. I was very glad to hear there's no contract and that the monthly fee was lower than anywhere else in town that offered aerobics classes. In fact, my initial fee of $50 and $40/month was discounted by $20 because of a handy coupon, so I was sold.

I've gone to 2 classes this week. Though I'm feeling a bit sore today, I'm so excited about this! Not only am I finally going to focus on getting in shape, I'm not paying an arm and a leg for it. Not to mention that I can't help but think that getting out of my comfort zone and dancing for an hour a day can't hurt anything at all... right? Right. Here's to looking good naked...