Onsite registration is available but since I signed up a few weeks prior, I was automatically sent a link to pre-register for my exercise classes. My plan was to skip the 6:45 a.m. class and start with 8:00 a.m. WERQ then attend the 9:00 a.m. Shred415 class, 10:00 a.m. Zumba, 11:00 a.m. Pilates, and 12:00 p.m. Balance Barre. Since this was my first time attending this event, I didn't realize that this plan wasn't well thought out.
The Class Schedule:
Vendor Information:
What actually happened was this:
8:00 a.m. WERQ This class is basically like Zumba but with hip hop music and dance moves. It was fun and I burned 470 calories in the 45 minute class BUT I quickly realized that I am just as bad at WERQ as I am Zumba.
9:00 a.m. Shred415 I have loved Shred415 ever since I took my first class at the Brentwood studio. I could go to one of their two studios any time but when I saw that one of my favorite instructors was teaching a 9:00 a.m. class, I knew that I had to be there! At this event, Shred415 didn't have their treadmills, decks, or weights but we still managed to fit in plenty of cardio and body weight/resistance band exercises. I actually ended up burning 427 calories in the 45 minute class!
10:00 a.m. Zumba. I took the Zumba class because it was being taught by an instructor from my own gym and I hadn't been to a Zumba class in a while, a long while. Again, I am horrible at Zumba but I burned 470 calories in the class.
11:00 a.m. I had signed up for Pilates but I was completely drenched in sweat and hungry after three straight classes, so I decided to take a break and eat my lunch from Fit Flavors. The classes were all around 45 minutes each to allow time in between classes to visit the vendors, take a break, and get to you next class but I knew that I wanted and needed more than a 15 minute break. Lunch included half of a chicken wrap and a kale Caesar salad. It was amazing and really hit the spot.
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| Fit Flavors = Yum! |
I thought ahead and packed a 2nd outfit knowing that I could get extremely sweaty with back-to-back-to-back classes, so I also used my downtime to change clothes. After the Zumba class, I thought about leaving the event after I ate lunch but the little break gave me my 2nd wind! I also used the downtime to walk around the vendor booths and I ended up picking up several samples as well as a few complimentary gym passes and class passes. It was time well spent!
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| Vendors throughout the lobby |
After my break, I walked past the various classrooms trying to decide which class I should take at Noon. I finally decided that I would take the D1 Training Boot Camp after watching the end of their 11:00 a.m. class. But at 12:05 p.m., I still didn't see anyone in the classroom so I took MIXXEDFIT instead. MIXXEDFIT ended up being a hybrid of Zumba and WERQ, so it was a lot of fun just trying to make my body mimic the moves of the instructors. After another 45 minute class, I had burned another 500 calories!
Around 1 p.m. I walked out of the event almost giddy and humming to myself. I hadn't worked that hard in a long time and it just felt amazing to sweat! I can't wait until the 2020 event but some advice I have for any first-timers would be:
- Bring a 2nd outfit if you plan to take multiple classes. Pack deodorant too!
- Bring snacks and a water bottle.
- Bring a yoga mat even if you don't intend to take yoga or Pilates classes. We laid on the floor for some of the exercises during the Shred415 class and that was my 2nd class of the day, so I was already sweaty. I didn't have a mat so I ended up leaving a big sweat puddle on the gym floor. Meanwhile most of the other ladies had yoga mats to lay on, so they had nothing to worry about. Next year I will remember to bring a mat!
- Shake, jump, run, just relax and have fun!
Next year I am going to try to wait until Noon to take a lunch break because the 11:00 a.m. classes all seemed to be pretty packed but then the event started to noticeably die down at 11:45. I wish I would have taken the D1 class at 11:00 a.m. since it was packed and then taken a lunch break, but I did the exact opposite and the last classes of the day at Noon were noticeably smaller. At least I know what the flow is like for next year and I will just grab little snacks or samples in between classes to keep me going until lunch.
What is great about this event is that every year is different. Different gyms and studios attend and offer classes and/or have booths in the marketplace. Lunch is provided and plenty of vendors are offering food samples too! The atmosphere is very positive and you'll have fun. I can't wait until the 2020 event!!!!
