Hip Hoppy Jazz Hands

A dear friend invited me to join her at Mixxed Fit, an explosive hip hop based aerobic class with lots of toning movements.  As much as it didn’t sound like me, I hadn’t seen her in a few years and was excited to spend an hour with her!  Plus she described it like a cool dance class.  “You’ll be having so much fun that you won’t even know you’re exercising!”  That was the clincher.  And I went.

I frequently went left when I was supposed to go right, but I had fun from the moment I got there.  Now, months later, I have a decent feel for most of the routines, but I also know that a big smile will get me through just about any move I just don’t get!  Mixxed Fit is now a part of my week that I truly look forward to.  Seeing my friends is part of the appeal, but there are so many wonderful things about this class.  Let me tell you more…

First of all, the group is enthusiastic and friendly.  Even before I was a regular people asked my name and introduced themselves.  If you’re open to it, you can make friends on social media and in person.  Huge smiles and hugs are common greetings every week.  I love the outpouring of joy from everyone in the mirrors!

Secondly, it’s like a party!  We coordinate our brightest colors and shout, “Hey!” with our punches and kicks.  We drop it low and other wacky movements that feel silly for me to be doing in a room full of people – yet we all do them.  With sweaty smiles on our faces!

I can’t forget to mention that the few dozen men and women in the class run the age range from teens with their moms to those old enough to be my grandparents!  And we’re all getting down at our own level. Jumping jacks can become steps to the side with intentional arm movements.  Squats can go low or not so much.  It’s really about what feels good to you, personalizing the workouts so fit your ability and style.

Which leads me to one of my favorite parts of the class.  We have four instructors at the front of the room.  I think of them as sweet, sassy, edgy, and enthusiastic.  They are all doing the same general step or hip sway, but one does it with a little more street vibe and another acts more sultry.  Together they bring incredible energy to our instruction.  Possibly more important to me, they clearly show there is no right way to mix it up in their Mixxed Fit class.  Because of that, I haven’t felt like I was doing it wrong – except when I still go left when they’re all going right!

So, I now embrace my off-Broadway roots that I didn’t know I had.  Those genes must be there somewhere, though, because I frequently look in the mirror to check my form and clearly see that I look less like a back up dancer for Jason Derulo and more like an extra from Glee!  Except last week when I looked like a mime.  But even that’s okay!  Normally, though, you can find me and my jazz hands werking it (that’s how we spell it in Mixxed Fit) in the middle of this energetic group of Mixxed Fit folks.