Fit Friday #15: Confessions of a Fitness Instructor

Welcome to a new series on the blog: Fit Friday! We’ll explore topics in fitness and wellness together. Have something you want me to answer or cover? hmu at fitwithaundra@gmail.com. Here’s a collection of all the Fit Friday posts.

I’ve wanted to share this post for some time. I’m SUPER anxious about vulnerability, but I love being ‘human’ to my fitness class participants. True story: take a class with me, and you will learn very quickly that I’m quirky, weird, awkward and basically do not care about it one bit. Let’s be friends? Here we go…

Confessions of a Fitness Instructor:

1. That song I’m using in class has bad words. When I go “WOO-HOO” or shout anything, I’m covering up a bad word. Am I successful at it? Do you notice?
2. When I can’t remember the next sequence, we usually do push-ups or sun salutations, my ‘go-to’ moves. Yup. So, your shoulders can thank my choreo-soaked brain for that.
3. I get REALLY nervous, like want-to-vomit nervous before debuting a new set. I play it off by being extra weird and cracking very bad jokes. Thanks for laughing. I’m quietly dying inside.
4. When I forget choreo, I get REALLY BIG EYES and stare down my front row peeps for help. Sometimes they stare back. Hi.
5. On that note, when I walk around to check form? Dying. Death of instructor. It’s my chance to catch my breath. THERE, NOW YOU KNOW.
6. At any given time, I have choreo for four insanely different formats rolling around in my head. My brain is 40% choreo, 60% music, and that leaves very little room for much else. So, that’s why bad jokes happen. And nervous laughter. And counting? Psh, forget that.
7. I’m an introvert! Yup, my idea of fun is being A-L-O-N-E. A lot. But there’s something MAGICAL that happens when I teach a fitness class. I come to life, and you know why? Because of YOU.
8. I’m ALWAYS learning. Always. I don’t stop. I’ve already signed up for a NEW format class, and I’m looking/debating between 2 more. I love reading about fitness and safety and form, and if I can squeeze it in between the WOO-HOOs (see #1) and all the choreo/music cues (see #7), I like to share my knowledge with you. I’m a huge fan of Did You Know? type trivia, and like making it accessible to you. Do you ever hear it? Or are you dying after 8 sets of push-ups (see #2).

Oh my, I’m sure there is MUCH MORE I could share, but let’s leave it here for now. If you need me, I’ll be hiding behind a giant rock somewhere. Bye.