Day 14/ 15 ! Legs, Bums & Tums And Dance Aerobics

Double whammy! Two classes today (Friday) to make up for Edinburgh to London travelling yesterday.

And what Better place to have back-to-back classes than at a Better Leisure Centre. Better was created as the “customer-facing” brand for GLL (yeah, not sure either), which runs a great deal, if not all, the community leisure centres around London (and other parts of England). I’m talking refurbished centres, heated outdoor pools, sun terraces, gyms, racquet sports, group classes and even a spa in some of them for that well deserved post workout  massage. It may be that you don’t even know that you have a leisure centre nearby - there are so many gyms around London, it may have been easier to find a Fitness First, Gymbox Virgin Active, LA Sh-sorry, Fi-tness first. In fact, there are around 95 Better centres within the M25 (!) and probably almost half of those are within the TFL zones 1-2. I will hold my hands up and say shamefully that I had not a scooby.

But clearly enough people do have a scooby as when I arrived for LBT, there was almost no space. I saw some people get turned away from the class. Turned away! Like queuing for the free krispy kremes and being told they’ve just run out when it gets to you. (Bad memories). Though, I guess there were 27 people in the class (that’s a lorra lorra legs, bums and tums) so one could say you almost don’t deserve a space if you think you can rock up last minute and shimmy on in. Not for instructor Kris’ class.

And understandably so, the class was good fun! In difficult circumstances, namely broken music system and broken aircon (this would never happen at pricey Virgin ;-) ), Kris managed to keep everyone going and spirits up whilst we melted little puddles around us. Trying to do aerobic style classes in a sauna is v.e.r.y tricky without music so much credit to instructor Kris for his stellar enthusiasm! The moves in the class were your usual sit-ups, planks, starjumps, squats etc but what was special about this class is the enthusiasm from instructor Kris. He (and the lack of aircon) will make you sweat but he will also make you laugh!

The class was just ladies (there is something about the name Legs, Bums and Tums, which subtly deters guys) but ages ranged from girls who were either skiving school or have been blessed with youthful good looks - actually it must be the latter, you wouldn't skip school for an exercise class - to their mums. Instructor Kris gave options for each move so everyone was included. It was refreshing to see such a varied class - it's always good to keep fit and I hope that I'll make the time to do so when I'm 60.

For Dance Aerobics, this is where instructor Kris is in his element - 15mins of some dance moves, 15mins learning a wee routine then 15mins weights and cool down. There was talk of “give me sexy ladies!” and “walk your sexiest walk!” The routine was easy to follow (thankfully!) and if you get into the spirit, it’s a very good laugh. Probably a bit more dancey than aerobics but you will be guaranteed to be leaving the room on a high!

The Need To Know:

- Where: Oasis Sports Centre, in the heart of Covent Garden , who knew!

- Nearest Station: Tottenham Court Road (5mins), Covent Garden (5mins)

- When: Various types of classes throughout the week

- How Much: Drop-in classes £7-8, else memberships available

  

The Want to Know:

- Who’s it For: For those wanting a more enjoyable workout in friendly and fun environment

- Sweat Scale: LBT: 9/10 with no aircon, 7/10 with. Dance Aerobics: 6/10

- Strength / Cardio / Flexi / Tone: LBT: Cardio and toning. DA: Bit of Cardio

- Complexity: LBT: 4/10 Simple exercises. DA: 6/10 Some co-ordination required!

- Fun Factor: 8/10 Two solid fun classes

- Changing Facilities: Big but basic

- Instructor Inspiration: 10/10. Instructor Kris ws featured in Huffington Post – read and be awed! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/15/i-lost-weight-kris-webb_n_1756208.html

The Stats:

- Total Time: LBT: 39mins / DA: 45mins

- Calories Burnt: LBT: 152 / DA: 199 (more than expected!)

- Average Heart Rate: LBT: 111bpm / DA: 107bpm

- Max Heart Rate: LBT: 159bpm / DA: 142bpm

Thank You Kris!