The Bermudian - Winter 2017

If you’re not inspired by going to the gym, you’ve tried the usual fitness classes but they’re not for you or if you just fancy trying something different in 2018, maybe one, or all, of these classes could be for you.

cool classes

“Back trouble often begins with a weak core and poor posture.

Feel Good Studio’s goal is to align the spine and balance the posture with correct positioning of the pelvis. With our passive exercises, one gains maximum oxygenation and blood flow to improve core strength, balance and posture”

— caroline bartlett, owner feel good studio

Pole Dancing

If you ever watched pole dancers in the movies or real life and thought it looked easy, you’ll think again once you have tried it yourself. “I’m in the best shape I have ever been in,” says Marilyn Allers, owner and instructor at Aerial Therapy.

“Pole classes strengthen all your muscles—especially core, shoulders and legs.” If you are a “pole virgin,” you can try “Meet the Pole,” which starts with body positioning, simple floor transitions such as pirouettes, maybe a spin and then a “pull up” onto the pole. “There are no guarantees, but as long as people are consistent, the majority are able to hold themselves up in the initial climbing position by the sixth week. As you become more advanced, the classes open up a whole new world of movements—upright holds, handstands, “tick tock” legs and when you are really good, you can do it upside down!

Moves can be modified to suit all abilities and as long as you have no injuries, the pole is suitable for adults of any age.

There is even a class for which you can wear your stilettos.”

Beach Boot Camp

Why would you sweat
inside when you live on
a beautiful island and
can sweat on the sand in
front of the ocean? George
Moroianu, a personal trainer
at Courthouse Squash &
Wellness, runs “Bootcamp
on the Beach,” which is an
eight-week programme at 9
a.m. on Saturday mornings
at Elbow Beach. It occurs
four times a year and the next
one will begin in January. It is
a 60-minute circuit training
session. “Everyone can work
at their own individual fitness
level and the sand really helps
because you have to work
a bit harder,” says Sue Pell,
Courthouse’s general man-
ager. “And you can cool off in
the water at the end.”

Self Defence at
TAMA Dojo

While the health benefits of exercise are well known, the self-defense techniques taught by Sensei Bob Smith, could, quite literally, save your life.

They incorporate Krav Maga, which is the military self-defense system developed for the Israel Defense Forces.

The exercises are all gross
motor skills because that is
all you can manage in very
stressful situations. It’s not
all exercise because Smith
teaches that the priority is to
avoid a dangerous situation
altogether. You will learn how
to move your feet so you don’t
lose balance, how to correctly
hold your arms to protect
yourself, how to use the palm
of your hand to best effect
and how to use basic items to
harm your attacker. You will
be amazed how much dam-
age you can do with a pen or
a handkerchief. You need to
be “functionally fit” to defend
yourself and that is also the
aim. Be warned, to simulate
the stress of an attack you
may have to do burpees!

Aerial Silks

Aerial Silks is the “art
of wrapping and the art
of climbing,” says Kal-
lie Marcus, founder of
Kinetix. It involves a 20-foot
brightly coloured piece of fab-
ric, attached in the middle to
the ceiling to create two long
tails and you literally climb
and wrap yourself in them
in various different ways. “It
exercises arms, core and legs
and particularly strengthens
your grip,” she continues. “I
can open things I didn’t used
to be able to.” While it will
take some practice before you
can do the splits 14 feet in the
air, beginners can still look
like experts by moving their
body into different positions,
creating some great poses
that make you flex every
muscle in your body such
as the “inverted tuck,” “bird
of paradise,” “hip lean” and
“hummingbird.”

Socafit

Can you dance for hours on a Saturday night, but dread the thought of doing any exercise? Do you love the idea of an aerobics class, but are too self-conscious to give it a go? If this sounds familiar, then Geisha Rene’s SocaFit classes might be for you.

The ceiling lights go down, the disco lights come on, the soca music is loud and suddenly you don’t care what you look like, you just follow the moves as best you can until you feel like you’ve run a marathon and can’t stop smiling! And the best part says Geisha is that “no one is watching you! It’s a cardio-based class but instead of having to run or stand on a treadmill for an hour you are burning calories by dancing.”