ClassPass… Is It Worth It?

I’ve been wanting to get back active for a while. I’ll go ahead and be honest as well as embarrass myself by saying I haven’t workout out since the summer of 2018. Sad I know! When the winter months rear its ugly head, I don’t know about you, but I hibernate like the Polar Bears. Okay maybe not hibernate exactly like them lol! But I have to admit I get a bit lazy around this time. AND I DO NOT LIKE COLD WEATHER! PERIOD! Anything below 60-65 degrees I’m not here for it!

My other problem, besides the cold wintery months, is getting bored with going to the gym. I have had memberships at French Riviera (back in the day), Planet Fitness, Lifetime Fitness and L.A. Fitness. Each time I get super excited about going to the gym. Even go as far as buying new workout clothes. All the new equipment, new classes, the little health cafes and even getting a trainer… I am hype! Then it happens… the newness wears off (usually around 6 or 7 months in). I’m making myself go to the gym. It’s beginning to feel like a chore to me. UGH! I don’t want to go. Sigh! Now what! With my body type (endomorph) I must workout and eat healthy if I want to maintain a decent weight. I know you’re thinking what the heck is an endomorph… sounds like a creepy monster or a Power Ranger. LOL!!!

There are three different body types… ectomorph, endomorph and mesomorph. “Ectomorph body types are lean and long, with difficulty building muscle. Endomorph have big, high body fat, often pear-shaped, with a high tendency to store body fat. And lastly mesomorph are muscular and well-built, with a high metabolism and responsive muscle cells (Coachmag).” Boy, do I wish I were a Mesomorph! My metabolism sucks! So I needed to find something to do. I discovered Classpass on Instagram. It was founded by Payal Kadakia in 2011. I began researching the studios listed in my area. As I examined the list I realized that these were all places that I wanted to check out. However, I knew I couldn’t afford to have memberships at all these different places. Classpass is the perfect way to try out a variety of gyms and studios. That way you can make a decision if you want a regular membership at one of these studios or you could pay for a membership through the Classpass website/app.

The membership with Classpass is $49 a month which isn’t bad. That’s what you’ll pay at most gyms for a membership. They allow you to try it out for 30 days for free. Also, if you do decide to get a membership through them and don’t want it the next month you can cancel at any time. So, in my opinion, it’s a win win situation. Once I signed up for the trial I immediately booked my first class. I’ve been wanting to get more involved with yoga so I chose to sign up at BetterBodiesYoga . I enrolled in the “New to Yoga Welcome” class since I’ve only taken yoga once before. When I got there I was impressed. The studio is really nice and clean! If you know me you know I’m always checking to see if something is clean lol! The lady at the front desk checked me in promptly and another nice lady showed me to my class. She informed me that they have two other buildings on the same street which are Better Bodies Yoga 2 and something called the Salt-cave. The salt cave is on my list of things to try out in Memphis. It is currently being remodeled.

The room was spacious, semi dimly lit (during class) and the musical selection that the instructor Brandy chose was soothing. The yoga class itself was great. I was given a mat and a blanket to use since I didn’t have one. Also, they gave me a set of blocks and a strap to use. Brandy calmly instructed us through a series of basic yoga poses. I’m learning them… lotus pose, child’s pose, tree pose and warrior pose just to name a few. Now if I can get some strength in these limbs of mine that would be even better lol! My muscles were stretched beyond what I thought they could do. Brandy didn’t make any of us feel bad if we couldn’t do a certain pose. She gave us alternatives to the specific pose which helped me out a lot. At the end of the class we were given a hot towel over our eyes and a quick five minute massage. I could have fallen asleep on the floor where I laid lol! I felt very relaxed. I thanked Brandy before I left. I definitely would recommend Better Bodies Yoga.

The next class I chose to attend was Barre Classic at Neighborhood Barre. What is Barre?? According to their website, “NeighborhoodBarre is a unique workout that combines the elements of dance conditioning, pilates, and weight training to create what is commonly referred to as a dancer’s physique.” I scheduled an evening class at 6:45p. This class lasted one hour. When you walk in it feels so inviting. The two young ladies at the front desk greeted me immediately, asked me my name & knew it was my first class. They were more excited than I was about it being my first class. Lol! In the studio, they have a place for you to put your belongings. You are asked to grab a mat, a small ball, two free weights, a double tube, and a resistance band. Ashley, the owner, came to have a quick chat with me. She is so sweet!

Honestly I thought the class would be easy. Boy was I wrong!! I got a FULL BODY WORKOUT! I woke up some muscle that I forgot was actually there! The class is not like being on a treadmill or an elliptical. That’s easy, in my opinion, because you have something underneath you holding you up. Barre makes you use and work your whole body. Needless to say I broke a sweat and my Apple Watch says I burned 500 calories. Thank goodness I had bought a fresh bag of Epsom Salt cause I was going to need it! Lol! Do I recommend Neighborhood Barre? Absolutely! This class challenged me in more ways than one!

I decided on Hot Haus Yoga at MindBodyHaus to experiment with next. Another challenging class. If you think yoga is easy then you’re wrong. Lol! And this class was in a room that was heated to 90 degrees. Jocelyn (co-founder of Mind Body Haus) greeted me and we talked for a bit about ClassPass and some of the classes that they offer. She is super nice! She also taught the Hot Haus class which is an all level class that consist of a Vinyasa flow. Jocelyn was very helpful throughout the session. She assisted me in correcting my form and poses. I need all the help I can get with these poses. I was sweating like a pig lol! Some of the position were difficult. And let me tell you Jocelyn is awesome because not only was she doing these same poses… she was doing them and she is pregnant!! I actually felt bad cause she was doing way better than I was lol! My body was stretched once again beyond what I thought it could possibly do. But afterwards I felt so good. It’s like a had been in a sauna for an hour. I slept like a baby that night lol! Mind Body Haus & Jocelyn you get an A+ in my book!

The last class that I tried was a spin class at Spincult901. I’ve taken Spin before so I knew what I was getting myself into. I knew that the class would be difficult. I knew that I would sweat my butt off. I knew the seat would be the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever sat on lol! BUT I was willing to put myself through all of that for the sake of getting some cardio in that week. Victoria was the instructor for this class. She worked us completely out through a series of organized exercises that worked every crevice of my body to a hip hop playlist. That playlist was probably the only thing that helped me through lol! I promise if I did spin two or three times a week I would be super skinny. I chatted with Victoria after class for a brief moment. She was a great instructor. If you’re looking for a challenged, breaking a sweat and burning tons of calories Spincult is the place for you!

Spin just like all the other classes were a challenge. But what’s exercise without a little challenge, right? My honest opinion of ClassPass is that it’s totally worth it. I already have my classes setup for this week. I am back totally committed to working out with the help of ClassPass. It gives me the variety that I need as well as the push I need to close all my activity rings on my Apple Watch lol! I’m looking forward to my next class and to see where this takes me on my new fitness journey.