Come On Along And Work Out To The Lullaby Of Broadway

I'm really trying to give this fitness thing a go. But after only three weeks, I'm kind of running out of things to do at the gym.

I like the weight training, but for now, I really need my trainer beside me, telling me which machines to use in what order. And I love cycling and swimming, but I don't want to do the same things over and over, lest I get bored with them, or my body get used to them, rendering them unaffective. (The trainers at the gym are really big on mixing it up -- I was told not to do the same workout more than once within three weeks.) I need to try some new things, mix it up a little bit.

In that spirit, last night, I took a sampler class which was comprised of small bits of basic step, kickboxing and Latin dance. I'd done a little of the step and the kickboxing before, but the Latin dance was new to me. And I really liked the small bit we did. Of the three, it was the dance that was my favorite.

I like doing the kind of exercise that makes me forget I'm exercising. For many people, that means playing a sport. But since I am not at all athletic, sports have no allure for me and usually don't give me that great a workout -- why bother trying to chase around a ball I know I have no chance of hitting? (That said, I did sign up for a raquetball clinic. I don't know what I was thinking.) I'm not that graceful either, but with dance, you're not really competing with anyone, and I can follow basic instructions, so even if I look stupid, I can still have fun and get a good workout.

The instructor who ran last night's session said there will be a Latin class starting up next week, but it's kind of early in the evening, so I'm not sure I'd be able to make it in time after work. Still, I'd like to try, because it seems to be the only dance-y class offered there. Plus I think with the music, it would be fun and different. I'm tired of working out to crappy Top 40 hits remixed with a fast beat.

On the way home, I got to thinking what kind of exercise class I'd really like to attend. Since I really enjoy the dance-y stuff (so long as it's not too complicated -- I remember stumbling all over myself trying to do the Paula Abdul dance workout tape in high school), I was thinking a good one would be a workout to Broadway tunes.

Richard Simmons and a few others have put out workout tapes with Broadway music, but from what I can see, the songs are all really old. I can't really blame them for that -- the Broadway shows everyone knew during the workout tape heyday of the 80s and early 90s hardly provided good exercise songs. I can't imagine myself sweating to any of the songs from Les Miserables or anything from Andrew Lloyd Webber. (Can't you just see a room of people trying to do leg lifts to "Do You Hear The People Sing"?)

But I think that the shows that are popular on Broadway and on tour these days would provide some great workout tunes. I could see myself enjoying an exercise routine set to Urinetown's "Run Freedom Run," Hairspray's "Welcome to the 60s" or even the "Fisch Schlapping Song" from Spamalot. And I can only imagine the calorie-burning choreography that could be used for Avenue Q's "You Can Be As Loud As The Hell You Want (When You're Makin' Love).

So how about it?