For the past twenty years, the "keep-fit" concept has been part of our lives. Ever since the invention of breakfast television, we have been treated to the sight of sinewy ladies decked out like ancient Fame kids, exhorting us to feel the burn. The Green Goddess and the aptly titled Mad Lizzie were on a mission to get Britain fit and they dragged everyone with cable in Ireland along with them.
As time high-kicked on, we have seen specialisation in the industry. Classes for all sectors of society have sprung up around the country. Babies now build up their infant six-packs, while OAPS wiggle their artificial hips to hardcore. Aerobics has become the new opium of the people. So if the only exercise you ever get is running after ice-cream vans and you blackout when you put on your shoes, then it's time to consider that course. Put the stick of butter down and get ready to reacquaint yourself with your feet.
There is no one typical keep-fit 'way' or 'path'. You won't find any mystical Chinese gurus banging on about loving yourself and inner peace. Instead, you will be likely to get a skinny woman called Clodagh banging on about lifting your legs and inner thighs. Keep-fit classes generally use a variety of mainly aerobic exercises to encourage cardiovascular and muscular fitness and increased flexibility. Often, an instructor stands at the top of the room and runs the students through stretching exercises, step routines and circuit training. Aerobics workouts are great for building a stronger heart and leaner body, lowering cholesterol and improving sleep patterns. However, a keep-fit class doesn't have to adhere to the aerobics pattern. You could choose a course that concentrates on resistance training or even a discipline such as yoga or kickboxing.
There are so many ways to achieve fitness but also so many American sitcoms to watch. It takes motivation to get active. The trick is to book yourself into a really expensive course that has a 'No Refunds' policy. This ensures that the Irish forever friend, Guilt, will make you leave the couch and turn up to jog on the spot with gusto. Do you know what you could have bought with that money? There are children who don't have any teeth, you know…
An evening keep-fit class will be on at a set time each week and last for an hour or so. However, if you live near a gym, you may find that they have drop-in classes for those who can't commit to a certain day every week. You will obviously get more benefit out of a course if you go regularly, but even irregular attendance can be beneficial.
So if you are finding it difficult to get out of bed in the mornings, mainly because you can't do the sit-up, then it's time to consider a course.
