Sometimes we just seem to fall into the same old routine, and every now and then we need to change it up! Weather it be our eating, work, or fitness routines occasionally they get old after a while and we need to do something about it to make it exciting again! Well, I am guilty of letting my fitness routine become stale, it has consisted of yoga and running light running for the past year and a half (okay maybe two) and it is time for a facelift.
Photo courtesy of Edge Rock Gym – she kinda looks like me, but it’s not!
Last night I changed it up by going to Edge Rock Gym, a rocking climbing facility here in Jax off of Philips and Emerson. It’s amazing, I absolutely love it! Here’s why:
- It’s a workout without feeling like one.
- I am always ridiculously sore after rock climbing! And it’s because it truly is a workout, especially for parts of the body that I don’t typically focus on, like my forearms, shoulders, back and oh yeah, my fingers! Today it kinda hurts to write this blog :-/ but don’t worry I’ll stop my whining.
- Friends don’t let friends climb alone.
- A group of us get together to climb once a week and it feels like we are hanging out having a good time versus carving out time to go to the gym, yoga or for a run.
- It’s a constant challenge.
- Sure, I got the basic auto belay down pat… but try advancing to the next level courses and a new challenge awaits. Or if you’re feeling frisky test the waters with bouldering – this is where all of the hardcore folks hang out. I envy the girls that have been doing this awhile and have mastered the ability to maintain control when bouldering. I seriously suck at bouldering, but I keep going back for more and every time I conquer even the easiest bouldering course I view it as a major win!
Interested in trying it out yet? Check out this video (it’s a little outdated), but it’s a great way to see what they offer. And yes, I am totally jealous of the girl bouldering about a minute into the video. That’s my goal and that’s why I’ll keep going back – to be able to have the control and strength to do that!
If you talk to any of the people who are advanced climbers, they will all tell you that they go two to three times a week and believe me – their back and shoulders says it all!
We always end our rock climbing sessions with 15 minutes of fun aka a quick 15-minute workout to finish it off. Typically these sessions consists of planks, pushups, boat pose, v-ups, bicycles, plank up-downs, crunches, and burpees. Once again, not feeling like a work out because we are just a bunch of friends (did I mention we are all a bit crazy) who are working out and kicking each other’s butts, while having a good time!
I am always looking for new ways to stay active and add to my lacking routine, do you have anything new that you’ve tried that I should add to the list?! Please share!
