That lunchtime yoga class I meant to take this afternoon? It didn’t happen.
But a different exercise class did!
Have you guys heard of Piloxing?
According to the Piloxing website, the workout “uniquely mixes Pilates and boxing into a fat torching and muscle sculpting workout guaranteed to whip you into shape.”
When we moved to Ocala and I saw Piloxing on the group exercise schedule at my gym, I was very intrigued, but all of the classes were offered in the afternoon and since I like to workout in the morning, I never took one.
As lunchtime approached and I thought about going to yoga like I planned, I just wasn’t in the mood. My head wasn’t in the right place (it would’ve been a yoga class like this one, I’m sure), so I looked up the group exercise schedule at my gym.
Piloxing at noon? Sounds good!
I went to the class expecting a Tae-Bo type kickboxing workout. I’m not sure why I thought “kickboxing” because the class description doesn’t reference kickboxing at all, but that’s where my head went!
In actuality, the class incorporated a lot of boxing and jumping to get you nice and sweaty and paired the quick cardiovascular movements with stationary bodyweight Pilates movements that made my muscles burn.
The class wasn’t as challenging as Physique 57 in my opinion (that class really fired up my muscles), but the short, repetitive movements reminded me of that class a bit.
I found myself smiling throughout the class like a total goober, which obviously meant I had a good time. It reminded me a bit of Jazzercise in that regard. I really enjoy workouts where I’m jumping around like a lunatic and doing fast bursts of explosive cardio movements, so I loved the boxing aspects of the workout. A fun one for sure!
Lunch
After my workout, I came home ready to dig into lunch.
I made myself a veggie pizza bowl!
I combined the leftover turkey pepperoni from our pizza night on Tuesday with chicken, sliced zucchini and eggplant in a small pan. I topped everything with marinara and shredded cheese and stirred it together until the cheese melted into the tomato sauce, thickening it up a bit.
After topping it off with parmesan cheese, it was time to dig in!
For some reason, it felt like I was eating dinner for lunch. I guess this dish seemed more like something I would eat at dinnertime, perhaps because it was hot and took a little more time to prepare than a simple lunch.
Back to work!
Question of the Afternoon
- What was the last group exercise class you took? What did you think?
- What is your favorite group exercise class?
My favorite group exercise classes are BodyPump and Jazzercise. Both are a blast and I really wish my current gym offered them!
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That class sounds great – I wish my gym offerred it! I take an abs/toning class twice a week early in the morning. I love it because it is a total body work out and she always changes it up so I never quite know what to expect – but it is always hard and kicks my butt! I am definitely the youngest person there, but that only motivates me more – if they can do it, I can definitely do it too!
That sounds like fun! I love group exercise classes. Recently I’ve enjoyed taking some zumba classes with my mom – those definitely make me smile while I’m working out, mostly because I can’t dance and look kind of ridiculous, but have a blast anyways. I love spinning, too, and have recently discovered TurboKick which was really tough at first, but I’ve found myself craving it!
I’ve never tried Piloxing. I tried BodyPump a few weeks ago and really liked it, but I don’t belong to a gym and I don’t think it’s worth the fee for BodyPump alone (I workout in my apt gym).
I loveee taking and teaching group fitness classes. The energy is amazing 🙂
i love yoga and body pump. piloxing sounds amazing!!!
I have actually done both P57 and Piloxing. I enjoy both, but you’re right that P57 burns a heck of a lot more! I used to take both dance classes and kickboxing, so I guess it isn’t a surprise that I enjoy those two! Glad you liked it!
I am obsessed with the spinning classes offered at my gym. I decided to try one out on a whim and now I can’t stop!
Piloxing sounds fun! I love BodyPump! I’ve been going 2-3 times a week since October. I can actually see my muscles now.
I took a beginner step class last night and I take yoga once a week.
My favorite class is cardio kickboxing. I’ve tried piloxing once, but also did not feel like it really worked me out. It was OK. I really want to try a CrossFit class at some point!
I am not a huge fan of group exercise classes but I used to go to spin often, and then went so much I got sick of it and have not been in over a year. I think the main reason I wasn’t a fan was sticking to the class schedule versus my own. I would love to try a body pump class sometime but it is not offered here yet.
I love Spin, but recently I took a Barre class that kicked my butt. I loved it!
We have a class here called Fitmix, kind of like bodypump I guess, definitely my favourite. The step class teacher is also amazing which make her class super fun!
I take group fitness classes 3 times a week at lunchtime. Usually they’re all cardio/weight interval based. The class I took today though was more like Bootcamp and it totally kicked my butt, everyone in the class was sweating like CRAZY 🙂
Your lunch looks delicious! I would love a lunch/dinner like that. It reminds me of something I’d be more apt to eat for dinner though 🙂
I love teaching spin classes! I come from a road cycling background, so I teach with less emphasis on matching the workout to the songs and more emphasis on quality hill work, sprints, and steady state intervals. I tell my classes to “work hard when it’s supposed to be hard and go easy when it’s time for recovery” — most people tell me they burn more calories/get a better workout this way because they actually work hard during intervals if they know they get a short rest after – as opposed to spin classes where the instructor doesn’t really give any recovery time during the workout.
As for other group workouts, I like bootcamp style classes (especially ones outside!) and yoga if it’s not too crowded.
I was SOOO excited when I saw this! Piloxing looks amazing – so glad you enjoyed it. I wanna try it sometime soon as well, but since I don’t belong to a real gym (just a condo gym), I don’t have access to group fitness classes. I think much like you, I’m big on weight workouts and doing mah own thang. I do love the occasional yoga or pilates class, but tend to stick to cardio/weights in a gym setting! I did once take “amazing abs + butt” at Goodlife and looooved it. There’s nothing I love more than working my booty!
I’m all about spin & yoga classes – I worry I don’t have enough coordination for dance-based ones 🙂
I took Piloxing at a studio in LA a few years ago…and Hilary Duff was in the class. It was a fantastic workout!!
I swear by group exercise. I take 5-6 classes a week. Two strength, two cardio and one that’s a combo of the two. I have several favorites but I LOVE Step Aerobics and Bodypump. I also take a class that’s a hybrid of the two…talk about a challenge 🙂
i thought step aerobics seemed like a blast but i did NOT have the coordination for that bad boy! i was all over the place! 🙂
Your lunch looks so delicious! I’m not sure why I’ve never thought of combining marinera and veggies but it’s so simple and yummy! And I LOVE group classes- I find them motivating and a way to totally forget that you are working out!
I’ve only taken one Zumba class, but I’m a fan. I typically don’t like group classes, but that one was really fun! 🙂
I hear you on the dinner for lunch thing but I enjoy larger meals midday. I think it’s an italian thing which is fitting for your italian-influenced bowl.
My last group class was either hip hop dance or spin. I can’t remember since it’s been awhile. Spin is definitely my favorite. I want to try a pole dancing fitness class but am a little embarassed to go by myself.
I teach group exercise classes and I am obsessed with them all. I love teaching my Circuit Training classes and doing a bootcamp style, so I would have to say I’m partial to those. But Kickboxing is a close second — in addition to teaching at my local Y I belong to a studio called Corpbasics, where their Kickboxing classes are all choreographed to different songs. It’s so fun!!
Hey Julie,
I wanted to write to thank you for posting all about Bodypump before you moved. I recently joined a gym that has this class, and your posts helped give me the confidence to try it out, because I felt like I knew what I was getting into. :0) Really enjoying it, so thanks!!!
that makes me so happy! i’m so glad you’re enjoying it!!
Love the idea of that pizza bowl! Healthy and carb-friendly!
Sounds like fun!! Sorry I coudln’t join you for yoga. I have been wanting to try a barre class, and I’ve been told there are 2 places here in Ocala. Wanna give it a go?
absolutely!!! anytime!
I love both BodyPump & spin classes!
Does CrossFit count?! I love working out in a group environment.
I used to take Krav Maga as a fitness/self defense class. I(That’s actually how I met my boyfriend!) But sense he’s away at Medical School, I’ve been doing working out on my own at the gym (strength toning and cardio) and then I also do Zumba for a fun, feel good class. While my primary fitness routines are independent in the gym, Zumba is a great way to get the body moving after sitting in the office. Plus, you can get a little sassy with it, though I’m sure I look like a dancing string bean or something ridiculous.
haha what a funky name for a workout class! I think there’s something else that’s new called “hot hula”? Sounds really fun! And I’m the same way–if my lunch is really hot or at a certain heat level, I consider it dinner-ish.
I took my first Piloxing class this semester and LOVED it. We have a great instructor here that kept things really exciting and made me feel like I was dancing. I had a great sore-all-over feeling the day after that was AWESOME.
This is the new fad, combining random exercises into a class. They don’t always work though. I love spin although my gym doesn’t offer it and I want to try bodypump SO bad but my gym doesn’t offer it either, lol.
I joined a gym to take kickboxing and love it! It is an MMA focused facility but the kickboxing doesnt involve one on one contact for the most part. I just beat up the bag with cute pink boxing gloves! It is part bootcamp, part pilates, part kickboxing, part whatever hell the instructor invents for that day and it is awesome!
On a side note, I just recently discovered your blog and LOVE it! Thanks for sharing with us!
Love love yoga classes.
Found a gem of a teacher at my newish gym. Unfortunately I’ve been down and out with arm injury the last few weeks but managed to go for the first time in ages last night, hurrah!
Ended up doing many a tripod-like downward dogs and one handed balancing positions haha!
Love kickboxing also, but sadly that’s where the injury happened!
Gorgeous Sadie cuddling photos btw 🙂
My favorite fitness classes are Zumba and Power Hour, which is what my gym calls Kickboxing. They always get my heart pumping and I have yet to NOT be sore from a power hour class!
The last group fitness class I did was the Pilates class at my gym, but I have to say that Body Pump is my favorite! I am weights-challenged so I need all the group motivation and instruction I can get. But soon I’ll be quitting my gym – any suggestions on how I can keep up strength training in my apartment’s gym and out of the (fitness) classroom?
I love group fitness! Every week, I take kickboxing, TurboKick, BodyPump, Boot Camp, and TRX classes. There’s something about the atmosphere that gets me pumped in a way no elliptical, stationary bike, or (the horror!) treadmill can.
There arent any cool classes like that where i live! All we have is zumba. Im jealous sounds fun
I try to take body pump twice a week. For strength training, it’s my go-to workout. Although I love taking yoga at actual studios, I feel like at my gym they never progress, so It’s always a beginners/newbies class.
I am not a big fitness class person however my mother in law loves bodypump so when we visit her, she loves to take me! I actually really enjoy it, and enjoy doing it with her.
I took a barre class with my sis-in-law a few months back too,but wasn’t a huge fan.
Great looking lunch!
I LOVE Jazzercise! I would multiple times a week my senior year of college with my best friend, and I even got my mom hooked on it! Now I go with her whenever I’m home visiting!
That class does sound like a blast! It’s nice to have the option of a noon class.
I must say I don’t do group classes. BUT, at work they recently started a noon yoga class once a week that I’m planning on attending. Maybe I’ll become a convert?!
This sounds fantastic and really fun. I’m taking a boxing class with a friend this Sunday, so we’ll see how that goes!
I’ve always been intrigued by Piloxing, but never have given it a shot! I’m a big fan of outdoor boot camps, but need to pump up my strength training a bit. Maybe my local gym has a Body Pump class? Fingers crossed!
Also, love your blog! It inspired me to start one of my own…we’ll see how THAT goes 🙂
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The last class I took was a spin class. As I am a spin / BodyPump instructor, I enjoy taking other instructors’ classes to see different teaching styles and to get inspired by their choreographies. Taking a FighKlub class tomorrow. It’s pretty much like kickboxing (contact, not a shadowing). It KICKS butts. 🙂
I tried a beginning yoga class on Monday. I’d done yoga once before years ago and hated it so I thought I’d try a super basic one. Turns out it was a little too basic but at least I didn’t feel like an idiot, not knowing how to do anything. My fave class is Zumba. I avoided it for so long because I thought it was stupid, now I LOVE it. It’s a great cardio workout.
I absolutely love kickboxing! It’s great to be able to punch and kick your stress away. I really like fast paced cardio classes, too! I tried to get into spinning, but for some reason, I just get bored and find myself checking the time every 2 minutes.
I’m an aerobics instructor, so I teach a lot of different classes (my favorites are Zumba, cycling, pilates and yoga). The gym I work for is working on getting Piloxing into the building as well as a few different Barre classes. Exciting to start taking and teaching them!
OK, first of all your lunch looks delicious and creative. I will have to keep that idea in the back of my mind.
Second of all, I saw someone on my facebook post this and thought about Sadie LOL
http://www.sadanduseless.com/2012/04/texts-from-my-dog/#uPqB9YKArBRvLEku.01
this is BRILLIANT!!!! just posted it on the PBF facebook page. thanks for sharing, carmen!
My mom and I just started piloxing at one of our rec centers and it really surprised me how fun it actually was! The cardio, dance and boxing moves are a perfect mix to get me pumped up. I think my sister and I might try to do a class this summer too! We both love your blog an all the healthy foods as workouts you post!! We also have a vizsla just like Sadie, only our old girl Penny is still kicking at 11!