I've realised I prefer exercising at home

[tectonicplates]

My favourite yoga teacher has been teaching online. I've been enjoying it even more than usual and felt even calmer than usual. She usually teaches at this stereotypical trendy yoga studio that I only go to because of her, although I do sometimes go to other classes there.

It's made me realise how much resentment I often feel towards people in the real-life classes - they're always thinner and trendier than me. I know this is my issue, not theirs and would never say it to anyone's face.

But I've also realised how much I can't stand "yoga studio culture". I wish I could find a regular class at a hired space/community hall as it's usually much nicer, but it's so hard to find a teacher I actually click with. So online classes seem like a much better idea, even once the lockdown ends.

I also sometimes treat myself to classes at this trendy exercise studio that I've convinced myself is great because it's so popular with women. But in reality, it's mainly populated by young, slim and beautiful people dressed in Lululemon, and it makes me feel rubbish. I even feel annoyed with the instructors wearing tiny crop tops that I'd never fit into. Again I'm not blaming them, I'm just realising I'm glad I'm not there.

This week I restarted 30 Day Shred. So much better! No overcrowded class, no getting annoyed with people. So much better for reducing stress.

I'm sure some of you will say it's just because I haven't found the right gym for me, but why even find one at all? There's plenty of exercise videos on YouTube.

Not all yoga teachers are as you describe, they shouldn't make you feel unwelcome because you arent slim enough. My mum is mid 50s a yoga teacher - she's slim and in great shape because she does 16 yoga classes a week!! Her studio has all range of body types... In fact in all classes if you were in a crop top you'd stand out!

pilates fans

Can any of you recommend a good at home Pilates workout plan for a beginner? I have around 10yrs of yoga experience so a moderate level of core strength and I recognise a lot of the poses, though obviously they aren’t exactly the same. I’m hoping yoga asanas will help me get to know Pilates. Or is that horribly misguided?

I've just realised I have a couple of class credits left for this other yoga studio I occasionally go to. They'll become useable again whenever the place reopens. The thought of using them fills me with dread at the moment.

Not all yoga teachers are as you describe, they shouldn't make you feel unwelcome because you arent slim enough. My mum is mid 50s a yoga teacher - she's slim and in great shape

They're not all as I describe, yet you've just described one! I know there's a couple of people online like Jessamyn Stanley but have yet to meet these people in real life.

I like the gym and I like classes - but I don’t like the time I have to take travelling to said classes and I don’t like paying for them. So I work out at home.

Can anyone recommend easy yoga class to start with?

I usually run a lot but I'm not feeling great. And want something easier on the body for a bit.

Something relaxing but still stretches the muscles if possible 🤞🏼

I was trying to say... My mum is slim because she teaches and practices a crazy amount of yoga - but that has nothing to do with how welcoming she is. 2/3s of the people who come to her studio are not slim. If they didn't feel welcome she wouldn't have a successful business.

To say OP my sister also teaches at the studio and is a size 14... Has never been a size 8 in her life and never worn a crop top. I think you are doing lots of teachers a disservice

The instructors and other clients aren’t U for being thin and wearing skimpy / expensive yoga wear.

The instructors are being U if their teaching practice is poor, if they criticise you for not being able to perform certain moves the way they do (unless you were mistaken and their criticism may genuinely relate to things you could improve). And they are being U if they are expecting everyone to be able to do X, Y or Z, unless perhaps it’s a class badged advanced.

Their employer is being U if they deliberately only employ instructors who are thin/attractive.

@Chesneyhawkes1 Yoga with Adrienne on youtube has some easy/beginner ones.

@Chesneyhawkes1

I found the pace on Yoga with Adriene quite fast 😕. I could keep up but found aches in the wrong places the next day, suggesting I was using the wrong muscles. I finally got started with some classes marked therapeutic yoga, til I got the hang of some basics then really enjoyed Yoga with Adriene

All the best

Thank you both. I'll give them both a try. Maybe the easier one first 😊

I couldn't agree more.

OP, if you like Jillian Michaels then I highly recommend her My Fitness app. You can try it for free for 7 days. I've had a paid subscription for 2.5 years now, it's a pittance compared to paying to go to a gym. The classes are fully customisable based on how much time you have, your fitness level, and available equipment. You can even swap out exercises if you want to (for example there are one or twoI can't do because of knee issues so I can easily swap them out). There's so much content on there as well.

I agree op. I get up and do a Les Mills Body Balance class every morning now. I love it. Have done my workout for the day by 9am and it sets me up for the day.

I'm just reviving this thread as I'm still enjoying exercising from home. It's going well.

I'm enjoying home exercise too! I'm walking the dog for my daily outing, so only running on the occasions where one of the kids can be persuaded to take the dog instead, but I've been doing some sort of home workout daily since lockdown began and really enjoying it.
I've been doing Yoga with Kassandra (I just didn't click with Adrienne, though lots of people have recommended here) for 10 mins in the morning, occasional Joe Wicks with the kids, and some sort of weights/kettlebells/cardio in the afternoon (HASFIT, Bodyfit by Amy - which is a new discovery that I really lie). The cross trainer DH ordered at the start of lockdown finally arrived yesterday, so starting a bit of that too.
I'm looking forward to going back to my regular class at the gym - mainly because I really like the instructor and the group - but feeling much more positive about home exercise than I expected to!

I enjoy home exercise too and find it more convenient, but I'm not getting you OP in terms of what you say about the teachers and other attendees. What's the problem with them wearing exercise crop tops to an exercise class? It's not as if they are wearing them to the school gate. Do people need to be larger for you to be/feel ok? You may be losing out on friendships with wonderful people, because of something going on in your own mind.

I attended a yoga class taught by a lovely young woman in her early twenties. She was a slim as a reed and wore leggings/crop tops. All her attendees were larger women in their 30s - 50s, but it didn't matter because she was lovely, utterly inclusive and her generosity of spirt came across.

Occasionally I feel intimidated when I meet a really pretty woman, but most of the time I just enjoy looking at them! Their prettiness doesn't take anything away from me.

@MaybeDoctor My point is that at the places I go to, they are all like that. There's no variety, and the yoga teachers have only trained with one body type so they have no idea of variations, no idea that larger people have to do certain things in a different way, even minor things like moving your belly when you do a twist.

And as I've mentioned above, I've had a Pilates teacher telling me not to lean forward so much, when I would've thought it was very obvious why I'm doing it, because I have a lot more weight there than anyone else in the class.

So the trouble with these crop tops is that they only fit on small cup sizes (believe me, I have tried some on and it just isn't going to work), so as soon as I see someone wearing one, I know instantly they're yet another instructor who has no idea what it's like for me, no idea that I have to physically move parts of my body out of the way to do things, and no idea why the plough pose is a bad idea in general.

At no point have I said it's their fault. I've made it very clear it's my issue and not theirs, but it has got the message through that their classes aren't for me.

I don't go to the gym to make friends. And I have no problem being friends with people of all sizes because they're not telling me how to move my body. But fitness instructors, sure they're mostly slim but I do expect them to have more training about what different sizes bodies do and why.

I have a bad shoulder as well and I am loving being able to adapt the moves to do ones that are the most comfortable for me without having to feel awkward I'm not doing exactly what everyone else is doing or explain to the teacher every time why I do this.

I am still doing my body balance class every morning when I get up and and hope to continue this now and ditch the very expensive David Lloyd gym membership I previously had.

If I had all the equipment I wanted then Id prefer to exercise at home too, that's if there was even any equipment to be bought at the moment🤔

If we mostly talking about yoga (?) I definitely prefer to do that at home
so much free tuition on the internet 😊

I'm really hoping that some of the classes I'm doing online at the moment continue online after "everything goes back to normal"

One of the ones I've just started doing is a 30 min HIIT class and usually it would take me c. 25 mins to drive to the venue, do the class then 25 mins home, so 80 mins for a 30 min class - I'm saving so much time being able to do it at home !

Powerhoop is another matter though - my living room really isn't big enough for that