There are two things I try to avoid at all times – being awake before 9am, and exercise. So it was pretty exiting to get up before the sun rose, head into the city for the Health and Fitness Expo VIP Preview and be back home before 9am.
I headed to the Virgin Active Health Club on Collins Street, ready with my new Myzone fitness tracker at 7am to meet up with a select group of writers from around Melbourne. We were treated to a preview of the sort of experiences that can be expected at the real Expo starting on April 29.
While we sipped on our coffees, Michael from Myzone explained how the tracker – worn around the sternum – tracked your heart rate and recorded not only that but at what capacity you were working. On a screen on the front of the room as a real-time projection of our energy output for us to refer to throughout the class.
First up was NETFIT, a fun, netball style workout that was started by ex-Vixens player Sarah Wall. I felt myself getting back into the groove of my high school netball days and, I’m happy to say, I didn’t drop the ball once or smack anybody in the face with the ball – myself included.
Next we tried CorMax This was HARD. The program is targeted at big, fit, professional rugby players a description which I do not fit. The bags we used to squat and lift and carry were filled not with sand or fibres, but water. They sloshed around and really worked your co-ordination and balance.
Lastly, we had a Pump-like class using AUSFIT Torsion Bars. Instead of the weights being slid onto the end of the bar as with a traditional barbell, the weight is built into the bar. I over-reached and picked up the 10kg. Big mistake coming right off the CorMax program. Also, I have tiny hands so I found the bars hard to hold as they’re built for and sold to the army. However, I managed to do three sets of sit-ups with that bar held over my head so I felt pretty good, despite my small hands.
We left with the biggest goodie bag of food, vouchers and products imaginable and a definite spring in our step. All three classes worked me much harder than I thought they would – and today I’m experiencing the rewarding feeling of pain every time I sit down or reach behind me to pick something up that only comes from a successful workout.
Will I be up at 6am more often? No. Will I be strapping on my Myzone when I next go for a run? Definitely. Will I be heading to the Health and Fitness Expo to discover more exercise and healthy eating goodies to stack into my pantry? You betcha!
-Charli W.
Charli W. is a creative writer, food lover, and Harry Potter aficionada in her last year of a History degree. She is sure she will find a way combine these things one day, to great success. If not, she’ll pack up and become a bartender somewhere in the Caribbean with a fabulous year-round tan.
The Health and Fitness Expo runs from April 29 – May 1st at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre.
