If there is one part of our body that everyone wants to get better, it has to be our abs. Our stomach, for some reason or another, has always been a source of critique for otherwise fit bodies.
I am no exception. Years of ballet, combined with the scattering of high school athletics and grade school swimming and soccer has left me quite trim — but since I started college my body has been slowly fighting the transformation of fab to flab.
Thus, as an effort to prevent the Freshman 15 from becoming a reality, I decided to take some fitness classes at Stony Brook. While I am used to the structure of a good workout (yoga, Pilates, and all my dance classes have trained me for this kind of discipline), I had no idea of what to expect from a class that was simply titled, “Ab Lab.” Visions of thousands of crunches surrounded my Abercrombie stomached students made me almost cringe, turn, and run away. I barely made it to the first class. But I’m glad I did. A few weeks later, and a whole lot stronger, I am slowly starting to realize the pleasure in the vanity of having a flat stomach.
Ab Lab, as the name implies, is a 25-30 minute class based solely on the toughest part of your body: the core. Depending on the teacher, exercises can range from exercise ball crunches, to planks, to various sit-ups — one of the teachers even works your inner thighs — but the effect is the same: that wonderful, post workout soreness the next day, knowing that you didn’t slave away yesterday afternoon for nothing.
All the exercises can be done on your own, but there is something about the idea of taking a class that makes me, in particular, want to push myself. I don’t know if it’s the years of pli’eacute;s and relev’eacute;s, but I know that I am not the only one who believes it. The classes get packed, so come early if you want a spot, and don’t worry if you have never taken a single fitness class in your life: everyone in the room is at different levels, and the teacher makes it very clear that you should work at your own pace. There are the beginners, intermediates, even the advanced — those who can actually stay on their balls during the duration of the class: it’s tougher than you think!
For the first time in a really long time, I have finally found that I feel physically fit everywhere; it’s a really great high that no one should miss out on. And even if you don’t get a six pack by the end of the semester, I can guarantee you that this class will be one that you won’t fall asleep in — if anything, it’ll be one of the most productive classes of your life.
The Spring Fitness Schedule can be found at: http://studentaffairs.stonybrook.edu/rec/fitness_schedule.shtml
