Who goes to Water Aerobics?

Before the sparsely attended class at Medgar Evers pool.

Posted by Melissa Baumgart
Why isn't there a documentary about water aerobics?  I was at near-threshold for crying almost the entire class, moved by the beauty of the moment.  Moment after moment continued to hit me filled with pure human experience.  Why is it that the elderly always bring that out in me?  I think back to tai-chi in the strip mall and my night out in Snohomish with Glory.  All of a sudden, there I am in an everyday experience having an odd clarity about my priorities and what really matters in life.

My emotional water aerobics experience happened at a Friday morning Hydro-fit class at Green Lake's Evan pool.  After my first class at Medgar Evens pool, I was not prepared for the age of the crowd that gathered to change in the locker room.  My first class never reached any high capacity at only six participants.  And we were all somewhere between 30-50 years old.  Mostly hovering around the 40 year old mean, you know, I bet the standard deviation would have only been about 2 at the most.  Sorry, statistics class is really infecting my life.  And I love it!

So, the Thursday night class, Water Exercise, was intense.  There was nothing magical about it, aside from the Miami Beach pop tunes to keep us pumped up and the entertainment of the instructor showing us what to do in the water from the cement above.  But no life clarity occurred for me in that pool.  I did, however, get an amazing workout.  The kind of workout that leaves you sore for a couple days.  And I like that.  I left that class liking my first experience, and a little confused about the population.  I really had braced myself to be the youngest person there.

Then Friday morning, Amy and I showed up early to the Hydro-fit class.  It was packed.  There were two classes; one shallow end, one deep end.  And there must have been at least 20 people in each class.  Some people were clearly there to get fit, and others were there for the social party like atmosphere.  I wondered if some guys were there in hopes of a pick-up.  I wondered what it would be like to be 80 and single.

I can't wait to get back.  I want to be a part of that "in-crowd."

-Melissa  

Take the Plunge!

Posted by Melissa Baumgart & Amy Baranski
Welcome to Water Aerobics Month!

We are clearly very excited about it.

Are you up for the challenge of the month?  Are you going to jump in the pool and get some exercise with us?  We have a new poll on the sidebar, up top under our monthly photo, where you can share your intentions.  

If you're new to this blog, we have a monthly activity, where we step out of our comfort zone and try something new.  We always have a lot of fun with our monthly photo shoots, this month being no exception.  

If you are in Seattle, the Parks and Recreation Department offers a Fitness and Aerobics Swim Ticket (FAST) which is an unlimited monthly pass for a great price. This includes public swims and classes, such as water aerobes, aqua jog and deep water fitness.  Our guess is there is something similar in your area if you don't live in Seattle.  

Here's to looking better in our swimsuits by the end of March!  

If you're new to this blog, check out what we do, why we do it and like our Facebook page to stay up to date and participate.

A new chapter

Posted by Amy Baranski

Dear readers

I've been carrying around an heirloom tomato-sized secret for the past four months. It recently grew that big. It was skittle-sized, then proportioned like a strawberry, and lime-sized before that. In addition to the three books I've completed for Read a Book a Week month I've had some other literature on my mind. I'm sure you can see why.

Perhaps our 2012 list of things to do, and it's order, will make perfect sense to you now. This month was about reestablishing good reading habits. A love of books and reading is something my husband and I share, and we know that where we might lack in other areas that's one gift we can always give our child. Many moons ago we ditched our television in pursuit of listening to more music, playing games, having conversation, and reading. It's been hard! And, we're both really going to miss watching the Tour de France in real-time this year.

Read a Book a Week month has been very inspirational, even if I did quit one of my books. I feel great about having completed three in 29 days, and today I am starting my fourth which is Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. When I was 23, Abhijit, a co-worker of mine took me to a second hand book store and bought me 10 books that he felt important for me to read. This is an excellent gift for a 23 year-old. A collection of Ray Bradbury novels was one of them. I  plan to continue reading as much as possible throughout this pregnancy, and beyond. Navigating sleepless nights and busy schedules will be an adventure that will hopefully allow us to continue reading and growing together.

It has been asked multiple times: Did you think about doing Have a Baby month on the list this year? Of course! I just couldn't give up tennis.

My blog partner was very accommodating in designing this year's schedule, thank you Melissa. So, now I join the ranks for the mommy blog-o-sphere! God help us all.

In all seriousness, giving birth is one of the biggest adventures of my life, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

I have experienced such an outpouring of love from so many people that helped form my life--such as my mother, who bawled like a baby when I told her the news, and my sister, who is over the moon with baby shower themes and ideas and sisterly support, to my nephew Ty who tells me repeatedly that he loves me, (and that he like my baby too), not to mention my father and brother who gleam with the Baranski pride in their eyes when they see me. There is so much love, it's humbling, and I've only mentioned just a very few people who have been supportive. There's a whole party going on over at my Facebook page at the moment and it's very humbling and heart warming. I hope you can share in my joy.

If you're new to this blog: my friend and I try to step out of our comfort zone by trying something different each month. Read our list for 2012.