With fresh Wilson’s gym memberships in hand, we embarked on a journey to fitness. Ready to get in shape (for the…winter?) we started out with a water aerobics class called “Aquablast.” It would be easy, we told ourselves, not to mention it was one of the few classes where you didn’t end up saturated in sweat. I mean what is one to expect but pool noodles, water weights and oversized women when attending water aerobics? So we squeezed into our old swim-team swimsuits and stepped into the muggy pool, bracing ourselves. Upon seeing our fellow attendees, older, overweight women, we weren’t encouraged. Little did we know, this class was not for the weak-hearted.
While the noodles and weights may have been true,  the instructor immediately plunged into a workout head first.  With high-octane music beating in the background, we  jumped, kicked and pushed our limbs through the restraining water.  Much to our surprise, at times the agility and sheer strength needed for this workout were nearly impossible to muster. Beneath her hearty exterior, the instructor had thighs of steel and biceps bigger than our faces.
Compromising positions were common and the awkward levels were at an all time high.  At one point, while walking sideways down the length of the pool with our arms in the air pinching our fingers like claws, two moderately attractive boys MAY have seen us acting like crabs. Can you say mortified?
Overall, though, the class was a success, and we definitely felt it the next day. Returning two days later, we braced ourselves for another tough workout, only to be dissatisfied with the new instructor’s style.  This time, the class was focused on strength training rather than the aerobic burn we had craved.  Where the other had us panting and gasping for air, this one was steady, slow and dare we say… boring? The stereotype of old women in their saggy swimsuits waving their arms through water was fulfilled.
Repeated visits only proved our greatest fear– this class wasn’t the challenge we had worked so hard to find.  Because of the constantly changing instructors, the intensity level fluctuated, and we later discovered the original instructor was merely a temporary replacement. No class would ever compare to that first calorie-crunching, crab-walking workout.
By Ashleigh Atasoy and Trisha Chaudhary