"Turn Me On" is played at blasting sound at the Rumsey Playfield in Central Park , while thousands of women of any age, shape and race jump, kick, stretch and clap. It is one of the many scenes of the four-hour fitness event "Workout in the Park" organized by SELF magazine ---with the help of several commercial sponsors providing freebies and giveaways.
Several instructor from the fitness club Crunch led fitness dance inspired classes from the stage at the sound of hit songs music. The classes have exotic names, such as Masala Bhangra, Sucker Punch, Tabura, Fly Girls, but the choreography is fairly simple to follow and safe, make the audience sweaty and exhilarated. Although there is a stage and leading instructors the event is totally interactive, as the audience is totally immersed and almost in totality participates: it feels more a party than a fitness class.
Dolvett Quince, the trainer from the TV show The Biggest Loser showed easy stretching exercises and told us to relax and take deep breaths. Simple but...it works!
"Push it" was yelled to the audience by Reign, during"Tabura", the class inspired by Swahili military endurance and strength training, combining kickboxing with West African dance moves. Live percussion music accompanied Tabura, aiding us to find the inner (and not only) warrior. I was already familiar with Reign's powerful and engaging fitness teaching style, as she inspired me the chapter "Ritual of Fitness" of my upcoming book The Moving Mind.
The grand finale was led by Louis Van Amstel (a choreographer and former dance coach from the other TV show Dancing with the Stars). Louis, who I also interviewed for The Moving Mind, made us dance with steps from salsa, jibe, disco. Great energy, stamina and fun.
The overall event demonstrated that exercise can be fun and empowering, and mainly safe not competitive. It can be easily incorporated in our lives even in our daily routines release from our life stress and frustration. In The Moving Mind I am also showing how it can enhance creative thinking facilitating insights and problem solving.
Paraphrasing one of the most popular contemporary statements: I move!
But, as long we move, stretch, walk and we make our best of our bodies and health
This event was a demonstration that a little dose not competitive simple and fun
Dolvett Quince stretching and asking the audience to take a mindful rest
The audience sculpting and toning a "Beach Body"
Indian dance moves at "Masala Bhangra"
Stance and 1, 2, 3...kick! at "Sucker Punch",
even young teens as my daughter Zoe can have fun working out!
Louis Van Amstel leading steps, from disco to salsa and samba
And now, a reminder to everybody (including myself while blogging), staring at the monitor and almost glued to the chair:
Let's Move On!