52 Exercises: #45 Beach Fitness and Love

Scott’s clients are a loyal bunch. They show up to his outdoor fitness classes at 5.30am come rain or shine. They’re a lot more dedicated than me because I haven’t shown my face for six months.

It’s difficult to say what’s harder – getting up at five o’clock in the morning for the sessions or actually doing them. Although I haven’t managed either since a boxercise class six months ago I miss Scott and I miss his fit, funny fitness group so I make the effort to get my butt out of bed super early to try his beach fitness class.

We meet at the car park outside Sunshine Beach Surf Lifesaving Club. There are ten of us aged from about 18 to about 60 which makes me somewhere in the middle.  They are morning people, chirpy and happy despite the early hour and we warm up with a lovely walk and gossip.

Walking is my thing and I start to feel very happy I came along. But then we have to run back to the surf club and I know things are about to get a lot harder.

Today the tide’s in so the class isn’t actually on the beach itself but outside the surf club overlooking the beach. I start to worry about of this really fits the beach fitness description for my 52 Exercises quest but that doesn’t last long though. Soon I have more pressing concerns like doing 160 dips, eight stair runs and 80 squats followed by 80 squat jumps without collapsing.

Some of the other people are so fit that they actually complain about this regime, not because they are about to drop dead from exhaustion like me, but because they think we should be doing some single leg squats too. Maybe I’m not so crazy after all.

Soon every single muscle in my body feels as if it’s been wrung out to dry. Then we move on to a series of 80 push ups, some Russian twists (don’t ask) and some V crunches (I just do regular ones which are quite hard enough thank you).

No one has died and there’s some time left over so we do some climbers. Scott claims the final set of 30 burpees are his little way of welcoming me back but I think he’d have made everyone do them even if I wasn’t here.

I slack off a little but keep moving. Where other people complete the burpees by leaping to their feet with energy I struggle up and down, feeling every one of my 45 years. Oh, all right then, I admit my attempt at the climbers was pathetic but I was still outside, moving when most other people were still snuggled up in bed.

We finish the class with stretches then I head down to the beach proper to stretch some more and take some photos.

I go to this beach every day but I still love it. I love the noise of the waves, I love watching people run, swim and surf and, although its taken four years, I’m starting to feel a sense of belonging.

This morning that’s bolstered by a feeling of achievement, a sense of having done something good for myself and with people who share the same goals of health, happiness and fitness.

When evening comes my shoulders, arms, back, thighs and bum are aching and I sleep eight hours straight that night. By morning I ache even more.

It would be easy to resent Scott for making us work so hard and Scott could probably get resentful too. He gets up early to take these fitness classes three days a week before going to his full-time job.

But there’s no resentment at beach fitness or boxercise, only love. Love of fitness, love of being outside and love of ourselves. We get up early and work out like fiends because, as strange as it may seem, it makes us feel good.

Self -love gets people out of bed and grows in healthy, happy communities so it’s no wonder Scott has such a loyal following.

The classes are super tough but people come back for more because what they get isn’t just a full on workout, it’s all wrapped up in love. Mostly tough love from Scott but love none the less.

How do you keep fit and what keeps you keeping fit?!

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Beach Fitness Exercise Review

Cost: $10 if you dare. Beach fitness classes with Scott Braby are every Tuesday and Thursday at Sunshine Beach Surf Club at 5.30am. Get there five minutes early and meet the gang in the car park.

The classes are fast, fun, and friendly with fitness guaranteed. Scott encourages everyone to go at their own pace and there’s no pressure to go hard. Unfortunately I’m driven to go hard by an over-developed competitive spirit. I’m working on that.

Time Exercising: One hour

Average Heart Rate: 119 bpm but felt like a lot higher.

Peak Heart Rate: 172 bpm but felt like a lot higher.

Calories burnt: 196 but felt like more.

Fun Factor: 7/10

Fear Factor: 2/10

Post-exercise Glow: 9/10.

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Thank You for Reading

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