A commitment to exercise

New year, new me. I say that every year. In general, I’ve got the healthy eating down, but the older I get, the more I realize that changes to one’s figure — the positive kind, anyway — require a commitment to exercise. I decided to try a Classpass so I could sample all kinds of different exercise classes around San Diego.

Classpass is a monthly fitness membership that allows you access to many different classes, studios, and gyms. It’s a national program, but the price of a membership depends on the plan and the city. Members can book classes ranging from yoga to barre to cycling to martial arts. You manage your account either online or via an app on your phone; with it, you can search by map, list, zip code, or activity. And if you don’t see the studio you’re looking for, you can submit a partnership request. Classpass will reach out and see if they want to join the program.

My friend Gina told me about Classpass. “I love it because I can go to classes near my work or in my neighborhood. Since I work far away from where I live, I have a great variety of options. Being able to take different classes keeps my exercise routine fresh and it keeps me from getting lazy.”

To use Classpass, you buy a plan, and that gives you a certain number of credits. Those credits allow you to take a certain number of classes; some classes will cost more credits than others, depending on the content and the studio. You can buy more credits if your routine demands it, or roll up to 10 unused credits to the next month’s account cycle if you have trouble getting to the gym for a couple of weeks.

Classpass is operational in 50 cities already, so if you’re traveling, you can use your credits to take exercise classes on the go. Here is an example of some of the pricing at home in San Diego: the $39 per month plan will give you 21 credits, which allows you to book 3 to 4 classes; a $59 per month plan will give you 33 credits, which allows you to book 4-6 classes; and the $99 per month plan will give you 60 credits, which allows for 8 to 13 classes. (Classpass offers a free 30-day trial which includes 33 credits.) And of course, it wouldn’t be an app without a social media aspect: Classpass allows you to check friends’ schedules and plan classes together. And if you can’t make it to a particular class, there are still the 100 partner videos you can stream for an at-home workout.

I decided to use the occasion of my new digital exercise aid to find some different and funky exercise classes. I did some poking around, and Floating Yogis in Carlsbad piqued my interest. These yoga classes take place on stand-up paddle boards at Agua Hedionda Lagoon in Carlsbad. Each class caters to all levels of expertise/proficiency, even if you have never paddle boarded before.

Glide Training in Little Italy specializes in running form-coaching, and in sports-specific training for individual athletes. In other words, they can design courses around your specific needs. But they also offer more general classes for all levels, such as FAST as F*, a high-intensity class designed to burn calories; or TRX, a suspension training class that uses your body weight as the resistance.

Boxfit in North Park is a 60-minute guided non-contact boxing class that incorporates boxing techniques, shadowboxing, and heavy bag work, as well as one-on-one mitt work. (Even slug hubby Patrick sounded interested that one.)

At Sparkcycle in Liberty Station or La Jolla, you can get a full-body high-energy workout in 45 minutes by taking their instructor-led classes.

Pilates Fusion in Del Cerro limits its class size to only eight people and specializes in Pilates reformer/tower classes. These classes use a reformer machine that provide extra resistance and challenges as you go through the Pilates moves (as if they weren’t challenging enough on their own).

And Studio Barre in Mission Hills offers classes in a musically driven dance studio environment. Barre workouts are an effective way to tone the tush and strengthen arms and legs, as well as improving your posture.