Goodbye FF - my Home Fitness for 8 Years

Fitness First logo

Fitness First in Megamall  @ Group Exercise Studio

My heart bleeds a little when I left Fitness First last March 31, 2013. I was a loyal member for 8 years until I realized that I need to find an affordable gym but equally good and have fitness authority. I love Body Balance class, of all classes that Fitness First offered, it is Body Balance that even pushed me to audition as instructor in Fitness First and did my half cooked Less Mills-Body Balance instructor training. Why I really left FF? I thought of enrolling in an authentic Yoga class. I am studying my options since there are number of studios in Manila that offer various types of yoga. In fact, there is new and dynamic workout that I am eyeing lately but kinda hard on my budget right now :-(  Since it is too expensive, I would like to try  and buy 5 class cards (for now)  in Plana Forma.  Since it is very much accessible to Gold's Gym-Eton branch, my new home fitness by the way, I thought that I might give it a try one of this days. Plana Forma combines pilates, yoga and jazz dance. I am kinda curious how they are going to mix the jazz dance with pilates and yoga, maybe I would look like Natalie Portman in Black Swam movie :-) There is another type of yoga which I would like to revisit and it is Bikram Yoga. Bikram practices yoga in a heated room, which I have no idea yet how warm the place could be. I have tried Hot Flow Yoga in Fitness First Greenhills, the room was really warm and I felt so dizzy  after practice because the heat coming from the big heater (actually it looks like a split type airconditioning unit) directly hit my head each time we do standing poses. Another problem I guess was the biggie physique instructor who was not good in leading his class. He was doing advanced poses while our small class were composed of beginners. I am not an instructor myself but my experience in Fitness First have taught me to feel and appreciate the real from reel good instructor.  To wrap up my personal journey, it is worth to mention Ashtanga workshop I did in Bliss Yoga Manila. Ashtanga is an intense, fast moving type of yoga that can be physically demanding but definitely will improve once strength, stamina and flexibility. I did an Ashtanga yoga, 3 afternoon workshops in Bliss Yoga Manila sometime 3 years ago. Tess Celdran was our instructor, she is a certified Ashtanga instructor and indeed good in her field. 

My journey will not end here, I still want to be trained, teach Yoga (or Less Mills Body Balance again) and see myself leading my students doing their poses patiently and hopefully be able to impart the positive effects of yoga practice to our mind and body.

I wish to be able to do hand stand in time....