I love step!

I do my best to make it to the gym at least 3 times a week. I don't lift weights, or swim, or do the stairclimber, or treadmill. I take Master Step classes. It is advanced choreographed step aerobics. I love it.

I am quite uncoordinated, and I have fallen at least 4 or 5 times in class, and I am not what you would call graceful in the least, but I love to step. For that hour I can forget everything and pretend that I can actually dance. I started going regularly about 2 1/2 years ago.

Yes, I lost a few pounds since I started, but that isn't really the reason I go. I have found that, for me, cardio makes my life better. I sleep better, my mood is better, my body feels stronger. I still have that nagging feeling that I could be doing more fitness wise, but for now this is good.

My Aunt and my Mom both have problems with their sciatica. Something about nerve damage in the lower back that results in a shooting pain down the leg. My poor Aunt has been on crutches for years, can't stand, sit, or lie down in any one position without excruciating pain. My Mom recently started having problems, about six months ago. When I saw her at Thanksgiving she was having the excruciating pain.

I'm scared that I am heading in the same direction. I've had some periodic numbness in the toes of my left foot off and on for the past few months. I don't know if there is anyway to stop it, or if it is something that is going to come no matter what I do, but my Mom told me that if she had any advice on the subject, it would be to keep moving. So I do, and I notice the numbness is worse when I slack off on going to the gym. It is horribly time consuming. It takes 2 hours out of my day every time I go, but I have to make it a priority.

If anyone is interested, I found a video on You Tube of an advanced step class. Click here to view video If you like what you see, give it a try if they offer a class at your local gym. I will warn you, it takes some time to catch on, but once you do, it is so much fun!