ISSUE 7: IS IT OK TO LEAVE A FITNESS CLASS EARLY?
Plus, I'm on a radio show! And you can listen to it!
Hey there! Thanks for reading.
If you missed Issue 6, I discussed getting my aura photographed, human design readings, and how to take tennis lessons in LA!
Let’s get into it.
MOM, I’M ON THE RADIO!
Readers, I have big news. You’re about to become LISTENERS!
This week (yesterday) I was on KPCR, a radio station broadcast out of Santa Cruz, on I Want You to Know, a delightful show hosted by Nero Nava. Nero is also a subscriber to OH, THAT’S GOOD. Hi, Nero! We talked about:
why putting on a comedy show is punk rock
this very newsletter and why I started it
how “my dad showed me rock”
our non-expert but probably pretty astute take on Justin Timberlake
Nero’s come-to-Jesus moment regarding Beyoncé
Nero also shares a pretty funny story regarding Sia playing softball. The music is a mix of some favorites of mine plus some gorgeous selects Nero curated for the show. You’re gonna love it.
🎧 LISTEN HERE.
If you are a single mom who works two jobs and just want to know when we’re talking, I pulled the timestamps below. But you really should listen to the whole thing because the music is excellent. Let me know if you want the playlist, and I might just hook you up with that. Because you’re a reader. A listener. A readstener.
The conversation happens at 0:00, 21:44, 49:29, 1:12:32, and 1:49:32.
Did you listen? Let us know what you thought and give Nero a follow. He’s also working on a feature film that I make a teensy appearance in, so you’ll get some updates on that. And by the way, if you’re here via KPCR, omg HELLO! <3 It’s lovely to have you.
Let’s get into this week’s newsletter topic. Well, the subject line one.
IS IT SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE TO LEAVE A WORKOUT CLASS EARLY?
I committed a crime this past week. A wellness girlie social crime. I left a workout class early.
If you read Issue 5, you know that I’ve been looking to regain my familiarity with an in-studio fitness routine that revolves around one, maybe two studios max.
When I was living in DC, I was quite loyal to CorePower Yoga for a number of years, attending their C2 vinyasa classes on a regular basis. It was a part of my routine and I remember really enjoying that, so I decided that this past week, I would attempt to suck on what morsels of sweetness from the past I could access.
I found a CorePower studio nearby, only a quick 10 min jet on the freeway. I’d been craving a good sweat and workout, so I booked the class before I could think twice about it. Nothing makes you follow through on a commitment more than a cancellation fee.
UH OH
After figuring out the extremely convoluted parking instructions on the website that made me almost give up entirely (classic LA), I entered the studio.
It’s feeling a little more “fall” in LA; there’s a light chill in the air during the day that makes you feel like your life is about to change for the better. Or like a gust of wind will blow an open newspaper onto your face, only to reveal that the headline is something massively disappointing that impacts your life directly. That’s never happened to me, but people always talk about romcom meet cutes coming to life, and I’m like… What about you finding out your life is about to change from a newspaper slapping you in the face on a windy day? When are we going to see that play out more in real life?
Anyway, so there I was, walking into CorePower Yoga from the chill of fall. Upon entering, it’s not surprising that it felt warm. But it felt…. too warm. And just in the lobby alone.
I patiently waited to check in while a shirtless man with an Irish accent sitting at the desk was telling another student that he cleans his yoga mat by “taking it into the shower” with him. Immediately, my radar for weird vibes is screaming.
Eventually, the topless Irish instructor checked me in and offered me some of his homemade “Halloween” cake sitting on the counter. (I still don’t know what that meant. It was far past Halloween and looked like a loafed fruitcake—Irish thing?). I politely declined.
BOY BAND HOT
After stashing my things in the locker room and fearing the fate I knew awaited me, I opened the door of the studio to a wall of heat. As someone who’s been doing yoga for 10+ years (kind of a flex) (no pun intended), I knew to set my mat near the door so that what little fresh air was coming through the cracks would reach me. I turned around to see that the thermostat read 98 degrees. No, not the boy band with Nick Lachey. (Btw, I just looked up the group and apparently every single member is originally from OHIO? Shoutout.)
The room was 98 degrees Fahrenheit. So for those of you at home rounding up, that is 100 degrees.
This seemed wrong to me. I used to take this particular class at CorePower for about a solid two years and then on and off on either side of that, and I’m pretttttyyyyy sure I would’ve recalled if the class was 100 degrees.
Embarrassingly (but also not because I’m kind of owning “I’d like to speak to a manager” energy in a non-toxic way this year), I marched out of the studio and up to the Irish cake man who was now joined by another sweat-drenched instructor.
“Hi,” I said. “I noticed the room is set to 98 degrees. Is that normal for this class? Because at other studios I’ve been to, the room is not that hot.”
They looked back at me as if I just asked them if the Earth was a flat disc.
“Yes? That is how hot it is.”
I marched back to my heat dungeon.
Was I just gaslit? Am I weak? Am I wrong? Am I not cut out for this anymore? Do I have a bad memory?
At max, I remembered that level class being low 90s—maybe even just high 80s. One hundred degrees just sounded a bit…aggressive. And perhaps the sign of some weird culture going on at this studio.
All these thoughts ran through my head, and from there, I decided that I would probably leave the class before it was over.
A hush fell over the crowd (in my mind) and the class begun.
WHEN A WORKOUT DOESN’T WORKOUT
I recall being in workout classes before that I hated. Not because they were too hot or the vibes were off, but because I genuinely just didn’t like it and felt like I was getting nothing out of it.
I’ve absolutely considered leaving those classes before, but at the time, I considered that to be probably the worst social move you could make in group exercise classes. Mainly stemming from the fear of “what other people will think” I have stayed in classes that I hated due to fear of judgment, and also, because I paid $30 to be there.
But this moment in the heat dungeon was a bit of a growth moment for me, because I realized that I actually don’t give a fuck what people think about me leaving a yoga class early. Also, I didn’t want to pass out.
So I went through the motions of the class, doing ok with the heat at first but not loving the instructor’s vibes. He had the energy of someone D.A.R.E. would hire to talk about how they were at rockbottom and now teach about Jesus while maintaining a sex life full of leather props and peanut butter. He also kept complimenting a girl named “Jenny” so often that it made me wonder what was going on with THAT situation.
The time came where I felt it getting too hot. The heat had dropped to 96 at one point during class (sweet relief) and then blasted hot air directly on me and right back up to 98 (deep pain). I have low blood pressure (low enough that back in DC, my doctor at the time was like “lol, you probably shouldn’t do hot yoga). I was getting a little light headed from the ups and downs and the fact that I was in Hell.
Right before the “core” section of class was about to start. I left. I had spent the last two sequences with my socks on so that I could make a quick getaway. And when yoga-mat-in-the-shower man queued up core exercises, I bolted.
MASSIVE DATA ANALYSIS ENSUES
I don’t know if I felt more relieved leaving class because of the escape from the heat or because I had stubborn “I’ll show them!” energy, but either way it was a relief.
And I recalled a Kim Cattrall interview where she said “I don’t want to be in a situation for even an hour where I’m not enjoying myself.”
God, she does have something there. Life is short. Why would you agree to something voluntarily that you wouldn’t enjoy?
Nevertheless, I had to know what was up with the heat. I texted three people (friends). One used to work at a CorePower, another did work-study at CorePower (volunteered for free classes), and another goes to classes there every so often. I polled them on the temperature of a C2 class. My research with them and online shows that these classes are somewhere around 93-98.
CorePower doesn’t actually list the exact temperatures on their website, but for this class it says “Moderate” heat. I’m sorry, but when it’s about 100 degrees outside, there’s a Heat Advisory in Southern California. So I feel like Moderate, especially if it’s between 93-98, is a bit of a stretch. I would honestly say that 80 is moderate heat, if someone on the street asked me that off the cuff. (You know how people ask you that randomly?)
So, was I wrong to think it was too? I STILL don’t think so. Maybe the studios I went to in the past just didn’t go up to 98. Maybe they raised the temperature ranges from when I was going regularly. But what I can tell you is that the consensus from my research study is that regardless of how hot it’s “supposed” to be in that class… the classes are definitely too hot.
I guess that is good enough for me to hear. I am honestly bummed though, because I used to love CorePower and wouldn’t have left if it was maybe 5 degrees cooler. But alas, I don’t have what it takes (blood pressure) to make it in a 98 degree room. Also the instructor just kind of annoyed me so maybe I left because that, too.
So, is it cool to leave a workout class early? Yes. I think so. I mean, don’t do it all the time. But if you’re really not getting anything out of it, why would you waste your precious moments on this green Earth to be trapped in a dismal fitness studio?
By the way, I was still in the class for 45 out of 60 minutes. So I got a bit of a workout with a hearty side of vindication. And THAT is perhaps the endorphin rush I needed the day.
Have you ever left a workout class early? Why? Are you too nervous to do that? Let me know your thoughts, my friends.
FINAL NOTES
THANKSGIVING
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving, even if that just means you’re enjoying some time off from work. I made some pumpkin pie bars and the “TikTok viral date bark” last night (I don’t use TikTok) and both were yummy. I will probably also make this sweet potato lentil shepherd’s pie, which has been a hit at past Thanksgivings for people with food allergies (me).
I WANT YOU TO KNOW
Don’t forget to listen to I Want You to Know for a fun little interview with me and some great music. It’s a great show.
NEW CHARACTER SET
If you missed my live shows in LA this past week, you can watch a video of my Saturday character set below. It’s three bits, 7 minutes total, and pretty fun.
AVAILABLE FOR COPY + CREATIVE WORK
If you’re looking for a copywriter and brand creative to help you with some work before the end of the year, I wanted to mention I’m available for consulting sessions and new projects right now. Hit me up!
That’s all for this week! If you found me via KPCR, welcome! If you’re new here otherwise, also welcome! I’d love to know what you think in the comments. You can also find me on Instagram and comment on my post there. :) I love reading your feedback! Have a happy holiday week, everyone!
LJ
I took an F45 class ONCE and left halfway through at at a very specific moment. As a scorpio I HATE being told what to do if I am not ready to or wanting to be told what to do. ESPECIALLY if I disagree. When this happens it's like the world goes silent, black and white and I just lock eyes with the person and fire spews from my pores. I took an F45 class that was absolute military bootcamp anarchy taught by the villain character from Avater. The white buzz cut man muscular you get the vibe. SCARY. I was slowing down and taking lil breaks to maintain the workout. The way I see it I'd rather finish the work out rather than burn out so I have no problem pausing. But SOME PEOPLE want to push you through it. I just have never had that desire in working out. I am paying to be here and showing up and completing the work out is more than enough for me. I don't need to perform at an Olympic level. He was screaming at me to pick up a heavy rope and do the toss thing. I was just done with the chaos and walked out. Looking back i think I triggered something in him. This often happens with me and adult white men. Don't know why. Anyways that's the only one I've ever walked out of.
If you want amazing yoga, go to Center for Yoga on Larchmont AMAZING . So gentle. So climate controlled!