Give Go-Go A Go

How long does it take for something to become a routine? Four weeks? Six weeks? I'm not entirely certain, but I know that I was feeling nervous about a few days away from home after starting back to the gym. It's taken me so long to find the motivation to start working out, and I feared that time away so soon would result in me slipping back into "lump" mode.

As it turns out, I needn't have worried. After a day of walking in Manhattan, I logged more miles than I ever could on a treadmill. Nothing beats running for a bus or hoofing subway stairs for cardiovascular conditioning.

And nothing beats a large city for offering some of the most original, if not wacky, options for getting fit. If I scoffed when Crunch offered Cardio Striptease, I'm now utterly gobsmacked by their latest offering: Stiletto Strength.

I may have scoffed at Cardio Striptease, but I tried it when I was a Crunch member. It was beyond lame. Thinking about Dave Navarro or yarn can raise my heartrate more than that class did. Thus, I was a bit sceptical when I found out about Go-Go Robics with The World Famous Pontani Sisters. But just like my approach to internet dating, I thought, Hey, if it's really bad, it will be a great story.


I'm sorry to say that I don't have any photos documenting my tiptoe into Go-Go, but it turns out that the Sisters know how to teach a class that gets you all hot and sweaty -- in a way in which both your mother and your cardiologist would approve.


*photo of Gypsy Rose Lee