After touring a few different gyms, I settled on GymBox. The Old Street location is halfway between home and the office, so it breaks up my morning commute when I go. The location was good, but not ideal, so I was mostly sold on the equipment, free towel service, and most of all the fun sounding classes. I am not a morning-gym person, so a class has to sound somewhat interesting for me to drag myself out of bed for a 7am session (they also have lunch-time and evening classes, but they usually do not work with my schedule).

Usually I try to get my gym time in before work, but this week I went for a lunch-time Rave class. Because lunch is when the cool kids turn down the lights and paart-thay! To imagine this class, this darkness, trampolines, glow-sticks, and bouncing around like an Energizer bunny. Normally I feel a bit uncoordinated, even plump in a cardio/aerobics/step or dance class, but as the lights went off and the only source of light was coming from our glow sticks and the window looking into the main gym area, I noticed the main benefit of this class: in the dark everyone looks good. In addition I didn’t have my contacts in, so I was generally a little more visually impaired, but all I could see in the mirrors was me as a dark shadow bouncing up and down waving glow-sticks. I felt like giggling, because for what is probably the first time in my life, I felt confident in a group cardio class. Don’t get me wrong, I am good when I run, or box, or whatever. But put me in a class that requires me to stare at myself in the mirror and I suddenly have two left feet and a dose of self-consciousness.

Rave at GymBox fixed this as soon as the lights were turned down. With a focus on having fun, and dance routines interspersed with free style I bounced through the 45-min class like it was nothing. I left feeling energized, and with two glow-sticks in my purse. Was I sore the next day? No. But I sure worked up a sweat. Don’t be fooled, it looks like playing around but bouncing on those trampolines is no joke.

I just wish they have Rave in the mornings, it would be nice to start the day with a dance party. Instead I may need to free up a few more lunch hours in the near future. Getting motivated to go to the gym can be a challenge, but cardio classes like this one make it a lot easier.

The only downside of GymBox is that they do not offer day-passes. Too bad for business travellers in London who want to drop in on an ad-hoc basis.