((BOUNCE)) Mill Hill — The MTM Review
Today is the first day of my new active lifestyle.
It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve decided it’s time to tone up my wobbly bits and push my fitness level above ‘non-existent’.
On the plus side, my new active wear is sooo comfy! Comfy to the point that I feel like I’m walking round in my undies, so I keep yanking my T-shirt over my legging’d bum. Which is when I start worrying about VPL. Was I supposed to buy special active knickers? Is that a thing?
As I drive to ((BOUNCE)) in Mill Hill, North London, I feel nauseous, like an unfit teenager, on my way to double PE. But as I glance at my excited two-year-old daughter in the rear-view mirror, I’m reminded that I’ve chosen to join this child-friendly trampoline fitness class of my own free will! There’ll be no faking period pains so I can nap on the bench, today.
((BOUNCE)) instructor Rebecca Wilson, 34, comes to meet me at the entrance to the building, with a friendly smile.
Having been a Level 3 Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor for 16 years, she’s used to nervous exercise-avoiders like me.
“I love that ((BOUNCE)) brings mums together,” beams Rebecca, as we chat about the class, “they can work on their fitness and the kids can be involved as well. It makes fitness inclusive for everyone.”
She leads us into a room where a group of mums of all shapes and sizes, are each standing over a mini trampoline.
“Our motto is: “Fun. Friendly. Fierce”, Rebecca explains, “so prepare to work hard but feel welcomed, smile and have a laugh. For the first 40 minutes we’re jumping, and the last 20 minutes we’re toning the body, lying on the trampolines. There are beginners in every session too, so don’t worry about feeling self-conscious — you’ll see everyone bouncing at their own pace.”
There’s a small baby in a pram, next to one mum. A three-year-old boy is sitting on a playmat with a pile of Duplo and a plastic kettle full of Orchard Toy game pieces. Another little girl is sat in the middle of the room on a potty.
“Toilet training!” says her mum, almost apologetically. But there’s no need for apologies here. It’s obviously a place where mothers feel at ease.
“It’s my first time,” says another mum. Although she used to keep herself fit, she tells me. “Before kids.”
“It’s my third week,” says another mum, “it’s fun and a bit different. Plus, so helpful that I can bring my son as he seems happy to just sit and play. Maybe it’s the music!”
Rebecca brings her trampoline to the front and begins with a small explanation about the class, reassuring us that “anything goes,” as long as we “keep moving.”
“You can make ((BOUNCE)) easier — just bop along lightly, or to intensify the workout you push down really hard,” she explains. “Remember it’s YOUR class, so go at YOUR pace, but utilise our motivation to help you get results.”
She points to the toilets, which is vital information for anyone that has given birth and is about to let gravity do its thing on a trampoline.
We start with a warm up. My daughter, excited to see the trampolines wants to jump with me. Following the moves while holding her little hands, is challenging, but I improvise, managing to burn calories, without knocking her flying.
The dance cardio routines are very simple and it’s easy to get into the flow.
After a while, my toddler tires, but luckily, I’ve brought our iPad loaded with child-friendly apps. I feel a tinge of guilt for not bringing a bag full of educational toys, but soon get over it, as I can’t achieve super mum and fit mum status in one sitting.
I continue to jump to the music. My leggings keep threatening to fall down and I’m just starting to wish I’d done my pelvic floor exercises, when we stop for a water break. I take a sip from my child’s pink water bottle. There’s a group chat about how many calories one mum’s Fitbit says we’ve burned already.
Back on the trampolines, we’ve switched to star jumps and I’m only occasionally having to hop off to reload Peppa Pig.
As the tempo ramps up a notch, one mum confesses that she’s working off the chocolate buttons she scoffed last night. Rebecca replies that she ate a giant bar of Dairy Milk. That’s when I know I’m among friends!
The little girl has finished her business and the three children are now all playing together on the mat. Confident, our kids are having fun too, we can concentrate on ourselves. No one is self-conscious because we’re all in our individual space, the music is loud and we’re all focussed on getting fit.
40 minutes of bouncing has flown by and the work-out winds down with some toning exercises, working muscles that haven’t been used for years.
A few stretches and we’re done. Everyone’s tired and sweaty, but politely return their trampolines to the side and pack up.
A lot of fun and calories burned and no unfortunate yellow puddles.
Success!!
To view the Bounce timetable and book a class in either the Mill Hill, Barnet or Edgware branches, visit https://bouncefitbody.com/pages/book-a-class
Or to try the Mill Hill class, you can contact Rebecca directly on Facebook @bouncemillhill or email bounce@bouncefitbody.com
