I found a small, local and expensive gym which offers a 5am crossfit class. The class is taught by a woman with 6 pack abs named (and I’m not making this up) Belli. The first time I saw her demonstrate something she calls a spider plank, which can best be described as a plank cartwheel, I had to laugh at the thought of being able to repeat it.
We always start with 5 minutes of cardio, during which Belli sets out the equipment we will be using in class that day. Even though 5 minutes on the elliptical isn’t enough to get my heart rate going, the idea of having to use some of the implements of torture she sets out is enough to make me tachycardic. I’ve never done strength or core training before,. I've never even done a plank before. Virtually every day, I have a new sore muscle or two. So I guess it must be working.
Belli, who opens the gym for our class, rides an Uber to work every day and is frequently late. It takes a lot of nerve to show up late for a class that requires its participants to basically wake up in the middle of the night to get there by five. She says her goals for 2020 are to learn to drive, get a license, and buy a car. I have no doubt that she’ll accomplish her goals. I’m pretty sure she once set a goal to have 6 pack abs. But I still don’t think she’ll make it to class on time.