Flex Time | Mermaid School

Well friends, it’s been a while since I’ve had anything to talk about fitness-wise. My routine broke due to an extreme lack of energy + honestly, I hate when fitness people just tell you to “push through it, you’ll feel better afterward.” That doesn’t always work because it wasn’t my mood that was bored. My body’s been so physically tired lately. This week I’ve started “pushing through it,” but I’ll tell ya, I don’t get that “Wow! So proud of myself! Feelin’ awesome!” feeling I’m “supposed” to get. I’m not depressed, I’m just physically tired at all times. But, while my doctor is trying to help me figure all of that out, I did do a fun workout recently that not only changed the game but is definitely something I hope to incorporate on weekends I’m not traveling.

I went to mermaid school! If you follow my stories, you know two weekends ago I posted a few photos from a mermaid class I attended and holy wow it was so fun! Iryna from AquaMermaid Chicago reached out to me in December through my blog and invited me to take a class. It was the perfect way to start a cold Sunday in Chicago, to just check out without having to board a plane + deal with the hassles of travel that aren’t my favorite. Not to mention it was a workout out of my normal and preferred cardio/abs, cardio/arms or cardio/legs rotation when I can get myself moving.

AquaMermaid Chicago meets in the small pool at University of Illinois at Chicago. Despite good signage to find the pool, I ended up being late because the women’s locker room was not easy to find, tucked down a hall I wouldn’t have known to wander down. I actually found the pool before the locker room so after talking to one of the mermaid instructions and being pointed in the right direction, I was able to get changed + fitted for a tail.

Prior to class, I spent a lot of time nervous about silly things like would I find a tail that fit my hips and what color swimsuit should I wear. I finally settled on a nondescript black top and a high waisted bottom, though I only feel comfortable in a high waisted bottom. I returned to the pool where I was fitted with an orange tail. Lucky for me, Ashley joined me on my “blog content Sunday” + snapped photos throughout the hour-long class. Mermaid Sarah directed me in some fun “dry mermaid” photos before hopping into the pool + wetting my hair.

Mermaids Sarah + Jessy went over the basic techniques with myself and another first time mermaid while the regular mermaids did their own thing. I’m sure you think mermaiding is easy, but I’ll be the first to tell you it is not. Now, as I often do with something new, I got in my own way a little bit. How so? Well the basic swimming motion for a mermaid swim is a breast stroke arm movement meets a body roll. I cannot body roll. I cannot handle water in my nose. I’m afraid of swimming underwater + the deep end because I unexpectedly got pushed in a pool in college + couldn’t figure out which way was up for what felt like an eternity. But Mermaid Sarah spent most of the class with me and was incredibly patient.

After learning to swim forward, on my back and on my side, I stayed in the shallow end to work on handstands and somersaults with Mermaid Sarah. Because I have such an aversion to water in my nose + never quite figured out the blowing bubbles from your nose thing (I was the kid wearing a full mask in the pool unlike all of my friends who just wore goggles), I really struggled with the simple handstands + somersaults. Please don’t tell 10-year-old me that. The little fish I used to be would be so disappointed. My issue was I was trying to do everything one handed since my other hand was holding my nose. My balance wasn’t steady enough for a handstand + my somersaults were sideways because I was only steering on one side. Mermaid Sarah was so great though, we moved to the shallowest part of the pool + taught me exactly when I could let go of my nose for a proper handstand + the water wouldn’t get in + guess what! Ya girl conquered the handstand without her nose plugged or the aid of a mask. It was a huge deal for me! I still couldn’t master the somersault but once I have a nose plug, I’m going to be invincible! The last 20 minutes of class were spent on upper body strength which I really need some help on and then a few group swims + underwater waves for photos. It was super fun as a group with many other mermaids just swimming away.

It was only an hour-long class, but I sure felt like I’d done a very intense workout and I loved every minute of it. I pushed myself after getting in my own way, being afraid + doubting my ability. I’m so glad I took this class + cannot wait to take another one!

Interested in a class yourself? AquaMermaid has schools in several cities in both the US and Canada for children and adults! Where, you ask?
CANADA
MONTREAL: Notre-Dame college 3799 Queen-Mary Road, Montreal, QC H3V 1A8
TORONTO: University Settlement, 23 Grange Road, Toronto, ON, M5T 1C3
OTTAWA: YMCA, 180 Argyle, Ottawa, ON, K2P 1B7
QUEBEC: Notre-Dame de Foy 5000 rue Clement Lockquell Saint-Augustin-de-desmaures Québec, G3A 1B3
EDMONTON: Holiday Inn & Suites West Edmonton, 11330 170 Street

USA
CHICAGO: UIC Small pool 901 West Roosevelt Road Chicago, IL 60608
PHOENIX: Hyatt, 7500 E Doubletree Ranch Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85258
LAS VEGAS: Municipal pool 431 E Bonanza Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89101
DANIA BEACH: Hotel Morrison, 28S Federal Hwy, Dania Beach, FL 33004
AUSTIN: 1310 Toro Grande Blvd Cedar Park, TX 78613

You can buy a trial class then move up to a membership at only $75/month. They also offer parties which are great for a unique birthday or bachelorette experience. Check them out to make all of your Ariel dreams come true!

xo.