Is Ultimate Step Aerobics really a good idea?

I agreed to join Annie at one of her gym classes. At first I resisted sure that it would only result in terrible embarrassment.

We walked into the room. Annie set up our steps and then the blaring music started. The teacher started yelling "V-Step, L-Step, Cha-Cha Knee Step"...Immediately, my mind turned to those horrible Richard Simmons infomercials I used to watch as a kid promoting his Sweating to the Oldies videos.

Everyone in the class was now in unison moving together to the beat of some compilation cd that included Justin Timberlake, Marc Anthony and Christina Aguilera. I was officially out of my element.

Every now and then the instructor would yell Mambo and each time the Cuban in me failed. I tried following the girl in front of me but mostly I just laughed at my own lack of coordination. Half way through my fourth laugh the instructor started yelling "MALE SPECIES! MALE SPECIES! DO NOT QUIT ON US! KEEP MOVING!" UGH! ...more panting...more sweat....more pain....more yelling "MALE SPECIES KEEP IT GOING YOUR LADY FRIEND WILL THANK YOU FOR IT..MORE ENDURANCE" At that point I kicked my water bottle onto another woman's step area disrupting the entire class. Finally, the class ended with the instructor asking the class to clap it up for the new male species joining us today.

I wore a heart monitor that day to evaluate my aerobic heart rate. My heart rate monitor said I burned 900 calories during the workout. Clearly, this class combined with racquetball would provide results.