Every month or so I have to travel out of town for a few days on business. Tami doesn't mind so much because she says it gives her a break from having to slave over a hot stove. Plus it gives me the opportunity to earn a few extra dollars to pay for her next trip to the shoe store.

Anyway, when time allows, I try to find a nearby gym that offers Pump classes in the hopes of picking up some new cues or techniques we might use. But during this latest trip it dawned on me that I needed to step out of my comfort zone. So I stopped by a local gym and took something they call Super Sculpt. Now, I don't know what part of the class was "sculpting", but I can tell you this - I've never been to anything like it before. It was a non-stop combination of step, dance, hand weights, a weighted bar, and abs. I wasn't totally lost, but I was definitely out of my element.

And that's exactly what we instructors need every now and again: A good reminder of what it's like to be a "newbie". If you're a Pump instructor, going to someone else's Pump class won't give you that - you already know the moves. Same goes for Step, Flow, RPM, or anything else you teach. Try on something new, though, and suddenly you're reminded of what it was like the first time you set foot into a class.

I walked out of there this evening knowing that instead of fiddling with my mic before class or talking to the regulars, I need to do a better job of seeking out new faces. Especially the confused ones in the back of the room. I've got a new appreciation for the importance of really clear cueing. And after spending the class feeling like I was always two steps behind everyone else, I was reminded that a little praise goes a long way when the instructor said I'd done just fine.

So while I was a little too preoccupied to pick up any new cues - and my physique probably didn't get much sculpting - I can honestly say really got a lot out of that experience. Matter of fact, I might stop by tomorrow evening for their Boot Camp class...