Step-one step-two

Step. An almost magical form of exercise. But it hasn't always been, at least not for me. Before I was full of prejudices about the people attending step classes. Just to make it clear, I am now talking about the exercise form commonly known as step, or step-up. Where you use your body and a step board to get really sweaty.

These were my prejudices. Your average step-person is:
* Early to mid-twenties
* Woman
* Wearing tight spandex trousers in bright neon colours
* Sporting expensive brand clothes
* Showing skin, expecially at waist-level
* Putting on make-up before exercising, perhaps also perfume
* Long blonde hair in a pony tail, bounce-bouncing around

I tried step for fun in high school, during one of those semi-entertaining sports days. I was very much prepared not to like it, even to be bored. And especially prepared not to fit in, since well, out of those prejudices above only two fit in on me. You are free to guess which, hopefully it is obvious.

However, it turned out I was wrong. Or partially wrong at least. There are a lot of women in their mid-twenties in these classes, but there are actually also women older than that. I'd say 50% mid-twenties women, and 50 % above. You only very rarely see a guy there. Some wear more expensive clothes, with quite apparent expensive brands, but it is by no means the rule. Most of the other women look like me, non-make-up-ed, wearing whatever was on top of the clothes pile when we had to leave, covering our bodies in a moral way. I absolutely feel I fit in, and sometimes I even feel like that disturbing person, always in the very front of the room, putting my stepboard on the very highest/most difficult level (which no-one else does). I am totally hooked nowadays. Music with a very strong rhythm, and an aesthetic feeling that everyone should be synchronized, forces you to move, no matter how tired you are. Today I really needed to get exhausted, I took two step classes, and worked out hard between 6.15 and 8.25 pm!

So disturbing when you find that your prejudices go unanswered like this.