What she found: Cardio tennis. "I felt like this was a win-win. Not only would I get my cardiovascular in, but I would be practicing my strokes," she says. The past year she's been taking cardio tennis classes with Jeff Michaud of Fitness With Jeff. He coaches on courts all over Atlanta. For Bitton, it's an opportunity to work on her game and her figure at the same time.
A breakdown of her sport: A typical one-hour class consists of tennis-style drills. Think hitting the ball, doing footwork, running up to the net, going cross-court. "You're just moving the whole time," says Bitton. "In cardio tennis you're basically playing tennis; you're doing three shots back to back along the baseline. And then maybe you go up to the net for the next shot and then you run back. You're getting your tennis practice in as well. That's what I like about it."
Who else can do it: While Bitton is an intermediate-level player, she says that anyone can do this, whether the participant is a tennis novice or a semi-pro. "You're playing against the coach. You're moving fast and he's critiquing you. That's the cool thing about it."
Why it works for her: With a busy work schedule, she likes the fact that this is something she can do in the evenings and on the weekends. "Because our weather is so beautiful in Atlanta, I do it after work. I feel like it really fits into my lifestyle. I try to be consistent and go twice a week," she says.
Benefits: In the past year, Bitton has lost 10 pounds but she adds, "I could have lost more if I had been following a major diet. I definitely attribute a lot of it to getting outside and moving a lot with tennis."
She loves the fact that it's a great cardio workout and that it's toned up her legs. "It firms me up. I just feel like everything is more in place," she says with a laugh. Plus, when she's doing cardio tennis, she says she actually enjoys exercise: "Instead of getting on a treadmill and walking for an hour, I'm playing tennis, something I like to do. The hour goes very fast, and it's great."
Labels: Atlanta tennis lessons, Cardio Tennis, group tennis, My Favorite Workout, tennis instruction and physcal exercise, with TV producer Julie Bitton
