Hey peops! Rachel here with a photo collage of my fitness fanta-SY! (Say it like the Ludacris song!)

You can head over to my blog to read the full description of my dream class and also read my attempt at rap!

So for this challenge, I could not ONLY do the elliptical and ab machine at my nightly workout… deciding what to do differently was the challenging part. I have a fear of trying new things at the Rec because I’ll look like an idiot trying to figure them out…

I ended up on the stationary bike for the first time in my entire life. It was really, surprisingly, not that bad. I was amazed at how many miles I was able to do in such a short amount of time. I did 3.5 miles in 16 minutes and it didn’t even kill me. (I usually do 2.5 miles on the elliptical in 45 minutes.) Now, I must say, not only have I never  been on a stationary bike before, I also do not ride a regular bike. I do not own one, haven’t for some time, and don’t plan on getting one anytime soon. The problem is that two minutes on a regular bike seat and I’m ready to cry. There is no pain like the pain inflicted by a bike seat, it just isn’t something my lady parts can ever get used to. However, my lovely university Rec center, has fabulous bikes with large padded seats that have backs. It was like sitting in a chair. Fabulous, and I got to watch TV.

Moral of the story: trying new things is good! I’m glad the challenge pushed me out of my comfort zone, because now I’m pretty sure I’ve found my new favorite machine!

This week’s challenge is brought to you by Core Fusion, and we have our first weekly prize!

Core Fusion is a series of workout classes that take the fundamentals of Lotte Berk and pilates to the next level for a totally unique workout experience. It’s taught at Exhale Spa locations throughout the country, but for those of us who don’t live in big cities, Core Fusion DVDs are available. Rachel has written about them extensively on Shedding It, because after losing major inches and noticing a huge difference in her body during her one-month commitment, she’s obsessed. There are several DVDs, but the people at Core Fusion were cool enough to donate two DVDs to us: Thighs and Glutes and Pure Abs and Arms.

Outside the Box Challenge Week #2: The Core Fusion Shock Your Body Test. Last week, you got your hands dirty. This week, it’s time to get sweaty! For this challenge, you have to try a new workout: it can be a new machine at the gym (like the poor, neglected rowing machine), a new DVD, a class you’ve never tried before, or just a new and different way to do cardio or strength training. To make sure you really shock your body, it should be something you haven’t done for the past three months!

Everyone who submits an entry to this week’s challenge (regardless of whether you entered last week) is eligible to win one of the DVDs. We’ll pick the winners at random from all the eligible entries this week!

You have until 11:59 PM PST on Sunday, March 14 to submit your entry! Get to it!

What: The Outside the Box Challenge presented by Shedding It & Getting It and Nutritionista!
Who: YOU! The more participants, the better!
Why: To bust you out of your rut! We want to challenge you to get you outside your box each week.
Where: You can submit all your posts and find the new weekly challenges on this blog!
How: To get started, simply submit a post showing or telling how you completed this week’s challenge before Sunday, 3/7, at 12am EST! And if you Tweet about it, be sure to use the hash tag #OTBChallenge.