This post is sponsored by Nuffnang.

When  I was invited along to try the new fitness craze of Cardio Tennis, my first thought was that it sounded pretty lame. Like the fitness classes my parents did in the 80s called Aerobicise or Roller Tone. However I’m a total sucker for anything new and fitnessy so I went along in good spirits.

This is Belinda the instructor.  Fitness classes are very promising to me if the instructor looks good in shorts.

It was the most fun work out ever. Ever. And I really don’t say that lightly. I would call myself a fitness enthusiast but certainly not a fanatic. And when I say ‘enthusiast’ I mean ‘only because it’s necessary’. If my body and brain functioned without exercise, I’d have a really hard time caring about it to be honest. This means that the more distraction there is in a fitness session, the more likely I am to not hate it. I need an instructor who understands that I’m like a dog and they need to be able to cater to that and be all ‘Hey something shiny! Go get it Carly!‘ and distract me until  it’s all over and I’ve burned 450 calories and I’m as high as a kite on exercise endorphins. That’s exactly what Cardio Tennis does. 

A bunch of very fancy tennis equipment. 

For a start, you get a heart rate moniter with a watch so that you know if you’re working to the right fat burning level. I’m such a geek and I’m secretly quite good at maths (shhhh! Don’t tell anyone!) so this little gadget was right up my alley.

Some sort of intense fitness drill. I’m thinking… lunges???

Another lovely thing about Cardio Tennis is that most sessions are held outdoors. I’m a self proclaimed sun-loathing, typical Melbournite vampire but inspite of my usual sun repulsion I actually really enjoyed being outside in the fresh air. It felt so wholesome and tingly.

The lovely team from Tennis Australia who acted as a fake group for my Cardio Tennis classes. I want one of those singlets so badly. 

The sessions are run in drill like form with mini-games and short bursts of activity so you never get bored or have to do something you don’t like for very long. Like burpies or vollying. I cannot volly to save my life. I just shriek and cover my face with the tennis racquet. I like to call it strategically defensive playing. 

The Ladder of Death. It’s made of soft material and is not raised from the ground at all yet I still managed to trip over it twice. 

If you want to try Cardio Tennis yourself, the Nuffies and Tennis Australia are giving away a super cool Cardio Tennis gift pack including – (terms and conditions)

* A Wilson Tennis Raquet

* 5 Cardio Tennis session passes

* Suunto Heart Rate Monitor (seriously, this thing is the bomb. I’m going to buy one.)

* Cardio Tennis Singlet top (so jealous of the winner right now.)

All you have to do to enter is tell me all about your worst/most embarrassing/most hilarious exercise or fitness story in the comments section.

I had never played tennis in my life and now I’m like this guy. 

If you need a little inspiration, I like stories where people fall over or their pants fall down. I also have a morbid fascination with horrible injuries so something along those lines would please me greatly.

Good luck!