Are you tempted to write off fitness because you didn’t like a class you attended?

I didn’t like my first Zumba class at all. The instructor was using fast-paced, intricate choreography that turned us in all different directions. I couldn’t see her well, and her brief verbal cues didn’t help me. 

Because I don’t have a background in dance, I expected a steep learning curve. However, I didn’t expect to be so inept that I was colliding with my neighbors as I scanned the room trying to figure out what the next step was.

Instructors can’t be everything to everyone. My inability to follow the class was not a reflection on the Zumba instructor. I was excited to try her class because she had an impressive dance background and a large, loyal following. It didn’t occur to me until after class that she probably attracted a lot of dancers and enthusiasts who liked challenging choreography.

I still wanted to do Zumba, so I tried a second class with another instructor. The experience was entirely different. The choreography was less intricate, and the instructor provided cues that made sense to me. Sure — I got lost. I got lost a lot. But I wasn’t lost the entire time. When I did find myself lost, I smiled, waited for another cue, and got back to dancing.

If you didn’t enjoy a class, I urge you to try a different instructor or format. Maybe the instructor or the format just wasn’t a good fit for you. 

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy week.

Do you like New Years?

New Year’s Day is one of my favorite holidays because it reminds us that we can always clear the slate and start anew. Our old unhealthy habits don’t have to follow us into the coming year. We can change. We can grow. 

I wasn’t always excited about the new year. My dislike probably had something to do with my inability to complete any of my previous resolutions. While having a fresh start is invigorating, it can also be daunting. Change can be challenging. Old habits — even if they are hurting us in the long run — can be comforting in the short run.

A while ago I found a couple of my old resolutions. Though the resolutions were years apart, they were virtually the same. Finding these resolutions was a wake-up call. Clearly, I knew what I wanted, but the strategies I thought would work didn’t. I needed some help and guidance in order to live life to the fullest.

If the changes you want to make in your life seem impossible, I encourage you to try a different strategy. Maybe, like me, you need a little help and guidance to get there.    

Happy New Year!  

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy week.     

Some people were skeptical when I told them that I was becoming a trainer. They wondered if I could yell enough. Yelling is a popular tool that is often used by fitness professionals because some people thrive when they are told to GO, GO, GOOO!!! 

However, yelling isn’t for everyone. When considering training with me, many of my potential clients worried that I was going to yell at them. I can relate to these individuals because I don’t find yelling inspirational either. Luckily, there are many other tools that trainers can use to help inspire and motivate their clients.

Avoiding working with a fitness professional because you don’t want to be yelled at? If so, I urge you to reconsider. There are many fitness professionals out there who never yell and many others who won’t yell if you expressly state that it bothers you. (And please share your concerns and desires!)

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy week.  

In high school, I was part of a youth group in a neighboring town, so I got to work with people who went to other schools. We participated in various activities including a competitive treasure hunt, where we searched for clues all around town. Each team was assigned an adult chaperone to drive and supervise them.

I wasn’t familiar with the area, so I wasn’t able to contribute much. However, when a clue required one person to catch someone running on a track, I knew I could help out. We sat in the van and observed the person on the track. They were moving at a good clip. Still, I thought I would be able to catch them, so I volunteered.    

I was immediately shot down by a teammate. I was told I was short and had short, stubby legs. Another teammate agreed that I was much too short to run fast, and it was decided. I didn’t run. One of the taller teammates was chosen and struggled to catch the person on the track.

After our runner finally got in the car, several of my teammates turned on me. I heard phrases like “Thank goodness you didn’t run. You never would have been able to catch them.” When that didn’t get a reaction out of me, they goaded me on by saying “What, are you going to cry now!?” I knew their words were meant to sting. 

Thankfully, their words didn’t have the desired impact.  If my teammates had chosen another insult, they could have devastated me, but being called short and slow didn’t bother me at all. Indeed, I was the shortest person on my team. Most importantly, I knew I wasn’t slow. Earlier that week we ran a 150 meter race in PE class. My time was so good it impressed the track stars.  

What did sting was that no one who witnessed this did anything to defend me. Even if they weren’t actively participating, their silence made it feel like they agreed. This made me realize that many of the mean comments I had taken to heart in the past — just because everyone seemed to agree — probably weren’t true either. 

If bullying from your past has prevented you from living life to the fullest, I urge you to reconsider. Just because it was said doesn’t mean that it’s true. Even if it was true, it doesn’t have to prevent you from living life to the fullest.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy week.

Early in my college years, I visited my economics professor during office hours.  After answering my questions, he asked me if I had chosen a major. At the time I was undecided. He told me why he had selected economics —  it challenged him. I found that really odd. I was trying my best to find a major that wasn’t too challenging — something in my comfort zone.

Eventually, I learned. I’m thankful I had to fulfill general education requirements because they forced me to take various classes inside and outside my comfort zone. The classes in my comfort zone, while comfortable, didn’t require me to learn and grow as much as the ones that were slightly outside of my comfort zone. Plus, the skills and knowledge I learned from the classes outside my comfort zone helped me perform even better inside my comfort zone.

Fitness is just like this. It is tempting to only focus on subjects you are good at in school. It is also temping to only focus on the components of fitness you naturally excel at.

I’d like to say I made the connection between school and fitness right away, but I hovered inside of my fitness comfort zone for a while before I took a baby step outside of it. As I began to challenge myself, I found that my comfort zone grew, so I took another step, and then another step. With a more balanced exercise regimen, my overall physical fitness improved.

If you, like me, have confined your fitness efforts to your comfort zone, I urge you to take a step outside of it. You may just discover that these new skills and abilities help you live your life to the fullest. 

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy week.

With busy roads, crowded airports, and full flights, traveling around the holidays is challenging. I often find myself engaged in various hurry-up-to-wait situations. These days, I hurry less because I prepare more. For example, I set out my clothes the night before and get up earlier. The waiting part is a bit more complex. There is nothing I can do to prevent my flight from being delayed. 

In the past when I found myself waiting at the airport, I would sit down and read or chat until it was time to board. Then, I would board the flight and proceed to sit for several more hours. Even though I hadn’t done much besides sit and wait — and sit and wait some more — I would arrive at my destination exhausted.

However, I discovered that while I can’t control how long I wait at the airport, I can control what I’m doing while I wait. I now take short strolls, squat, balance on one leg, and do some of the simpler yoga postures. While I may come across as a little strange, I have found that waiting is more enjoyable (not a high bar, I know) and I arrive at my destination with more energy.

If you find yourself at the airport with some time to spare, I encourage you to move around. You may discover that the whole traveling experience is improved.   

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy week.

It feels wonderful to get a great deal, doesn’t it? I’m no stranger to impulse shopping. I used to work at a women’s clothing store. I had a closet full of clothes, but sometimes certain items would call my name. I tried my best to resist the temptation, but it was hard — especially when these items went on clearance. As an employee, I was one of the first people to know about the clearance prices. That meant finding the size and color I wanted was easier. Plus, I got my store discount on top of the clearance prices.   

Even though I got a great deal on beautiful clothes, it wasn’t great. I already had enough clothes, and sometimes these new purchases would remain unworn in my closet for weeks. In addition, my purchases prevented me from using that money for other things — things that would have allowed me to live life to the fullest. 

We are in the midst of the biggest shopping season of the year. While there are many sales, I encourage you to only pursue things that will allow you to live life to the fullest — things that you would still purchase at their regular price.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy week.

I used to teach an origami class at a resort. The class didn’t require any kind of registration. Guests that were interested would show up, and I would teach them. Because I didn’t know who was coming, I never knew if someone was running late. Every so often, I would have a guest or two who would show up after I had started. Usually the latecomers only missed the introduction and could easily catch up.

One time, I had two guests who showed up when a group was halfway through folding their papers into flowers. The latecomers looked over at the other guests’ work and realized how much of the class they had missed. They kindly offered to wait until the next lesson. However, the other guests warmly asserted that they didn’t mind waiting for them to get caught up, so the latecomers decided to give it a go.

Despite all the encouragement we gave to them to take their time, they seemed rushed. The flower starts off with some seemingly easy folds — I’m sure we all remember hamburger and hot dog paper folds from elementary school. Eager to catch up, the latecomers hastily made these initial folds. When the folds became more complex, they struggled. They spent much of their time redoing some of their haphazard early folds.

As the new year approaches, it can be tempting to rush into a challenging fitness routine. However, fitness is a lot like origami — a solid foundation is important. A solid foundation will help you reach your goals with less effort, more confidence, and less pain.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy week.

Do you have the right tools?

As an outdoor educator, some days were workdays. On these days, my fellow teachers and I would all pitch in to clean up the camp and prepare it for the next group. During one of these workdays, another teacher and I were asked to remove some bolts and given a tool. Even though neither of us had done this before, it seemed like it wouldn’t be too hard.

The task soon proved much more daunting than we anticipated. The tool we were given didn’t seem to grip the bolt well. Despite our best efforts, the bolt wouldn’t budge. We struggled and struggled — we took turns struggling. We adjusted our grip, the placement of the tool, the placement of our bodies, and we even tried to remove the bolt with our bare hands. Nothing helped.

We kept struggling until it was clear that we were hardly making any progress. We weren’t going to complete the task anytime soon, so we called for help. Help arrived  with a different tool. Unfamiliar with the tools, we didn’t even think to wonder if we needed a different tool. With this new tool, the bolts slipped right off, and we were soon helping our fellow teachers who were still completing their tasks.

If you’re struggling and getting nowhere, like my fellow teacher and me, you might be using the wrong tool. It may be time to ask for help from someone who can teach you new tools and how to use them.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy week.

Do you find yourself dodging physical activity because you’re worried about getting hurt?

A while back I was playing tennis with some fellow outdoor educators. They played varsity tennis in high school and had more experience and training than me. We hit the ball back and forth, but sometimes I found myself instinctively dodging the ball.

Several months earlier, I was hit by a tennis ball. It hurt. Even though I knew it was unlikely to happen again, the thought of one of those fast moving tennis balls hitting me was unnerving.

When you hang out with a bunch of educators, sometimes you find yourself being taught a lesson 🙂 This was one of those times. After a water break, one of the guys I was playing with began hitting balls right toward me and commanding, “Defend yourself!” Taken aback, I used my racket to block my body. The tennis balls made contact with my racket and fell to my side of the court. They weren’t winners, but they didn’t hit me.

I had learned to defend myself! After that, there was no more fearful dodging when a ball came my way. I just tried my best to hit it back. I ended that day playing the best I ever had.

In tennis and all other physical activities, there is always a risk of injury. Luckily, there are also some precautions you can take to help defend yourself. In this instance, I needed to learn how to block a ball that was headed straight at me.

Every person and situation is different, but a great way to start defending yourself is by learning how to listen to your body your body, include a proper warm up and cool down, use correct form, and get the proper nutrition and hydration.

If you’re avoiding physical activity due to fear, I encourage you to learn how to defend yourself so you can live life to the fullest.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy week.