My New Fitness Fun...finding your flow.

At the age of 40, I stepped outside of my fitness comfort zone and took a gymnastics class for the first time in at least 25 years. As I have mentioned previously, I was never one for team sports as a kid. Gymnastics was the only sport I really stuck with and enjoyed...until I dislocated my elbow for the second time when I was 11 years old while jumping over a pummel horse on the way to the water fountain.   Doh!

I have thought about revisiting this sport as an adult, but never saw any classes being offered anywhere....until I signed my son up for a class this fall. There it was....adult gymnastics.....offered the same time as my son's class. Could it get any more convenient? Why wouldn't I do it?!

Looks like fun doesn't it??

Well, I will tell you why....fear. Have you flipped into a foam pit lately? Or done straddle jumps and back handsprings on a tramp? When was the last time you kicked up into a handstand? Does the thought of it make your belly do flip flops? It did for me. No way can I get out there and do these things after so many years. So week after week, I brought my coffee and my iPad and I sat.











I watched other big people tumble on the floor, flip down the tumble track and do hip circles on the bar.  I always loved doing gymnastics and longed to be out there...but I thought I was to old, to rusty.  The last time I did a forward roll I was dizzy for hours!

And then something happened.

Someone died.

What does that have to do with anything? Well, it has to do with everything....because life is short, and opportunities WILL pass you by.

If you allow fear to rule you, you will never progress. Because change means risk and risk means flip flops in your belly.

The morning after I went to the funeral I showed up to gymnastics with my son as usual, prepared to sit, drink my coffee and read the new Steve Jobs book on my iPad (which, having now finished the book, is ironic in and of itself). Then I overheard a woman talking about taking the adult class. I heard her say, "I've never taken gymnastics before." and  I thought to myself..."if she is willing to give it a try...why wouldn't I?"

I did a quick check and realized that I had sweats on and an elastic around my wrist. $20.00 cash and I was IN. I refused to let myself over think it...in fact I blocked it all together and just moved forward.....and all of a sudden there I was....doing straddle jumps and back handsprings on the tramp...tumbling across the floor and doing hip circles on the bar.

I came home that afternoon and told my older son and husband what I had done. "I took a gymnastics class!". I exclaimed. My son looked at my husband and said, "I've never seen Mom so happy about something!"

And that was all I needed to hear.

My tummy still does flip flops on the Friday night before class leading all the way up until I get out there...but I refuse to over think it...and I keep moving forward...and by the end of every class I am totally in my flow.

You can check me out here. 

Orchestrating Life

I read a great article today that compared choosing a fitness plan to conducting a symphony.  The author likens the transformation of creating a fitness repertoire that encapsulates the whole body to that of orchestrating a symphony that encapsulates the whole spirit.

I especially like the first part where the author describes choosing a fitness plan that leads you to what you want to accomplish based on who you are.  Now, the article is a bit skewed based on the fact that it was written for the Team Beachbody newsletter, however as a concept I think the idea ties real nicely into this whole concept of Being and Authentic Self.  In order to figure out where you want to go...you have to know where you are.

So I would challenge folks to take a step back even further.  A lot of people who jump full force into  exercising end up losing momentum and ultimately stop.  Time marches on and they wonder, "What ever happened to that exercise thing I was doing?"  People give up, the desire fades, they get to busy, life gets in the way....in other words, Epic Fail.

I believe that in order to be successful in something, including transforming one's lifestyle to include a fitness regimen, one has to start with soul searching and ultimately orchestrate this life change based on their Authentic Self.

Where to start?  Here are my thoughts:

1.  What are your goals?   In other words...why are you doing this?  To lose weight?  To lower blood pressure?  To gain muscle?  To get ripped?  To feel good?  Really take the time to think about this, because the answer will drive everything from this point forward.  Once you have decided on what your goals are (which could change at any time by the way) WRITE THEM DOWN!  Studies show that those who write their goals down are significantly more likely to achieve said goals than those who do not write them down.

2.  What type of person are you?  What is your inherent personality?  Why is this important?  Because it will determine what type of exercise you will choose to do and more importantly STICK WITH.  For example: If you are a "Thinker" that likes to keep to yourself, do things at your own pace, and eschew group activities  signing up for a boot camp or joining a community intramural sport is probably not the best choice for you.  On the other hand, if you are a "Doer" joining an Ultimate Frisbee league is probably right up your alley!

3.  What is your current lifestyle?  Do you work 12 hours a day?  Do you have a family?  Are you engaged in hobbies?  Do you attend a lot of social activities?  How is exercise going to fit into the way you live your life?  If you go to bed at 1am on most nights, don't plan on waking up at 5am to exercise.  You will never sustain it.  If you pick up the kids after school and have to run them around to their own activities on most days, don't plan on exercising in the afternoon.  It will never work.   Choose something that fits your lifestyle and you will be more likely to sustain it over time.

4. Research.  What is available?  Do you live near a fitness center?  Do you have room in your home to do at home exercise?  Are their boot camps in your community?  What are your options?  Fitness is nothing more than physical activity....anything active done purposefully can be exercise including cleaning the house and shopping.

5. Plan.  Put all of the above together and come up with a 30 day plan.  Don't commit to more than that until you know that your plan is working for you.  If you find that you have not stuck to it within the designated 30 days or you don't get the results you want, it is time to re-evaluate steps 1-4.

WHEW!  And you haven't even picked out your gear yet.  This fitness stuff is hard work.  Making a life change is not easy and it takes planning and patience.  I guarantee though, once you figure it out and find what works it will just happen, like an orchestra performing the perfect symphony.  Everything just falls together in the right places.