Do you remember what it was like when you were first starting your fitness journey?
I started my journey at home. I watched what I ate and I walked. I did some wii games like the wii Fit and the Jillian Michaels one. There was no way that I was going to any studio or gym to work out with a bunch of skinny, judgmental people. No way, no how! That didn’t last forever though.
I remember all too well the first time that I was finally coerced into going to an exercise class. It was actually my youngest daughter who finally convinced me to go with her. She knew the girl who was starting some classes at a local karate studio. She really wanted me to help this girl get her classes started, so I said I would try it. It was a good move.
At my first class, I was amazed that many of the people were older, overweight and out of shape people just like me. It felt like I fit in. I started going to the cardio, yoga and zumba classes and I liked them. Maybe this was going to be okay and it was for awhile.
Just about the time that I was really starting to feel like things were beginning to fall into place, the younger, skinnier and judgmental girls started coming to class. Just shoot me now! At 57 years old, I didn’t need these girls looking down their noses at me and making me feel like I didn’t belong there because I couldn’t do what they could. The other ladies I worked out with felt the same way. Little by little, they started to not come to class. By spring of 2012, none of us were going anymore.
I was back to walking and working out at home. I did okay for awhile, but it got old and boring and I lost my enthusiasm. I missed my girlfriends. I missed how we would laugh and joke and push each other in class. The girl who always thought she hated the gym, now missed it more than ever. I was finding that I was less motivated without my girls and the instructors. It wasn’t good.
Fast forward to January 2013. The yoga instructor from the old place was opening her own studio with her husband. She was going to have cardio, strength, yoga and zumba. I was so excited. Word spread like wild fire and most of the girls from the old place couldn’t wait for the new place to open. We were going to be back together again. This was awesome!!
And it was awesome until November of 2013. Then, I started all my problems with my foot and the tendonitis and arthritis and blah, blah, blah. I was missing classes right and left and getting more and more unhappy because of it. The doctor wouldn’t even let me walk on the treadmill. I started to not care what I was eating and drinking and barely working out. Bad combo, folks. It got ugly.
It’s finally getting better though. I am starting back to classes. The inserts in my shoes are doing the trick. It’s been slow going, but it’s coming along. It’s amazing how fast you can lose everything you had gained. I’m tired, I’m winded, I’m sore. I feel old. I feel like the new kid again. But this time, it’s different. I don’t worry about people judging me. I don’t worry if I can’t keep up. Below is a sign similar to one that hangs in the new studio. Theirs actually says it’s a no judgment zone. It’s more than a sign though. It’s almost like the studio’s mission statement. They really mean it.
The bottom line of this post is this…..If you are worried about heading out to a gym or taking classes, maybe just give it a try. I was horrified at the idea of going, but it turned okay in the end. I was you once. Heck, I was you twice. What’s the worst thing that could happen? You don’t like it. At least you will know that for a fact and it’s not just an assumption. But, just maybe you will like it. You might even love it and how cool would that be?
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Tags: exercise, featured, fitness, The Older Sister
Category: MIND IT, Nancy, The Older Sister, The Sisterhood