This is an Update

Yep. It's been a couple weeks without any posting on here. Not that I'm a prolific blogger or anything but I've had a half a dozen ideas for blog posts this month yet I haven't sat down and let those thoughts materialize onto the computer screen. Honestly? I've been exhausted lately. Like, really really exhausted. I feel guilty about falling asleep at 8pm even before my kids to to bed, annoyed about all the endless baskets of laundry that are piling up, and sad about not being up to date with what's going on with my friends and family.

You could say that I'm overwhelmed. It would be the truth.

I feel like I attacked 2014 head on with all these things I wanted to do without thinking about how it would affect my day-to-day life a few months down the road. So now here we are a few months in and I'm all "When did 'The Year of Me Doing Whatever the Hell I Want' turn into 'The Year of Me Being Overcommitted and Feeling Inadequate All the Time?'"

Today I ran with Team Challenge (the group I'm coaching for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation) and I had a discussion with one of my team members about her fears training for the half marathon this summer. We were talking about wanting other people to perceive us a certain way and the words, "You don't have to impress anybody!" came out of my mouth. Good advice right? Sometimes I wish I was as good as following my own advice as I am at giving it. In reality though, I'm kind of full of it.

I need to figure out what things I want to do in order to be happy and not worry about how anyone else views the decisions I make. That, or I need be sitting on a beach in Costa Rica, fruity drink in hand. (Luckily that is actually happening two weeks from now! Thank Jeebus.)

Pump it Up

Before I became a member of the Y, one thing I always heard from friends of mine who were members was: “BODY PUMP IS AWESOME.” Or maybe something like: “OmigoshBodyPumphurtssogoodyouhavetotryit! Also: OUCH.” So when the day finally came when I would finally make it to Body Pump at the South Shore YMCA I was…um...pumped? At the very least I was excited to take the class that I’d heard such good things about.

A lot of what scares people about a class like this is 1) There is a lot of “gear” involved and 2) There are lots of repetitions with the weights. Let’s talk about both.

1) Getting Started

It says on the class schedule to arrive early 10-15 minutes to set up. Although a seasoned Body Pump veteran wouldn’t need so much time, I got there 15 minutes early to talk to the instructor and figure out what weights I would be needing for class. In addition to mat I ended up with a stepper, two sets of light to medium dumbbells as well as a barbell and some varied weights to swap on and off of the bar depending on what muscle group we were working. Since I wasn’t familiar with the barbell she helped me figure out how much weight I would be needing and gave me some tips for how much weight to put on (i.e. start light and add if needed, squatting will be your heaviest weight of the day, etc.)

2) All those repetitions.

They are not kidding around.  LOTS of reps! I’m the type of person who is used to heavier weight/fewer repetitions so I was glad I listened to her advice to start lighter. What I thought was a good amount of weight for me would start to buuuurrrn about halfway through the song- whether it was overhead presses with the barbell or lunging lunging lunging again and again. Like the Body Combat class, each song had a “theme”. There was track for squatting, one for rowing, one for overhead pressing (and so forth.) By the end of class I had used every combination of weights on my barbell as well as both sets of dumbbells.

I can definitely see why this class is popular. A lot of people find strength training to be boring so the lively atmosphere and music help to keep the energy high. Plus, the higher repetitions add a level of cardio to the workout as well. So if you’ve ever gone back and forth about a Body Pump class don’t be intimidated! Just get there early, don’t go overboard on the weight and have fun!

36

I've been around for 36 years now. (Insert joke about needing a walker or something about my lawn. Har har.) Anyway, I woke up this morning and re-read my birthday blog post from two years ago- which I still think has a lot of great points. Yay for wisdom coming with age! Although this year I have a few more things that I'd like to add to that list:

Don't be afraid to put yourself in vulnerable situations.

I'm kind of surprised I didn't have this on the list before, although I do feel like in this past year I've done more things that initially made me feel uncomfortable. I have to say that I've never regretted trying anything new, even if I felt completely terrified or awkward going in. (Somebody remind me of this if I ever get the chance to jump out of a plane.)

It's ok to be selfish.

Ain't nobody know your life! At the end of the day I need to take care of me. (You know, after taking care of everyone else. Heh.) Sometimes I need to remind myself that I can say "No" to people. I can't do everything. (Believe me, I've tried.)

It's ok to not have all the answers.

I was tentative jumping into being a personal trainer because I thought I had to know everything and be the absolute best in order to coach others. Now that's just crazy because NOBODY KNOWS EVERYTHING. I'm never going to be the strongest/fastest/smartest but that doesn't mean I can't help people get stronger/faster/smarter. Life is about learning and I'm never going to stop. (Can't stop, won't stop.)

Embrace your gifts.

Ok, I did include this last time but it's very important to me. I never want to stop feeling grateful for all the things I have in my life. Holy crap I've done some amazing things in the past 36 years and I can't wait to do even more! And I will be thankful for every last second of it.