New Thing November

In my continued New Year's resolution from 2014 - (at what point does something stop being a resolution and is just a habit?)  I had mentioned last month that I might try to get published beyond this little blog of mine as part of my new thing for November.  I will report that I have submitted - very bravely -  two pieces; fiction and non-fiction for external publication but I will not hear back for 2-3 months.  I will try to remember to report if anything comes of it.

So technically I tried two new things.  The submission of my work for other's eyes to decide if it was worth distributing was pretty scary.  To prepare, I read my work repeatedly out loud and had someone else read it.  My writing obviously sounded interesting to me and the people I shared it with but unconditional love is a blind type of love.


I had wanted to report on an outcome one way or another and since I won't hear back this month, (and to get my mind off potential rejection) I thought I'd try something else new.  So I took a new fitness class.  


I know not as exciting as some of my other challenges.  But trying a new class where I teach was intimidating.  I'm fortunate enough to teach at two amazing studios and as an instructor, I have the opportunity to take free classes at each place.  I don't usually take advantage of this opportunity because there are conflicts with my schedule or the class is too full or really I'm not always sure I will be able to do the work out.

The fear of not being physically fit is my own hang up.  If I was taking a workshop somewhere else with people I don't know, I wouldn't think twice about it.  But at the studio I'm around my peers and my students.  I don't want to appear weak - I am a fitness instructor!  I need to be in shape.  

Here's the thing though - I don't know everything.  I'm not sure about you, but I always have something to learn.  Taking other instructor's classes does give me ideas about things I can incorporate into my classes - its not stealing, its borrowing. (And almost every instructor I know does it).  

Exposure to other people's teaching also helps me learn more about my body.  When I work out, I can't always see my form.  Having another professional watch what I'm doing helps me workout more efficiently.  

So that's why I went. Here's the class I took - a Reformer Class.  On this piece of equipment.  It is not a modern day version of the rack or any other torture device.

This is a pilates class.  And it was fun, but really hard.  I had a great instructor. So learning how to use the equipment was easy but the work I did on it was challenging.  For the most part, my form was good.  What was humbling about this class was that my core wasn't as strong as I thought it was.  

Through TRX, my core is constantly engaged all of the time.  I can hold a plank for over 2 minutes if I wanted to, so I assumed I had ample core strength.  What this workout showed me was that when you throw in a few moves that cause instability in my balance, my core engagement goes out the window.  

Learning that I needed to work on core strength was beneficial to improving my overall fitness.  Now I can tweak my workouts to be more efficient in my weaker areas.  I'm not sure if I'll take this class again due to schedules and class size.  But if the opportunity to try something else presented itself, I would try it out.    In the meantime, I'll be working on strengthening my core with moves that challenge my stability and balance and be thankful that I don't have to try doing it on a piece of equipment that moves constantly.

I think the biggest lesson to come out of trying someone else's class is that I benefit most from keeping an open mind about trying something new.  And I can always learn something new if I'm willing to.  That being said, my new something for December is HUGE!  I will be beyond outside of my comfort zone.... but that is a whole month away.