Saturday, July 2, 2011

Something New - 73 days left

Over the last seven weeks since I started my journey, Saturdays have been my day of rest from exercising.  This has been especially true since I began crossfit a little over three weeks ago and the increased intensity that workout brought.  However, yesterday I learned that crossfit would be closed on Monday since it is Independence Day.  I should have realized this prior to yesterday, but I wasn't putting the two things together.  The more I thought about not having a crossfit workout on Monday, the more I realized that I needed to just go ahead and make it there again today for my 6th workout in a row.  So I found out the time and off I went this morning to the 10 AM crossfit workout.

I must admit that I was a little nervous about going this morning because it was a different instructor than whom I have been with in the past.  Plus the trainer is a woman which sounded a lot like Jillian when I had heard her described to me.  It turns out that the lady was very nice and greeted me with, "I have heard a lot about you".  I was not quite sure if my response should be "thank you" or "oh, no", but smiled and took it as a compliment as she seemed to mean it that way.  I then learned that the class today would be a combination of crossfit and kick boxing.  Hello!  I have never even tried kick boxing before and I have been hesitant to try the kick boxing since I started going to the crossfit workout.

Today all of the circuit was also a "team" effort.  Our first round was one person doing 10 wall balls while the other did jumping hits to a "mannequin" (for lack of a better word) for 10 minutes.  The best way I know to describe the mannequin is that there is a torso and head of a man with no arms that is made from the material like silicone to make him feel a little fleshy.

The guy that had called me a "tough cookie" last week was my first partner.  I was actually a little surprised that he volunteered to be with me.  I have a competitive nature about me and I always picture a man having an even greater competitive spirit not wanting to be matched with someone who might slow them down.  However, everything went really well and when it was my turn to hit the target, I hit that man like I have been punching people all my life.

The second round brought a partner change and was 6 rounds of 20 kettle bells while your partner hit the face of the mannequin twice and then did a hook to the chest.  Guess who my partner was this time?  The instructor!!!!  It was the most challenging part of the workout for me.  My side was hurting by the end of the round this time and it took me a while to catch my breath.  Fortunately, the instructor was very encouraging to me and I think being teamed with her made me challenge myself a little more than I would with one of the other people.

We ended with a third round and yet another partner change.  This time one team member was on the rowing machine while the other team member did 100 sit ups.  Ponytail girl actually wanted to be my partner on that round, but I had already told one of the other men that I have gotten to know from church that I would go with him that round.

I am so very glad that I went today even though I was tired and sore.  It turned out to be a FANTASTIC experience and one that I don't think I would have tried for months if it would have been up to me.  I also discovered that I really do like boxing.  It was challenging and a great workout.  And now that I have done it once, I am planning on going back next week to try it again.

In the Sound of Music, Mother Abbess tells Maria that she has to "face her fears and not run from them".  The more time I am on this new path I am finding that once I face my fear, I have ended up liking whatever new endeavor I try.  I could have started the kick boxing class three weeks ago when I started crossfit.  However, because of having fear, I allowed that to stifle me.  And truthfully, I wouldn't have tried it today either if I would have known it was going to be that before I went.  My hope is that next time I faced with another something new that I am unsure about, I will go ahead and try it instead of waiting and waiting and waiting.  As it has turned out, I am liking a lot of the "something new's" in my life that I have been missing out on for a very long time.
2 Timothy 1:7 (New King James Version) - For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

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