Stepping out of my comfort zone
Updated: Aug 16, 2020
I got away from exercise for a while during a new job and then a house renovation. The tightening coil of anxiety and stress in my midsection grew and grew. I knew what I needed to do but couldn’t get myself out of my cycle of NOT exercising. A friend asked me in January if I would like to join a gym with her. As we chatted more about it, the more I became excited and encouraged to do it. I had been a member of gyms before, but it had been a while. She told me about the bootcamp classes. YAAASSS! Sign me up please! And then she said the dreaded word I feared: Zumba. She is sort of shy so I was so surprised when she said she has done Zumba before. I explained that while I dance around the house, I don’t do that in public. Ever. She just laughed and said it’s lots of fun, and we should try it. Alright, I agreed.
Our first gym class was bootcamp. I’m comfortable with these exercises. Very challenging and boy, did we both hurt the next day. And the next day was Zumba. We stood at the back of the studio nervously (or at least I was nervous) when the instructor walked in. She greeted us and I immediately blurted out that I can’t dance. Like, at all. She just smiled and said no worries, just have fun. I was a bit disappointed; I kind of thought she might ask me to leave and that would be my out. Oh crap, the music is starting…
My friend is grinning ear to ear – damn it! I turn my attention to the instructor and she starts with some easy moves that I can do. Not gracefully, but I’m doing it. Then the speed and complexity picks up. Dear God! Which way are we going? I can hardly keep up with my feet, and my arms are not doing at all what they are supposed to be doing. I glance furtively around the room. There’s about 30 of us in here. The others know what they are doing, but they aren’t very good at it. Not like the instructor. Okay, I think, no one is really great at this. And to my surprise, no one is looking at me in horror. My friend is trying to keep up and doing about as well as me. Maybe I’m okay after all?
Several more Zumba classes later, and I know most of the moves and I suck at them. But it’s okay, because we generally all suck but we are laughing and having fun and working up a good sweat. I find myself smiling A LOT during the class. I love the music and the instructor is adorable and fun and positive. There are bodies of all sizes and ages in the room. And we are all doing this crazy thing called Zumba. I like this. I like it a lot.