Or getting on the wagon for the first time, whichever situation you find yourself in, can be challenging. Starting a new exercise program, or re-committing yourself after a break, is something that can feel intimidating. I am going to speak from my own personal experience in this blog and assure you, no one has ever felt more intimidated than me, coming back to Alkalign after a hiatus.
I have always been an avid exerciser, a lover of fitness and especially a lover of butter+sugar+flour (hence the exercise). I found our local barre studio after a tough period in my life, punishing myself on the treadmill every single day, checking off my five miles. Walking into the studio five years ago, my eyes opened up to a bright, friendly studio full of happy people and pop music. And the exercises worked! Within weeks I could see the results of the workouts, everything was tighter and smaller. I quietly tiptoed away from the treadmill dungeon in my garage and never looked back. I was a devoted barre student for two years when I went through the training to be an instructor and taught regularly for about six months. I was just starting to hit my stride and get really comfortable with that silly mic, when one of my kids had a little hiccup and needed some extra attention. I resigned as an instructor and with my tail between my legs, commenced taking classes as a regular student. There were awkward moments, when clients would assume I was still an instructor and ask for help and I couldn’t offer any adjustments. I powered through those first couple of months and found a nice regular stride. About a year later, it seemed like every single instructor was pregnant and I decided to come out of retirement, put my grippy socks on and grab a hold of that mic again. Another six good months as an instructor and another kid with another challenge to manage. I couldn’t figure out a way to stay on the schedule as an instructor and still have the flexibility I needed to manage my family and their never-ending stream of problems. So again, for the 2nd time, I had to quit. You don’t think that sucks?
I was beside myself. I felt like I had disappointed people and I couldn’t bring myself to show my face near the studio. I took a year, a whole calendar year, and tried every group exercise on the peninsula, trying to find a replacement for the exercise, the results, but mostly, the community I was missing at Alkalign. And one day I just said to myself, “This is bananas. Get yourself in there and take a class.” I literally sat in the parking lot, hands shaking for five minutes before I walked in. I have never been so intimidated in my life. Here was my place, my people, but I had failed them and was too embarrassed to try again. But damn it, I did. I tried again. And I am so glad I did.
So if you are on a little exercise break, get back on the wagon. I promise you will be happy you did. If you are curious about Alkalign and have been wanting to try it, get on the wagon for the first time. There are friendly people there who want you to succeed. It’s not some secret society of Lululemon wear-ers. Don’t be scared away by the perception that everyone knows what they are doing but you. It takes time to figure out the positions and refine them and get the most out of your workout. And I have news—no one was born doing Low C curve! We all had to learn too.
I’m going to wrap this up with a quotation that’s been rolling around in my head for a while now. I had to look it up to get it right and found that it was spoken by Robin Williams. My training partner in crime, Cathy Purnell, and I saw Robin Williams in Marin at a coffee shop during a break from an instructor training day. When I realized it was his words that continue to inspire me, it all came full circle. “There’s no shame in failing. The only shame is not giving things your best shot.”
You deserve your best shot.
