Wednesday, May 16, 2012

By popular demand....I'm back.

So I left....for a long time.  Why?  A few reasons.

1.  I actually hate writing.  I have nothing against it. Words are my friends....but I like better when they come out of my mouth and not my hands (though many times I wish there was a delete button for my mouth).   Also, I'm much funnier live. I like reading words written by others, don't get my wrong.  But writing has been a bit of a challenge for me my entire life.  Grammar is hard...OK??
2.  I'm not sure I love blogs.  There I said it.  Sometimes they are good.  Sometimes they stink.  They give a sounding board to anyone...whether they know what they are talking about or not (like me.  Do you really know if I know what I'm talking about???)
3.  Blogging makes me nervous.  I feel like I'm walking around in public naked and everyone is judging me.  "Oh, that's a bit much Sarah, don't you think?"  No.  I get nervous.  Especially walking around naked in public.  But that's another story for another day.

Today's topic?  Well, I had lots of thoughts.  They varied from talking about nutrient timing for runners' diets to "why are you squatting so poorly and please stop because it's driving me bonkers" to my favorite hamstring strengthening exercises (slideboard curls, if you are wondering).  However, if you aren't a fitness nerd like me sometimes this stuff just comes out "Blah, blah, blah....squat....blah, blah, blah...push-up....etc.".  So today I am talking about something that everyone needs to do when they walk into a group class at their gym, puts in an exercise DVD or even performs their own workout.

CHECK YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR

I see this over and over again....weight is too heavy, you are standing on 1-leg when you should be on two, you are throwing your legs over your head in yoga when your an barely even touch your toes.  It is human nature to compare ourselves to others.  It sucks but it's true.  The problem with this in a group exercise setting is that the person next to you is not you.  Whether you want to be like them, or not like them at all, they should not be your basis for comparison.  Nor should your instructor.  Whether it's me or Jillian Michael on your DVD.  I've many times done something in class and said "Look, I just cheated" or lost my balance a bit.  It happens to all of us.  I'm not perfect.  You're not perfect.  Even Jillian Michaels isn't perfect (ok, maybe a little bit.)

I say it almost every class to my students.  Check your ego at the door.  Whether it's because you want to lift more than the person next to you or you want to lift more because you want bigger biceps....there is something to be said to doing sometime simple correctly than doing something fancy completely wrong.  Listen to your instructors and ask their advice.  That is what we are here for.  We are there to help you get stronger, faster, lose weight, etc and MOST importantly we are there to keep you safe.  If your instructor at a class is more concerned with his/her workout then helping you, that may not be the best class to go to.  If you are corrected in class, that is a GOOD thing.  I go to other people's classes and get corrected (see, not perfect).  I like that.

With all this you may ask, but how do I know when to challenge myself?  That's a great question.  I was in a yoga class the other day where our instructor encouraged us to try the next level of a pose.  She said "What's the worst that could happen?  You fall out of it?  It's yoga, not brain surgery."  I'm in no way saying don't try a harder variation or heavier weight, just focus on your form and make sure you have mastered level 1 before moving onto level 2.  Again, that's what you have those happy, nice and smiley instructors like me for.
(See that last sentence?  I'm pretty sure I ended it in a preposition and I believe that's against the grammar rules.  I told you this writing stuff is hard.  I like science.)


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