nightswimming
ok, so i went to this deep water aquafit class tonight with some ladyfriends, and i just have to say, hello i feel so good. who knew working out (in a way that is actually enjoyable to me and with friends) could be so great? not me i tell you.
so seriously, it was a hard work-out, which i had no idea working out in the water could be, but it was. i sort of pictured me, my friends and a bunch of really old ladies doing gentle water treading in the pool. no dice. i was out of breath before we even got to the work out, like when we were still just warming up! i was totally working up a sweat, and my heart rate was going so fast i could hear it in my head. and just when i didn't think i could make it to the end, she started the cool down and before i knew it, it had been an hour. everyone else was older than me, but it wasn't the demographic i expected either. and the instructor was super sweet and funny and had this ridiculous mix cd of songs like "i like to move it" and "hey ya" (and btw, we totally shook it like a polaroid picture at that appropriate moment, she even complimented my 'shaking it' skills) and yeah, she was totally great. and i can't believe how energized i felt after! like you know that cheesy saying, feeling like a million bucks? well i felt like a million bucks.
but the really exciting thing was that i got through it, which i didn't think i could (seriously, it was hard!). and that it wasn't a horrible, shameful, or embarassing experience. like, working out/exercise/sporting activities of any kind have always been a sore spot for me cuz i've never been athletic in the least and i'm fairly uncoordinated and clumsy and just not in great shape. so i've never been good, always the last person picked for the team, blah blah blah. add that to a whole load of body issues and yeah, working out, especially in a public place, ESPECIALLY in a bathing suit, just seemed really scary. but i did it and it felt good and i am really proud of myself for that.
and i'm gonna keep going. so if anyone wants to join me...
oh yeah and the other cool thing was that it was all women, not like that's always the case or it's a women-only class, but it just happened to be. and it just felt really good to be in this working out space with all these women of different skill levels and ages with different bodies and levels of mobility and yeah. it was good. well, good minus the creepy dudes who just sat at the edge of the pool the whole time and watched us, or the weird guy who dove into the deep end and just swam underwater beneath us for a while until he got kicked out, but you know, that's a whole other issue.
so seriously, it was a hard work-out, which i had no idea working out in the water could be, but it was. i sort of pictured me, my friends and a bunch of really old ladies doing gentle water treading in the pool. no dice. i was out of breath before we even got to the work out, like when we were still just warming up! i was totally working up a sweat, and my heart rate was going so fast i could hear it in my head. and just when i didn't think i could make it to the end, she started the cool down and before i knew it, it had been an hour. everyone else was older than me, but it wasn't the demographic i expected either. and the instructor was super sweet and funny and had this ridiculous mix cd of songs like "i like to move it" and "hey ya" (and btw, we totally shook it like a polaroid picture at that appropriate moment, she even complimented my 'shaking it' skills) and yeah, she was totally great. and i can't believe how energized i felt after! like you know that cheesy saying, feeling like a million bucks? well i felt like a million bucks.
but the really exciting thing was that i got through it, which i didn't think i could (seriously, it was hard!). and that it wasn't a horrible, shameful, or embarassing experience. like, working out/exercise/sporting activities of any kind have always been a sore spot for me cuz i've never been athletic in the least and i'm fairly uncoordinated and clumsy and just not in great shape. so i've never been good, always the last person picked for the team, blah blah blah. add that to a whole load of body issues and yeah, working out, especially in a public place, ESPECIALLY in a bathing suit, just seemed really scary. but i did it and it felt good and i am really proud of myself for that.
and i'm gonna keep going. so if anyone wants to join me...
oh yeah and the other cool thing was that it was all women, not like that's always the case or it's a women-only class, but it just happened to be. and it just felt really good to be in this working out space with all these women of different skill levels and ages with different bodies and levels of mobility and yeah. it was good. well, good minus the creepy dudes who just sat at the edge of the pool the whole time and watched us, or the weird guy who dove into the deep end and just swam underwater beneath us for a while until he got kicked out, but you know, that's a whole other issue.