July: A Month of New Adventures

How do four weeks fly by so quickly?

At the start of the month Shawna, Steph, Denise, and I were determined to make this month our best ever! We set goals, rewards, even punishments with the intent to accomplish something great (Read more about our goals HERE).

Looking back, the month was full of challenges (like battling the "blahs"). I didn't hit all of my goals, but one goal I nailed - trying something new each week! I consider July to be my month of new adventures! Here are a few:

• We began restoring our family's 1950 Dodge Wayfarer - It may not run, but it does look pretty now that it's washed and polished!
• We cheered for our friends at the Spartan Race. It was so inspiring to see them jump across FIRE to reach the finish line! 
• I taught my first Zumba Fitness class at the Olympic Skating Rink. Such an awesome location - I loved it (and I also REALLY want to go rollerskating)!
• I got my passport in preparation for my Zumba teaching vacation in Punta Cana this December!
• And my favorite adventure this month? I tried my first aerial yoga class at Om My Yoga!

But it's not always easy to embrace new adventures...

Earlier this week I had a student in one of my Zumba classes that had never tried Zumba before. During the class she wasn't smiling (and I really work hard to make everyone smile). At the end of class I asked her what she thought, and she said she HATED it!

What?! Hate Zumba? Is that possible? 

As I talked to her more, I found out that she doesn't hate Zumba, or dancing, or music, or me. She just hated being in a room full of strangers being asked to do something that she had never done before. As a Zumba Fitness instructor it's easy for me to forget what it's like to be in a class where I don't know all of the moves already.

That's why my goal to try new things was so perfect. It forced me to be that new student. In my aerial yoga class I felt nervous, insecure, uncomfortable, and unsure. I didn't know where to put my hands or how to hold my hammock. And I definitely wasn't sure if I was capable of doing what the instructor was asking of us (i.e. hanging upside down)!

Hanging around at Om My Yoga

As class went on, I slowly began to trust my pretty purple hammock and our wonderful instructor who led us, step-by-step into various poses. And when I did, something wonderful happened... I HAD FUN! I was an angry cat, a hanging bat, and a butterfly in a cocoon. I even did a back flip out of a pose (WHAT?! Shocking I know!).

That feeling of "Did I really just do that?" is exactly what I needed to re-motivate and re-energize me. It's also what I'm challenged to give to my Zumba students - to show them they can rock that salsa (or maybe even a body roll)!

Somewhere along the line, we seem to draw a box around ourselves. Inside the box we mentally place all of the things we CAN DO. Outside the box we place the things we CAN'T DO (or think we can't do). And it becomes so easy to limit ourselves to doing only things that fall within the CAN DO box. Why not? It makes sense to want to do things that you know you will be successful at.

But what happens when you deliberately force yourself outside of the realm of CAN DO? When you take your first Zumba class? Or sign up for aerial yoga? Or decide to run your first 5K? You test your limits and find out that your CAN DO box isn't quite as small as you thought!

Shawna, Steph, and Denise also had a great month, and I'd like to say that they pulled a few more things into their CAN DO boxes as well! Shawna deadlifted an incredible 225 lbs and made it out for two early morning runs (and she'll be the first to tell you that she's NOT a morning person)! Denise kept a food journal consistently and hit a new personal record for for her bench press. Steph took on the 100 Happy Days Challenge and increase her trips to the gym. All in all, A GREAT MONTH!

What's next for this fantastic foursome? Let's see what we CAN DO next month as we revise and refocus on our goals!

When was the last time you tried something new and outside of your CAN DO box? What did it feel like?