My 6:00 a.m. Exercise Class

If you had told me that I would happily leave my house at 5:30 am three mornings a week to attend a functional fitness class, I would have told you that you were crazy.

However, when the opportunity arose in December 2021, my original thought was, “I’m not doing that. I hate strength training.” I then reminded myself that I no longer give in to those first negative thoughts that always pop into my head. Instead, I kept an open mind and agreed to give it a try.

On my first day, I told Marie, the instructor, all the reasons that I hate strength training. I found it boring and hard. I further explained that I would attend the class in person for a week or two but then would attend online. After all, having to drive 15 minutes each way at that early hour seemed ridiculous. I was laying the groundwork so she wouldn’t be surprised when I quit.

I was nervous when I walked into the class. I was sure I would be embarrassed.

There were only 5 or 6 women, so it would be easy for everyone to see just how weak and out of shape I was. The others were polite when introducing themselves but there wasn’t really too much other conversation. Everyone was there to get down to business and then rush off to get to work on time.

The class started and I was amazed at how Marie was able to differentiate her instruction. With each exercise, she would not only explain what to do, but then she would give alternatives if you weren’t able to do that exercise for whatever reason. No one was paying attention to what exercise anyone else was doing. At times it seemed like each of us was doing something different. Quickly, my fears of being embarrassed were dispelled.

Even doing the alternate exercises was a challenge. I woke up the next morning, and my thighs were on fire. My quadriceps and hamstrings were screaming at me, and walking up and down stairs was especially difficult. My kids laughed as I groaned with each step. They asked why I would voluntarily do this to myself. I told them the pain reminded me how I hadn’t used these muscles in a long time and that it would eventually get better. I was praying that the pain would subside by the next class.

It took a week or two for my body to accept what I was doing, and the discomfort subsided.

I quickly realized that I would prefer to continue to attend class in person rather than at home online. I liked the quiet camaraderie and it was easier to ask Marie questions about what exercises I should be doing. I had signed up for class thinking I would give it a try and most likely quit after a few weeks, telling myself and Marie this just wasn’t for me.

Instead, even though these exercises were not a preferred activity for me, I knew they were good for me. I enjoyed being in the company of other women who were mostly over 40 or 50 years old, even though there wasn’t much conversation. As the weeks passed and I became more comfortable, I began talking more and adding color commentary to our workouts.

I noticed I was actually looking forward to our workouts. There was a real sense of community I enjoyed even though there wasn’t much time to really get to know one another. I knew that if I didn’t show up to class, there were people who would want to know why, however, not in a judgemental way but in a caring way. Our core group is dedicated, and each of us brings a certain energy to the room to create a supportive, fun environment.

My new community embraced me figuratively and literally while Gary was sick and then when he passed away.

The outpouring of love these women gave me was incredible. If I had allowed my old way of thinking to rule my thoughts and actions, I would never have met any of them. Of course, I also wouldn’t have grown physically and mentally stronger by consistently working out.

It’s almost scary to realize how much of life we miss out on because we allow ourselves to listen to those negative thoughts swirling around in our minds. We believe all our thoughts are true, but they’re not. Once we stop to pause and not stop at the first thought, our lives can slowly begin to change. There is a whole world out there to experience, and we are the only ones stopping ourselves from living life to the fullest.

The journey can be frightening, but the entire world is waiting for you on the other side of that fear.

Until next time,

Debbie