That’s WAYYY too hard for me to do!

Are you crazy?

Only those people over there can do that!

Aren’t these the thoughts that sometimes permeate throughout our mind when it’s time to start something new?  Something we’ve never done before?  Something reserved for only the BEST?

Although I am a confident holistic healthy lifestyle coach, I sometimes think this way too!  I think this way before I embark on some new endeavors that I know will help me grow and require a lot of focus and discipline.  I thought this way not too long when I decided to join a local bootcamp for the first time.

My First Experience at Burn Bootcamp

At first I thought that it would be difficult to exercise for 45 minutes straight on an aerobic obstacle course, taking very few water breaks.  I’m someone who sips water after each weight lifting exercise I do in the gym.  So this seemed like it might be a little too fast paced and intense for me compared to what I’m used to.

I walked in the first day with my “My Mind is My Weapon” t-shirt on and geared up attitude and was determined to go ALL IN!  I wasn’t going to allow my uncertainty to get the best of me.   As I looked around I saw women of all different shapes and sizes giving it their all to up-tempo hip hop jams and wondered why I was even worried about not being able to do it to begin with.

Midway through I was thinking to myself, “Gee, this is actually fun!   It’s tiring, but still fun?”  You see, after the adrenaline began to flow through my body and sweat pour down my face I turned into a workout machine!  There’s something about getting blood flowing that you can sometimes believe that you have much more athletic ability than you initially thought you had.

Sure, it was intense and I had to take a couple of mini breaks to catch my breath.  But there was something invigorating about being in a room with other women training hard that created a synergistic energy!  This spark of energy transformed my mindset about this style of fitness to the point where I now return regularly and look forward to the new exercises that demonstrate what my body can do!

What Keeps Us Going?

I’m not sure why all of the other ladies keep returning.  Maybe it’s because they want to get the best use of the money spent.  Maybe it’s because they love the energetic atmosphere too.  Maybe it’s because a friend is forcing them to go.  Maybe it’s because traditional weight lifting and elliptical climbing is mundane and boring to them.  There are a multitude of reasons of why I keep seeing these ladies return.

I know that for me this form of exercise is just another way for me to show what my body can do once I drop excuses of why I can’t be physically active, just because I have kids and a full schedule.  Once I include exercise into my schedule, my day actually feels more fulfilling.  Once I feel more fulfilled I’m able to achieve more in the other areas of my life.  Since I’m able to achieve more in other areas of my life staying consistent with exercising begins to feel like less of a chore and more like a fun must-do.

If you are able-bodied, today I challenge you to think about which physical activities you enjoy doing that allow you to feel more alive.  99% of the physically active women I coach say that once they begin to include more exercise into their weeks they feel more vibrant about life.  They also say that they begin to attract more positive-minded people into their lives when they are consistent with it.   That could be for a host of reasons, but I’m sure that one of the reasons is that group exercise tends to bring about a sense of community and people tend to feel better about themselves when they accomplish goals.  Completing 45 minutes of intense bootcamp exercises definitely makes ME feel accomplished when I could have chosen something more comfortable, like scrolling social media instead.

What are YOUR thoughts?  I’d like to hear from you!  I may be one of the BEST healthy lifestyle coaches to promote consistent exercise, but I certainly don’t know everything.  Give all of us some ideas below in the comments of physical activity that you’ve found in your area that make you feel alive. I would LOVE to pass these ideas along to my Nutrition 4 Busy Women Facebook group.  We are excited to discover even more exercises to experiment with while we’re getting in better shape the FUN way along with you!

I believe in you!  Do you believe in yourself?

To Our Health & Happiness,

Ebonie

xoxo