As per a 20 year norm, I tend to fall into a negative, depressive state during the cold winter months. however, despite warmer weather, more physical activity and time with friends, I just couldn't seem to shake the unwanted winter blahs. As the summer approached and the thought of extra spare time to sit around and dwell on my unhappiness loomed, I took the advice of a good friend and agreed to spend 6 weeks with her,having my butt kicked at Blair's Bootcamp, where she had been a member and bragged about how great she felt going. I will be honest, I entered into this 6 week challenge wanting to fail, just to prove to her that I was hopeless, beyond out of shape, and not mentally capable of change.
That first session she dragged me to was the worst. We started with a light jog around the block, fail...I didn't make it out of the parking lot before I had to stop and catch my breath. As the torture continued I tried to keep up, on the outside I looked like I was dying, on the inside my brain was happy...I was proving exactly what I wanted, I was a failure. As the class went on, I did what I could but ended up quitting just over the half way mark. I stood on the sidelines trying to regain my composure and taking a good look around. It was a place where people were putting all they had out on the line, with no cares how they looked, how much they sweat, or how fast they went. As I watched, I started to change my thinking. When the end of class came, the inspirational message at the end of class made me feel a little better inside. The sense of family, health and happiness was hard to ignore. As I walked away that day I told myself that during the next class I was going to try just a little bit harder, last a few minutes longer.
For the first few weeks of the program I struggled, I got nervous an hour before I left, I struggled to complete the workouts, I felt like my body was going to fall apart, but I didn't quit. I pushed a little more each day. I finally started walking away from each class feeling like things were changing, the feeling of being able to do things I couldn't a short while before made me satisfied and happy. I became the annoying wife, describing in detail all the amazing things (normal for most people) that I could do. I could keep up to the back of the group when we ran, I could do a few push-ups in a row, I didn't feel like life was ending after each activity we tried!
At the start of the 6 week session I would have bet money that I would be a Bootcamp dropout, lead an unhealthy lifestyle forever and make life decisions that made no sense. It didn't end that way at all, I wasn't even finished the first session when I had signed up for the next, praised them whenever I had the chance, and realized my body had magically started to transform in very little time. Aside from dropping a pant size, I gained confidence and began to promote a more positive image of myself. Things were still not perfect, but overall things were looking up.
It is amazing how the support from others, friends, family and strangers can make you change your view of the world. I truly believe that finding this one activity I enjoyed put me in a better place, a physically and mentally improved version of myself. It is amazing what 6 weeks can do for person.
How would you change if you gave yourself 6 weeks to focus on yourself and step out of your comfort zone?
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