Tags
This weekend feature is a particular post from the blog Joyful Shimmy.
Laura, the blogger, left a comment on my page last month which led me to her post Lessons from the Barre. Laura blogs about her spiritual and emotional journey to remove fear from her life and fill it with love and passion. I wanted to feature this particular post because it really left an impression with me. It was actually after reading this post that I decided to start the weekend feature series. I wanted to share other blogs, and posts, that have made a positive impact on me.
In this post Laura gives five lessons she learned by stepping outside of her comfort zone and attending a series of barre classes. Barre classes are strength training and toning classes based off of ballet barre training.
All five points she discusses in this post are great, but it is the fifth lesson that really touched me. Laura said prior to this she felt that:
“I am too fat, uncoordinated, weak and I need to do more cardio and lose weight before I start any strength training. “
I have talked to wayyy too many people who share this same feeling. I used to be one of them. It is really hard to mentally push this notion from your mind if you are uncomfortable with yourself. But honestly, the idea that you are too out of shape to workout is just ridiculous! Really. Everyone has to start somewhere and no one is judging you except you. This is what Laura found too. Her instructors saw something more in her than she saw in herself. They challenged her, and as a result she was doing moves she never thought she was able to do.
If you haven’t clicked on the link already go check out this wonderful post and the rest of Joyful Shimmy. The positive message and powerful transformation is really inspiring.
I actually had a groupon for barre classes that I bought back in February. I have been too nervous/scared to use it. After reading this post, I realized that as much as I have changed, I still have silly insecurities holding me back from doing the things I want to do.
I was also reminded that workouts should be challenging and you should be pushing your body to progress. So even if you feel “in shape” if something gets too easy, then it is time to step outside of that comfort zone. I guess it is time for me to take an ungraceful, clumsy step into that barre class. I might surprise myself.
Thanks for the motivation Laura!
How have you stepped outside of your comfort zone lately? Has Joy Shimmy inspired you to do something?