Growing like a weed
Let’s talk about change. I hate it and I love it. Trying new things is my least favourite thing, but I get so bored of my regular routine. The potential for failure scares me away from attempting unfamiliar activities or developing new skills, but I also feel the constant drive to improve. Do you relate? Maybe, maybe not. Here’s my example. I’m a fitness instructor and I started this year planning to teach my comfortable format of fitness and nothing else. However, my boss had other plans. She pushed me to choose a new fitness format and teach it. I was terrified. What if I was bad at it? Why couldn’t I stick to my familiar format, the one I’ve been perfecting for years? Despite my stubbornness, my boss saw the potential and saw the drive in me. She knew I could do more. I tentatively agreed to try a spin class, but nothing else. I started learning what a spin class looks like, how to teach it, and what I liked about it. I also started attending the other fitness instructors classes to support them. They taught all kinds of different things, like HIIT, circuit, or stretch. As my fitness level slowly improved through the classes I was teaching, the spark my boss started in me started to blaze up. I wanted to do more. When we moved into our next round of classes, we had to move online for a few weeks because of the pandemic. I couldn’t teach my usual formats online, so I had to try something new. I volunteered to teach not one, not two, but three new formats. I didn’t even think about it. I took on stretch, circuit, and strength training. I learned how to teach them, planned my classes, and jumped in without fear. Online circuit wasn’t my favourite and stretch was not my thing either, but I fell in love with strength training. When we went back in person, I switched back to my regular format and spin, but I kept strength training. As I kept teaching the class, I noticed the changes in my body. I was developing these toned muscles that I never expected to see! My usual fitness regime is all cardio, so I was surprised and excited. It wasn’t long before I found myself at the gym trying out functional strength training to keep building muscle. I saw improvements immediately. I barely even recognize my upper body now! I’ve always had strong legs, but seeing those biceps and back muscles develop has been amazing. Even more than the physical changes, working out as much as I do now has significantly improved my mental health and sleep, and stoked my passion for fitness. Now I want to try everything, become certified in different formats, and tell everyone why group fitness rocks. I’ve developed a level of confidence I never could have imagined when I started my fitness classes at the beginning of the year. I know trying new things and adapting to change is a good thing, but I am always surprised by how it can rewrite me into a much better person.







