My Journey With Health And Fitness – Getting Out Of My Comfort Zone

So yesterday’s bootcamp class was brutal. It was so tough I opted not to do a run yesterday. This morning bootcamp class was later in the morning so I went for an 8 km run first thing. It was a great day for a run as it was slightly overcast but mild enough to be comfortable. I then went to class and it was a 10 station circuit which I thought ok, heavy on weights but that was ok. Then the instructor told me that at the end of each of the 3 circuits we were going to do a 400 meter quick run outside. What!!!! I picked a bad day to do a run before class. By time class was over and I got all my walking done this morning I decided it was time to rest for the rest of the day. 2 tough classes combined with the fact I did 42.5k steps and 28.5 km yesterday and my butt is killing me not to mention my legs feel like they weigh a ton. Yep, I am seriously done for the day.

I have slowly been pushing myself over the past couple weeks doing things outside of my comfort zone though I acknowledge it has been slow building confidence. Yesterday during bootcamp (yes, the brutal one) we were in round 3 of 4 the circuits and I was doing shoulder presses. The instructor came up to me and told me I was on the verge on going to a higher weight (I was pressing 7.5 lbs which gets tough by the end). The next round when I got to that station she was waiting for me and told me to grab the 10 lb weights. Well I did it and was surprised that while it was challenging I managed to do those shoulder presses and it didn’t kill me. Ok, maybe I need to push things a little further next week. I should note in that class I started doing more high impact for the cardio stations which I have always avoided.

Jump to today’s class (equally as brutal). Usually when we have to do any sort of planking exercise I opt to use the bench rather than my full weight on my arms doing it on the ground. I have no idea why I picked today to say screw it, you have the strength, just get down on the mat and do it so I did. Much to my surprise while it was more challenging I got through it. Then I got to the should press station. This instructor wasn’t messing around, the only option she had laid out was 15 lb weights. Hang on here, I just survived one round with 10 lb weights yesterday, there is no way I can do this. And yet, I picked up those weights and for 3 circuits using that station I did those bloody shoulder presses. Don’t get me wrong, they were hard but by time I was done I felt such a sense of accomplishment.

One thing I want to note, while I am happy that I am starting to take on these challenges I also realize my limitations. For example, one station today was doing step ups on the bench. Well, my bad knee can’t tolerate that kind of stress (trust me I tried it before) so I felt no shame in asking for a modified exercise and trust me the instructor gave me one that was still difficult.

The bottom line to all of this is after 8 weeks of working really hard I am stronger than I think. Hey, if I could dead lift 100 lbs this week I’ve definitely got some serious strength happening. I think now it is just a matter of having confidence that I can successfully step out of that comfort zone.