Hope you are all feeling happy and healthy as fall settles in and winter comes knocking! As I said in my introduction back in May, my goal was to spend this last year of my 40s experiencing different avenues and environments to train in, while continuing to enjoy whole body wellness.
With that in mind, I found a phenomenal fitness instructor whose gentle and encouraging ways push me to my edge every time, with fabulous results. Her name is Bri (check her out here ). I cannot say enough good things about her. She introduced me to a rad place called F3Fit.
It’s not new to Kamloops, but it’s new to me! I am currently on my free week trial and love the old-school feel to it. No BS, no posers, just hard work, good energy and fun! Their philosophy: Learn Build Improve. Oh, and Henry is pretty darn cute (you’ll have to go and see for yourself) .
All this leads me to habits — some good, some not so good. We all know what constitutes a bad habit and exercise is considered a good habit. But what if the habits we’ve fallen into are just ugly? Guilty as charged! I came to that realization at an F3Fit HIIT style class this weekend.
Being the fitness lover that I am, I’ve always just got it done, no matter what. But over the years I let my form get lazy. Really lazy. Injury lazy. I of all people should know better, right? Maybe it’s ego, maybe it’s just bad habits. After that class with Robert on Saturday, I walked away feeling like a newby, eager to be reminded and taught proper form all over again.
You know how sometimes you drive to work, the same route every single day, on autopilot, really. How did we arrive unscathed? It’s habit. The mind and body just know. Then one day, an incident on your merry way, along that familiar path you can navigate with your eyes closed, causes you wake up and see how such a habit could be dangerous. So, you take a different road the next time.
How rewarding this little change can be if we’re open to it. This was me becoming ultra aware that my fitness habits and workout routines were becoming habitual. Although I love them and gain more than just strength and endurance from them, I needed some reminding that quality is more important than quantity.
An adjustment of my arms in plank position woke up my back in ways it had never known and I was more conscious of my knees and their alignment during squats. Tender bits of uncharted DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) were proof that I was on my way to breaking a bad habit.
So, with that, this almost 50-year-old fitness buff learned a few skills at this new-to-me place, and I just had to share my thoughts. It feels important.
After another new discovery, I also started brushing my teeth with my non-dominant hand. When swinging a sledgehammer at a tire in this group class (very stress relieving, by the way), we had to switch which to our non-dominant side. I was so uncoordinated it was humorous, as well as eye opening.
It’s no wonder the majority of my injuries, aches and pains are on one side. I’ve been dominated by my own dominance!
I love love love when something unexpected like this happens in my wellness journey and rattles me and wows me at the same time. I’ve been reminded that, while working out is great, bad habits are not! Focus on quality, people! You get what you give, so make it count. Life is waiting, live it now!
At 49 years old, Dina McLeod has found full body wellness/awareness the key to embracing life. Born on Vancouver Island, her love of the fresh outdoors and genuine desire to stay grounded only grew when she relocated to Kamloops in 1998. She is proof that living a healthy, balanced life can be achieved at any age or fitness level. Her motto: Life is waiting, live it now!
