Remember back to psychology 101 where you learned about our basic instinct of flight’ or fight.

 

Recently I picked up a new hobby and have mixed feelings about just wanting to give it up and keep on going so I can continue to get better.

 

As I am going through this and picking up something new in life I am understanding more and more the challenges that come with starting a new exercise routine.

 

Challenges that almost all of our clients have gone through.

 

Part of our jobs as coaches is to help coach the exercises but also coach the mindset to overcome new challenges.

 

This idea has really resonated with me this week because it just so happens that our Superheros in the Fountain Of Youth started a brand new workout.

 

We switch up the exercise routine every 4 weeks. We have found this beneficial because it gives our Superheros enough time to practice the exercises but also creates enough variety that it can still be enjoyable.

 

Yesterday morning I introduced a brand new exercise to one of our virtual classes. The exercise is called a Turkish Get Up, and if you have ever done one before you know they are hard and awkward. If you don’t know what a Turkish Get Up looks like, no big deal, you will still get the point I am trying to make.

 

Before I demonstrated the exercise to the class I had a little disclaimer that it is going to feel weird the first time they did it.

 

I showed everyone and got a few chuckles like “What the heck is that”.

 

To everyone’s credit they didn’t shy away from the exercise, they all took it head-on. At first, it was awkward, it took a lot of mental thinking, and led to a lot of laughs.

 

It could have been easy for people to just say screw it and go to our variation that was a little easier. I was pleasantly surprised that everyone kept working at the Get Up, and with a few more reps and a few more instructions people started to grasp it!

 

Now I don’t think by the end of the session anyone felt like a Turkish Get Up pro but I can guarantee you they felt a little more comfortable than in the beginning.

 

No one in this group ran away from the challenge, no one ran away from the awkwardness, they embraced it, had fun and kept on practicing.

 

Anytime you start a new skill there is a learning curve that goes along with it, exercise included.

 

It is easy to avoid these new challenges and just stick with what you know.

 

However, in order to grow and get better, we need challenges and things that feel a little awkward in the beginning.

 

Cheers to everyone who is taking them head-on!