I hate to exercise! Sorry I'm just not one of those people who can get up and run for miles in the snow, cold or rain. I also find the treadmill and elliptical boring. So when I woke up and realized that I'm overweight and out of shape and knew I had to do something about it, I had a hard time figuring out what I needed to do. Alright, I knew what I needed to do but what type of exercise program was going to hold my interest long enough to get results?
Growing up I wasn't active in sports. I didn't play tennis regularly or run track. The only thing I did was dance and I was a competitive dancer - jazz to be exact. I think it was Madonna who said "Only when I'm dancin' can I feel this free....." OK - so I'm not Madonna (although I have been known to sing and dance around the house in my underwear) but when I really sat and thought about pursuing an exercise routine my heart and mind kept going back to my dancin' days and how in shape I was back then. So last summer when a group of moms started talking about taking a beginner Irish dance class I jumped at the chance to join in. I bought a pair of gillies, wrote out the check and was about to turn in my registration form when one by one all the other moms backed out. They didn't have time, didn't have the money, blah, blah, blah. Well I didn't want to be the only beginner going into an established adult class so I did the mature thing and backed out too. I placed the shoes I bought into the used shoe sale at our school and tore up the check I had written. Was I disappointed? Yes. Not only was I looking forward to getting back to dancing but I was also looking forward to the camaraderie that such a class offered. I didn't want to compete - I just wanted to have fun. So I let it go - but not completely. I started noticing how many adults were taking Irish dance and started asking them questions - when did they start, why did they dance, do they compete, etc, etc, etc. Well naturally it wasn't long before I was being encouraged by a few of those dancers to talk to our teacher about taking private lessons or join the class. I stalled and stalled but after marching in the St. Patrick's Day and having a lot of fun I finally got up the courage to talk to Sheila about it - only to find out that one of those friends had already approached her about me dancing. We discussed the possibility of private or semi-private lessons and while I was hoping to get started now (while I still have my courage) it was decided that perhaps a summer adult class was the way to go. So I'll have to wait but I'm determined I'm going to do this and it's the push I've needed to get back into shape - basically so I can have the stamina to get through a dance class without falling over. So I'm back to my old routine of swimming, yoga, Pilates and ballet exercises and even if this adult Irish dance class doesn't materialize at least I'm finally doing something to get me arse and the rest of my body moving again. If it does - then I'll have plenty of things to blog about. Til next time - Slainte!
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