fit tips
Body Building by Diana Freccia
This conjures images of super muscly guys lifting gargantuan weights . What I have finally figured out , though , is that is not the true meaning of the term .
Practice makes progress - not perfect . We have had it wrong all this time .
Common Core and Core Knowledge are at the heart of the educational buzz words of the moment . They are about teaching core concepts and circling back in later grades to build upon what has already been learned by delving deeper . Repeated exposure – why else would we need to go to school for 13 years ?
My mom is a fitness enthusiast . She has worked out with a personal trainer for as long as I can remember . She would often drag me along with her to her Saturday morning sessions . At the beginning , I wasn ' t into it at all . I simply enjoyed spending time with her , and I knew it was something that was supposed to be good for me – so I went . I went through the motions . I didn ' t really know what it was doing for me . I didn ' t break a sweat . But in reality , it was laying the foundation for me . The foundation is the most seemingly insignificant , but also the most necessary part of any great structure . If it is weak , it won ' t matter what goes on top of it .
As an SAT tutor , I know that students are often tricked by words they already know used in ways they don ' t expect them : like " want " to mean lack or " pedestrian " to mean boring or " economy " to mean cheap . This is how they separate the truly astute from the average . But I felt like I had an epiphany recently . I was swinging a kettle bell in Damon ' s class as a tough way to get a signature for my narrowly completed Dog Days of Summer Fitness Challenge .
This is a class that I allowed to intimidate me for years . I tried it out last year to get my final signature in that fitness challenge , which required 15 unique classes – and lots of careful planning to pull off . It felt like a victory then , but it was a learning experience . I was trying my best . I am glad I went back and tried it again . It was a totally different experience . The only true limitations we have are the ones we impose upon ourselves – or the ones we allow others to set .
When I started at HAC three years ago , I trained one-on-one with Damon . It was HARD . He put me through the paces . I was at a different place in my fitness journey . Looking back at my former self , I see how much of an attitude adjustment I needed . My daughter was in the 2s class in HAC preschool , which only afforded me three hours of free time , two days a week . All I got previously was 15 minutes in Childcare before they paged me to come get her . So I was happy to have uninterrupted time
Build up to it . Layer by layer . Rep by rep .
to workout with a trainer who would just hand me dumbbells and tell me what to do with them . But I felt that I was showing up and so there were credit and results due . I had a litany of aches and pains and trouble spots from being pregnant and then carrying my small child , and all the accouterments that came along with her . My body was so off kilter . I complained a lot . I resisted . I did it , but through gritted teeth and far from perfect form . I kept wondering when it was going to get easier . It is supposed to , right ? I didn ' t quit though . I finished out my sessions and I continued to show up , in spite of often feeling fatigued and dizzy . I kept pushing . I knew I had to . My daughter was getting bigger and stronger each day too ! I had to keep up !
When you start digging for the foundation and lay the pipes , it doesn ' t look like much at first . I always tell my students that good habits will carry you . You will fall . You will mess up . But if you have a strong foundation and you trust in yourself , you will have an easier time getting back up again .
Repetition and variation make up a lot of our lives . We have so many daily , weekly , monthly and yearly rituals . It is a good thing that there isn ' t just one path that gets us to where we need to go - what if it is under construction ? Practice makes progress - not perfect . We have had it wrong all this time . These cliches get ingrained in our heads to our detriment .
Build up to it . Layer by layer . Rep by rep , class by class , day by day . Keep at it . You are building your body . I may not be able to do all the moves with a heavy weight just yet - but just you wait . I will keep coming back . I will build up to it .
enhance magazine | NOVEMBER 2016 37