I'm good at certain things, and I tend to stick to them. Most times, when I like something, I REALLY like it. A hobby will consume me and I will dive head-first into it. It's not all that often that I will pick up something new, especially when it comes to sports. I've dabbled in different types of art, but when it comes to sports, I stick to what I know. The sole exception I can really think of that was something entirely new and out of my comfort zone for me was when I tried softball two summers ago. It turned out I wasn't actually all that bad. I wasn't the MVP. Not by far. BUT, I wasn't totally useless. Recently, I was introduced to something new and gave it a shot. To my surprise, I LOVED it and was actually pretty good.
A friend of mine moved back to Canada after studying abroad. She needed something to fill the time and get her active again. She had picked up #kickboxing and told me all about how fun it is. She had a free one week pass to give to a friend, so she invited me along. I won't hide it... I was a little scared. When I think kickboxing, I think about being tough and intimidating, as well as pain. I thought about myself and the image I have of myself. I am a rather... delicate person. As much as I like to put forward a tough exterior, I know that I'm quite soft. I thought I was going to totally suck at this. On top of that, I know for a fact that my upper body is not exactly the strongest. As it turns out, I'm not half bad!
One thing I noticed when I walked in was that most of the people there were girls, and there was a mix of all ages. I would say that most of them were in their late teens and twenties, with a handful of older people. A lot of them resembled me in body structure as well. This immediately shattered my perception of kickboxing. Yes, there were a few people there who's punches on the bags made me never want to anger them, but for the most part, they didn't match up to the perception I had. On top of that, the instructor was so nice and not intimidating whatsoever.
I had totally forgotten that I did karate for a number of years in elementary school. I know how to punch and kick to a certain extent. I picked up on everything pretty quick, and the instructor was actually impressed by how hard my hits were. This sense of getting the hang of something is really satisfying. I know that even if I struggled, it would have still been fun to learn.
Kickboxing is actually an amazing stress relief. Life has been a little overwhelming lately and I was definitely feeling the effects of pent up stress. Letting it all out on a literal punching bag was so nice. It was 45 minutes of release that was much needed. It was also a great way to get a good workout in, without being in a traditional gym, lifting weights and running on the treadmill. It was a high energy, intense workout that left me feeling sore in the best way possible.
I definitely had my reservations about kickboxing when the idea was first proposed. This being said, I am so happy I gave it a try. My one week trial turned into a one month trial and I am going in for my third class tonight. I won't be signing up for some time, because this gym is fairly over my budget. But, I am so happy I stepped out of my comfort zone and exposed myself to something new.
With a new year coming up, I'd like to challenge YOU to try something new and out of your comfort zone, whatever it may be.