by Kate McDougall
I smiled to myself when I arrived at my regular Fitness Soul Zumba class this January – it was busy…very busy! Lots of familiar faces of course, but lots of new and nervous faces too. After wishing Happy New Years to a few friends, setting my water bottle down and picking my ‘spot’ in the gym waiting for class to start, my mind drifted back to January 2018…
Two years ago almost to the day, I anxiously walked into my first Zumba class feeling all types of emotions – would I be good enough? Would people stare? Do I have the right footwear? Could people tell that I was only there on a New Year’s resolution? I didn’t know anybody or what to expect and I felt completely outside of my comfort zone. I had to remind myself that I was there for ME. I wanted to invest in my health, I wanted to get fit, but first and foremost I wanted to dance!
That first class was hard – I didn’t know any of the moves and I felt like I had two left feet. People seemed to be dancing circles around me while I could hardly catch my breath. But despite all of that, something connected for me that night…the energy, the music and the instructor were fantastic. I was tired but I had fun, and I went home feeling proud of myself.
The weeks that followed tested my motivation even more, it was a Scottish January after all. On those cold dark nights my sofa lovingly called my name, as it had so many times in the past. But something magical happened that I didn’t expect. Every single class got a little bit easier, my sleep improved, my clothes were fitting better and the best feeling of all – I wanted more.
It has been two years since I walked into my first Zumba class and I wouldn’t change that New Year’s resolution for the world. I have found a community at Fitness Soul that I adore, and an instructor in Joanna who is equal parts encouraging and challenging. After six months of dancing I signed up for a Fitness Soul membership, and now in my second year as a member I am continuing to push my limits by trying new classes such as Kettlebells and Ironfit (a personal 2020 New Year’s resolution of mine!).
To all of you out there that have set a New Year’s resolution to try something new, get fit or simply step outside of your comfort zone – I see you, I respect you, and I’m proud of you! And most of all I encourage you to keep going! You never know where you’ll land.
