Never Give Up, Never Surrender
Rev. Jesse Jackson is an American American civil rights leader, Baptist minister and politician who is extensively quoted. This one seems most apt to me at the moment: If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds.
This has been a funny few days. In fact on a personal note, since before Christmas I've enjoyed a few highs, but mostly lows. I wasn't feeling the best - no appetite, lethargic, digestion problems - and I put all of this down to flu, which I managed to 'enjoy' twice, but eventually with family pressure, a visit to my G.P. became a reality earlier this week. Nothing major, but it was brought home to me that I'm no longer in the first flush of youth and need to look after myself and my life - become selfish if you will. A tablet a day for a couple of weeks and we'll see how I go, but to celebrate, I returned to my gym, Guerilla Fitness, on Friday, 24th March. I hadn't been in a fortnight.
Mentally, it was important I went. I find that when I'm not well, I become like a hibernating hedgehog - prickly and solitary. It's important to get out and be with people for even a short while or solitary living can become a long-term reality.
Over the past 5 weeks, the gym has organised an in-house competition coinciding with the Crossfit Open Competition but on a different scale where participation, teamwork, and community activity were some of the additional goals to personal fitness. While some participated in the Crossfit Open, the rest of us worked on scaled versions as suited our fitness levels. I achieved something during this workout that I remember brought me to tears in the primary school grounds. I skipped!
When I told Coach Brendan a while back that I had never skipped, he was, frankly, disbelieving, but having seen me on that occasion, he told me to keep on trying! I did and remember that I managed to skip three times before becoming entangled in the rope & was thrilled with the achievement. Last night, the workout was 10 rounds of thrusters (with 5kg dumb-bells for me) and 35 single skips within a specified period of time. I looked at the board and thought this was the best sort of joke. What a way to return:- to one exercise I could do and one that was going to see me flat on my face. But, what the hell, there was no shame in trying and failing so I did. I'm on a high. I achieved 20 single skips!
I'm nearly 57 years of age, but a school yard activity has taken me 50+ years to conquer, and I have risen against the odds.
For those who are younger and fitter, skipping is a simple and basic exercise, but as a lesson in life, it's a mountain I've climbed and it won't be the last.
Until next time
Avril
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| Focus! |
Mentally, it was important I went. I find that when I'm not well, I become like a hibernating hedgehog - prickly and solitary. It's important to get out and be with people for even a short while or solitary living can become a long-term reality.
Over the past 5 weeks, the gym has organised an in-house competition coinciding with the Crossfit Open Competition but on a different scale where participation, teamwork, and community activity were some of the additional goals to personal fitness. While some participated in the Crossfit Open, the rest of us worked on scaled versions as suited our fitness levels. I achieved something during this workout that I remember brought me to tears in the primary school grounds. I skipped!
When I told Coach Brendan a while back that I had never skipped, he was, frankly, disbelieving, but having seen me on that occasion, he told me to keep on trying! I did and remember that I managed to skip three times before becoming entangled in the rope & was thrilled with the achievement. Last night, the workout was 10 rounds of thrusters (with 5kg dumb-bells for me) and 35 single skips within a specified period of time. I looked at the board and thought this was the best sort of joke. What a way to return:- to one exercise I could do and one that was going to see me flat on my face. But, what the hell, there was no shame in trying and failing so I did. I'm on a high. I achieved 20 single skips!
I'm nearly 57 years of age, but a school yard activity has taken me 50+ years to conquer, and I have risen against the odds.
For those who are younger and fitter, skipping is a simple and basic exercise, but as a lesson in life, it's a mountain I've climbed and it won't be the last.
Until next time
Avril
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