I took a workout class: Barre 3. Have you tried it? I was so anxious about going, but my friend prodded me to attend with her. Had she shown up a couple minutes later than she did, I was definitely going to flee. But I stayed and I was a bundle of anxiety. The other students were all young, lithe, flexible, and did I mention young? I'm not at all flexible, or bendy, and on the scale of lithe to husky I'm definitely on the husky side at this point. They all wore lovely (tight) leggings and tank tops (without bras). I was in two shirts, a jacket, two sports bras and my lounge pants that have the perfect amount of stretch. I knew I was out of my league. But when the class started I took a breath. Took a good look at myself in the mirror and thought: even if I do it all wrong, at least I will have tried. And no matter how silly I look, I'll have given myself the best chance I can today to have a productive workout that makes a difference in how I feel about my body.
Lo and behold, I did make it through. I struggled and I shook. And at one point I was certain that I was involuntarily twerking (they are real big into shaky muscle failure which is kind of scary but also kind of cool). But then the class was over and I was glad. I was proud of myself that I made that change today. I may even try another class there next week. Who knows?
