I remember being a senior in college and at an emotional low point after a breakup. I lacked the tools to process my sadness and I felt lost. Being an angst-ridden theater student, it was hard for me to imagine just how I was going to make it through the semester with my broken heart. I had covered up my insecurities with bravado and beer, but on the inside, I was falling into a deep hole.
Having completed most of my college credits, I had time on my hands but also the presence of mind to recognize that it was maybe not a good time to have too much time on my hands. On a whim, I signed up for a folk and ballroom dance class at my school. It was a random decision to burn some hours. It seemed like something that would not be too demanding or challenging while I completed the couple of credits needed to finish out the year, my college degree, and then just go on about my life.
At 20 years old, it felt very awkward to dance with strangers, but in this case, we were all in the same awkward boat. This was obvious by the way we all stood around waiting for the teacher to tell us what to do. And this petite middle aged teacher, as it turns out, was very enthusiastic about teaching us as many dances as possible in the months we gathered in that gym. For an hour or so every Tuesday and Thursday from January until May, we stumbled through the fox trot, waltz, cha cha, salsa, and even a little tango I recall, which just had to be a hilarious sight. We also took on some large group folk numbers from “around the world,” my favorite being a group dance with clapping to “Zorba the Greek.” I am sure we looked like whatever is a few levels below amateur dancers. I suppose...well...we looked like beginners. Thankfully we were all in that same boat too. None of the 20 or so of us knew how to dance at all. We would occasionally literally crash into each other. Lots of missteps. Lots of mistakes. But here’s what I remember most about that awkward freaking class. It was fun!
It was fun to learn something new. It was fun to have something to do. It was fun to move to music with other people. It was fun to dance. And I hope I painted an adequate picture of what it meant to me to have a little fun at that time in my life. Did it transform me completely? No, to be honest. I still had a hard road ahead for a few years. It’s just that I think it was a step along the way on a journey of self-discovery of how important movement, and fun in movement, and fun in general, would become in my life.
Flash forward twenty years later. I have three children, am headed for divorce and I am finding myself in a hole once again. I’m not entirely sure who I am or what I’m doing or what I’m going to do with the rest of my life. On a whim, it seems, and because they have free childcare for members, I sign up for a TRX/ kettlebell class at my local YMCA. It’s a 30-minute class (low commitment!) and it’s on Saturday morning which will work for me. This little class becomes a lifeline for me. With a dynamic and charismatic teacher who later became my mentor in fitness, and a small group of sarcastically funny and friendly classmates, I started to look forward to our Saturday mini sweat session. I stayed in that class for a couple of years, and rarely missed it. I got a little stronger because of that class, probably burned a few calories too, but the impact that class had on me was so far beyond the physical. It was fun, and it was a brief time of much needed connection with others.
I’m happy to report I am a generally happier person today than I was at either of these two points of my life I described here. I am enjoying my work as trainer, my own weight training program, and the harmony I feel in my home with my kids. I have a much better understanding of the important role that fun exercise plays in my life. I play in an adult rec volleyball league, I walk outdoors while listening to good music or an uplifting recording, and if I’m working out in my own basement, I take dance breaks between sets! As a trainer, I try to convey the importance of having fun to my clients, and to make our sessions as fun as possible.
Fitness is a game of momentum, and having fun is maybe the best way to get that momentum moving in a positive feeling direction. It could be worth taking a few minutes to write down some movement or exercise activities that you know feel fun to you, or that you think could be fun to try. If this is an emotionally challenging time for you, a fun activity could be the little light you need to keep going. If you’re floating on calm waters right now, a fun activity could juice up your fitness program in just the right way. Whatever your approach to exercise and fitness, I wish you great fun!
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