Today was a day, for me, that does not occur very often. I find myself at Sweat Like A Girl, daily, helping other girls reach their goals and pushing them farther past their comfort zones into a whole new level of fitness they did not know they could achieve. As the instructor, I certainly do not take it easy on myself, but for the most part, I am not too far out of my own comfort zone when leading my classes.
Today, was Sweat Camp, a class that typically follows no format, except to expect the unexpected! It is designed to prepare us gals for adventure/obstacle course events, such as the Spartan Sprint, Tough Mudder and Dirty Girl Mud Run. In Sweat Camp we do our fair share of Burpees (aka Bitchies), Bear Crawls, Planks, Pull-ups, obstacle course intervals and of course ROPE CLIMBING. Up until today, only one of the few and the proud Sweat Like A Girl members has made it to the top-Melissa! Melissa is a kick-ass Mommy of 2 who has been working out with me in my classes since we met about 2 years ago in one of my SuperMommy Bootcamp classes! Melissa is a hard worker and I am proud to have her as a Sweat Like A Girl member! Check her out successfully climbing the rope in this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foQsCbfK8fY&list=UUViplu56xiRbIM2USrHBvkg&index=4
So, each week at Sweat Camp, all of us girls try the rope climb (no knots in this rope!). A few girls, may pass on trying the rope climb the first few weeks, but sooner or later, each girl decides - "Yeah, I am going to try this!" At our gym, we have a rope that is at least 2 stories high that is over top of a gymnastics pit! It is pretty darn high, especially if you are not one who loves high places! The Rope Climb is certainly not the favorite part of our class for most, but I do think, if I would skip it, the girls would definitely miss it...I think!
Today, I got on the rope and was pretty sure I would do what I usually do; go about 3/4 of the way up and then decide - "yep this is good enough" and come back down. Well, Miss Melissa was up and down the rope quick like a bunny as usual!! :) And I started up the rope telling the girls that next week I was going to bring gloves because my hands feel like they slip when climbing. I got to my spot on the rope climb and was ready to start my decent down, and then I heard one of the girls yell up to ME..."C'mon Heather - You Got This" and then another girl "Let's Go Heather, Do IT, You CAN do this!!" Feeling a bit surprised by their enthusiasm to see me conquer my fear of the height of the top of the rope coupled with a feeling of "oh Shit-I guess I gotta do this now!", I continued up the rope! Putting all my fears aside, I let the enthusiasm and support of the girls, who I so readily push beyond their limits, push me beyond my own comfort zone. It felt great!! I was doing something, that I would not have done all by myself today if it was up to me! However, with the support and belief from the girls that I could do it, that I could get to the top of that rope, I was able to achieve success! What an amazing feeling to be pushed farther than you really think you want to go and prove to yourself that yeah, I just kicked some ass!!!!
So now, there I am at the TOP of the rope, the girls in class wooting and hollering at my victory, but I still had to get down!! Climbing down the rope was not fun: forearms were burning and I could feel the rope a bit too tight in between my thighs but didn't want to let up the slack because of the fierce burning in my arms! Finally I made it back to the bottom of the rope still on a natural high feeling no pain of rope burns!! However, as I led the group to the next station, one of my girls alerted me of the massive rope burn on the inside of my thigh, that is still burning as I sit and type this!! And whoa, did that shower after class BURN BABY BURN-Yaaaaouch! Okay enough complaining-as I tell my girls, the WAAAAAHHHHMBULANCE is off duty!!
Today, I am thankful for the girls who love to Sweat Like A Girl, who love to come and give it all they got, and when they think they have given it all they got, they give a little more because of the support and belief of those other girls surrounding them! Yes, for some, you may be thinking, it was just a rope climb, whoopdy-do...but it was more than that! It was a life experience that showed me that we all put limits on ourselves because of our fears, not only in the fitness arena, but in all aspects of our lives. I was able to conquer my fear and push beyond the limits I put upon myself with the help of those amazing girls in my class! Thank you to all the girls in class today-YOU ALL ROCK!!!
Today I learned how to Climb Like A Girl!
Don't place limits on yourself Girls!
Keep on CLIMBING and reach those goals that you thought were out of reach, and never underestimate the impact your support and enthusiasm has on someone else's life!
Peace, Love, and SWEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Oh and as the girls were cheering me on to the top, I did take a moment to say "Hey if I am gonna do this, someone has to get a camera!!" Melissa our fearless President of the Top of the Rope Club jumped into action!! You can hear the cheering of all the girls in the background!! Love it!!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN7Ym3_nDdk
