This sweaty, red face is one of a mum who used to put everyone else first. My first 4-5 years of parenting were spent putting my kids and my husbands’ needs well before my own. This sweaty, red face is the result of a HARD but EXHILARATING dance class that I’ve been making a weekly commitment to get to in 2020… 3 classes in and I’m hooked! I lived and breathed dancing growing up, and for much of my teenage years, I thought I’d make a career out of performing… Then, I found partying, and a different career that I threw myself into, and slowly over time, I stopped dancing. I didn’t really miss it all that much; I was too busy! But then, after having kids and realising that I was dedicating my heart and soul to everyone else, I started to get a feeling I’d like to return to dancing, as a form of self-care. Initially, I ignored the feeling. It kept coming up in my kinesiology sessions, though – my energy was asking me to get back to dancing. I found so many excuses – lack of time, who would look after the kids? Etc etc. Luke would often suggest I should go back to dancing, too, but again, I found all the excuses in the world. When it came time to planning my ideal week over the New Year period, I decided I really wanted to have more mum/life balance in my life this year, and so returning to dancing was a big part of that. My first class was nothing short of completely intimidating! Firstly, I looked around the room and 95{8964c77004c80ceb7a483a88d57a7a9902025e52f9fec2df9408e739e584e0eb} of the girls were different to me. I’m 33 years old; I think I spotted one other person over the age of 25. They had flat stomachs; I have stretch marks and loose skin from pregnancy. They seemed to pick the steps up really easily and as I haven’t danced for years, I found it so hard to keep up with the teacher! But I stayed in the room, completed the class, pushed myself, and came out with a huge smile on my face. I was sore for days and used muscles I obviously hadn’t worked in years…. But I did it and went back for more the next week! 3 weeks in and it’s getting easier to pick up the steps, and I honestly love that my body can still do much of what the other girls can, even though I’m older and have birthed a couple of kids! I’ve loved getting back into dancing for so many reasons! It’s helped me feel like ME again – not just “somebody’s mum,” as much as I love my little munchkins 😀 It’s also given me a fresh perspective of what it’s like to start something new…. To wonder if you’re going to be able to keep up, whether the people are going to like you, or whether you’re going to completely embarrass yourself. I have a whole new appreciation of what our clients must go through the first time they step through our doors and I want to express how proud I am of each and every one of you for taking that first step! I want to encourage you, whether you’re a mum or not… If you have a voice in the back of your head, prompting you to get started with something new, listen to it. If you’ve been thinking about getting back into an activity or sport that you used to do when you were younger, don’t put it off. Art, music, dancing, surfing, whatever it is for you – don’t let it take you 5 years to make the decision to start! And if you’ve been umming and ahhing about getting into some training with us, wondering if you’ll be fit enough or able to keep up, I’d love for you to reach out and come in for a trial. You’ll never know until you simply start! I promise you won’t ever regret prioritising your health and fitness; you just gotta get past that first step. Message me now if I can help you start on your journey in any way xx