Hi, readers, and thank you to Amy Fenster Brown for letting me be the guest columnist this week. I’m Amy’s sister, and I live in Fort Smith, Ark., with my husband, Mike. We have two sons — Nathan, 30, who lives in New York, and Freddie, 26, who lives in Idaho.
In December, Nathan and Freddie decided to take on a new challenge together: a triathlon — swim, bike, run, all in a row. Like Amy’s kids, my boys are pretty athletic. Also like Amy’s kids, they definitely didn’t get it from their parents.
The boys chose the half Ironman Triathlon in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The course is a 1.2-mile swim, followed by a 56-mile bike ride, followed by a 13.1-mile run. I’m already tired just writing about it.
This activity would get the boys far out of their comfort zones. They practiced, compared training notes, spoke to athletes for advice and supported each other throughout their training.
Mike, Nathan and I trekked out to Idaho for the big event and made a little family vacation out of it. On the drive to the course, Nathan was mentally preparing out loud, while Freddie was silently preparing for what was ahead. Same parents, totally different kids.
When they got out of the car, Freddie said to Nathan, “We have worked hard, and we have done everything to be ready for this. We will just do the best we can.”
I kvelled then. I’m still kvelling now. Not just at Freddie’s words, but at the amount of preparation and the close brotherly bond they developed doing this, which I am especially happy about because they haven’t lived in the same city in more than a dozen years.
Their feat led me to think how we — yes, you and I — could get ourselves out of our cozy little comfort zones. Imagine you walk into the Jewish Community Center and see all the fabulous fitness classes that you’ve wanted to try but haven’t. What’s stopping you? Probably your big “but” — not the one you sit on, the one that makes excuses. Water aerobics looks fun, but I would have to wear a swimsuit . Zumba looks great, but I don’t move like that. Kickboxing looks fierce, but one jump and it’s less “hiya!” and more “oh no.”
I work as a fitness instructor, so let me give you a couple of helpful hints to persuade you to get your head out of your but and your but out of your head. First, nobody is watching, judging or laughing at you. They are too busy concentrating on themselves. The only person watching you is the instructor who is making sure you have a safe, effective and fun class.
Second, you could go a few minutes early and meet the teacher. They will help you to feel more confident and comfortable.
Third, know it will be messy, and probably not pretty, but there is only one first time to do this. Once you try that new class, keep going back. It gets better, I promise.
So, what’s my but in writing this column? What if I submit it to Amy and it comes back bleeding red ink, full of lines and circles with the words “good effort” scribbled at the top? Fitness and movement come easy to me, but writing? That’s a heavier lift.
But, thanks to Amy’s nudging, I took an experience and told the story. Watching my sons move so far out of their comfort zones to tackle something difficult inspired me to do the same. And I’m pretty sure I sweated as much writing this piece as they did on the triathlon course.
I hope this attempt of getting out of my comfort zone will inspire you to try something new, whether its writing, changing up your workout or even trying a triathlon.
Amy, thank you for trusting me with your dear readers. Readers, you can have her back now.
