Giving it the best that I've got

It's been an eventful week!

In a last ditch effort to make the most of a ClassPass trial I signed up for, I found myself in a whirlwind of body challenges that brought me more joy than I could have possibly expected.

But first, allow me to introduce myself - My name is Tiffany Gooch and I am embarking on a lifelong journey of becoming my best self.  After having gastric bypass surgery in June of 2014 I've lost over 150 pounds.

I've been having an amazing time testing my limits and seeing what my body is capable of since the weight loss.  Cartwheels, distance running, dance... I feel like the sky is the limit!

In University I worked in a gym and most of my friends were remarkable athletes so I knew my way around a weight training circuit.  There is nothing more exciting to me than lifting something I couldn't lift before, or trying a range of motion that I previously wasn't flexible enough to complete.  Experiencing this body transition has been better than I ever dreamed it could be.

I joined GoodLife a year ago and got a personal trainer who helped me ensure I was using proper form for the basics, and helped me set realistic goals for continued improvement.  That's the beauty of fitness.  There is always more room for improvement.  You can ALWAYS be stronger, faster, more flexible, more agile, or have better endurance.  When I feel as if I've mastered one thing, the possibilities for new fitness challenges are limitless.  As a lover of music, dancing has always interested me.  I love swimming, am finding myself more and more drawn to running, kickboxing, and yoga.

This is just the beginning.

So back to this week.  I had some energy to burn, and was desperate for a distraction from my addiction to my cellphone, so I signed up for a West African Dance class.  It was entirely too much fun.  The space was body positive, the women in the class were all ages and fitness levels and we just had a blast.  The sequences were easy to follow, and there were moments when I simply felt like I was one with the music.  There were flashes of time when I was moving my body with precision to the beat and I felt everything.  Of course, most of the time I was confused about how I could possibly move my feet, body, arms, and head in all of the directions the instructor expected at once - but awkwardly tried my very best!

On my way home after the class while reading a remarkable memoir and crying my way through a rape scene I decided Kickboxing was next on the list.  Dancing is wonderful, and as a singer-songwriter I could feel how it would help me with my performance, however, I had a new goal: turning my body into a weapon for self defence.   I immediately signed up for my first Kickboxing class.

I woke up the day of the class energized and decided to start the day early by testing out a new gym that could be accessed through ClassPass: Hard Candy Gym.  Wow.  I felt like I was on vacation.  The gym was luxurious in every way.  I started with a 15 minute run, and surprised by how at one point 5 minutes of running completely winded me, and now 15 minutes was a warm up, I hit the weights.  Bench Press, Arm Curls, Lateral Pull down... I started on the machines (which were immaculate) but felt myself drawn to the free weights and finished the work out testing my strength and form in front of the mirror.  After a full stretch I treated myself to some time in the steam room and made my way to work.

After work I rushed to a meditation class I had signed up to (assuming that it wouldn't be too taxing and would help me relax a bit before my first kickboxing class).  As I exited the subway station navigating my way to the yoga studio I had never been to before, music blasting in my ears, I almost had a heart attack when I looked up to see a bus charging toward me.  Let this be a lesson: Pay attention to your surroundings.  I hadn't given myself enough time to get to the studio, change, and sign all of the waivers, so I was running down Bloor street and up the stairs with 2 minutes to spare, only to find out that no one else had shown up for the meditation class.  I was gifted with a one-on-one with the instructor who guided me through multiple seated and standing poses, some familiar, some unfamiliar in an effort to pay closer attention to my core body functions.  All of which brought my speeding heart rate post almost getting hit by a bus down to normal levels.

I thanked the instructor, jumped on a bus, and made my way down to the Kickboxing class.  It was glorious.  I don't think my body has ever worked so hard.  The instructor was friendly and incredibly skilled.  He walked me through all of the basic movements before the class, and encouraged me throughout the class as I packed all of my power into each punch.  There was something therapeutic about hitting a dummy.  I jabbed, hooked, undercut, kicked, and kneed with all of my might.  Mixed between more pushups than I could handle, jumping squats, and light footed dancing as "rest".  I found love.

I probably shouldn't be surprised by how bruised my knee was when I got home from kneeing the dummy in protection from a nonexistent impending physical threat.  But I held the bruise as a trophy of having given my very best.

I gave my body a rest for the next couple of days, but I'll be back at it later this afternoon.  I'm going to try PursuitOCR later.  Think of it as a jungle gym for adults.  Monkey bars, half pipes, a ball pit, and obstacles of all sorts.  I seriously cannot wait.

I think I'm on my way to being prepared for that zombie apocalypse, which, let's be honest: is ultimately what I'm training for.

I've decided to blog my way through this ongoing journey, setting some goals along the way for my birthday (which takes place in exactly 6 months from today on July 6th).

In the meantime, I am more than open to suggestions for new things I should try!  I'll be adding a few more items to my routine including Pilates, and a program prepared by my friend and fitness guru Jesse Lipscombe called FlowPower which should fit beautifully into my busy schedule.

All I know is - it always seems impossible until it's done.

Happy Saturday!

T