Good morning! As I mentioned on Instagram last week, I had the pleasure of not only being a student in the gym/one-on-one session, but also the pleasure of getting my butt kicked. I was contacted by the Meghan, the owner of Foster Fitness, to see if I wanted to come check out her gym. Little back story- her soon-to-be father in law is a managing director at my office and knows how much I love health and fitness and knew we would get along so he gave her my information. Long story short, he was totally right! Between our love of fitness and both being newly engaged, let’s just say we had lots to talk about 😉 But don’t worry- we didn’t just talk- she lead me through one heck of a workout, too!

Let’s just say that Meghan does what’s always been my dream: she owns her own gym and runs classes and does some one-on-one training. Due to my crazy schedule, I was having a hard time getting to a class so I asked if there was any way to do a one-on-one training session and lucky for me, she agreed, so I went there on Thursday afternoon feeling so excited to try something knew. My co-worker told me that he told Meghan to challenge me, so at least I was pre-warned. Meghan had also asked me what I was looking to do and I asked her if we could go over some basic heavy lifts and get me more comfortable with barbell lifts and pushing me to get out of my comfort zone with regards to weights.

We started with a quick, dynamic workout before going through the workout. It looked a little something like this:

• 3 rounds of back squats with a 1 second pause X 10 reps and walking lunges w/DB shoulder press there & back. Since barbell back squats aren’t something I feel overly comfortable with, we kept it light-ish at 75lbs. It was encouraging because it didn’t feel super challenging!
• 3 rounds of 10 SLDL right & left and then 10 standard deadlifts with 35lb dumbbells & 10 sumo squats
• 3 rounds of 10 single leg hip thrusters right & left and then 10 double and then 10 chest press (I used 30lb dumbbells here)
• 3 rounds of 10 chest fly and then 45* angle chest press & 6 heavy step ups rt & lt
• We finished with one hell of a killer set of sled pushes and then she had me do push-ups for the amount of time it took me to push the sled down and back. The kicker? I had to do as many rounds as necessary to get to a total of 50 pushups. Luckily I did it in 3 rounds!

By the end of the workout, I was totally, utterly and happily spent! Although it was a bit heavy on the legs, there was enough upper body to round it all out. I left the gym feeling so strong and powerful and motivated to get more workouts like this in my life! Meghan was patient with me and did a fantastic job spotting me, correcting me and encouraging me through tough sets. I joked as I was huffing and puffing and asking for a break (say, what?! I know, that is something I’m not sure I’ve ever done!) that I now know what my members feel like! There’s something so different about being coached through a workout vs coaching others through a workout and I have to say, it felt really freaking good to put my workout entirely in someone else’s- very capable, might I add- hands.

Along with a great workout, the whole experience reminded me that as teachers (and this really can be applied to life in general. We get too comfortable with being comfortable.), we often get far too comfortable leading classes and planning our own workouts. While there is nothing wrong with being comfortable with something, it’s not where change happens. When I’m teaching I’m often using lighter weights and doing less reps due to the fact I need to coach and instruct. When I’m doing my own workout, it’s so much easier to do exercises I’m comfortable with and I’m just less likely to push myself the way I get pushed when someone else is leading me through a workout. It was humbling and challenging, but ultimately so rewarding and it ignited a new spark in me with regards to heavier lifting and trying new things.

It’s always scary stepping outside of your comfort zone and trying new things, but I promise, the feeling of overcoming a fear and giving something a shot far outweighs the fear of the unknown and the fear of looking like you don’t know what you’re doing. I encourage all of you to think about something you’ve been wanting to try but have been too afraid to try it. Got it? Now I want you to think about how you can overcome that fear of the new and unknown and get a little out of your comfort zone. Maybe it’s going to the gym by yourself or going to a new class you’ve wanted to try. Maybe it’s trying out a new restaurant by yourself or traveling somewhere new. Maybe it’s having a tough conversation with someone. Whatever it is, I urge you to give it a shot- get comfortable with being uncomfortable 🙂

Lastly, if you’re looking for a new workout, I definitely suggest checking out the schedule over at Foster Fitness and popping in for a class. Meghan is an incredible athlete and so knowledgeable about everything relating to fitness. She’s done 3 IRONMANS, 9 marathons & has some pretty big lifting PR’s- incredible, right?! Thanks again for a great workout, Meghan- can’t wait to go back!

Questions for you: When’s the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone and tried something new? What’s something you’ve wanted to try, but haven’t been able to do so yet?