Workin' It Out
Let me start off this blog post by admitting that I am not an exerciser. When I was five years old, I spent the majority of my soccer games (I played for the M&Ms; our opponents were the Tootsie Rolls) trying to befriend the referees. My parents have lots of embarrassing video footage of kind adults gently trying to point me towards the ball just to have me continue talking their ears off. Things were no better with basketball -- during the two seasons I played, I made a grand total of one basket. It was for the other team. Out of desperation and love, my parents started clapping if I made a foul (also a rarity) just so they would have something to applaud. Suffice it to say I probably won't be going to the Olympics anytime soon.
Much to my surprise, however, things are changing. Graduate school means lots of reading, writing, and class time. As a future counselor, it also means spending about ten hours a week at a mental health agency getting my first experience working with clients, which we call practicum. The hours I spend in practicum are some of the best hours of my week; I love the field of counseling, and it's an honor to be learning from my supervisors (whom are William and Mary grads themselves)! But balancing school, practicum, work, and my dog is a little more stressful than anticipated.
That's where exercise has stepped in. Although I've always known that I should exercise, I viewed it as time spent in pain that I could be using to do something fun. But exercising a couple times a week (baby steps, friends) has reduced my stress more than I anticipated. One of my school counseling friends, Kathryn, invited me to join her in attending Body Pump classes -- and they're AWESOME. There's nothing like exercising with friends to crack you up on a Saturday morning (especially when you accidentally punch yourself in the face while kickboxing) (#ithappened). And how fun was it to run into my coworker, Lauren, at Sunday night Zumba?! Doing choreographed dances feels way less cheesy and way more fun when a friend is laughing alongside you.
(Me and Lauren being goofballs after Zumba)
So here's to a new semester filled with new experiences, time with friends, and good choices! And, yes, maybe even a little exercising.
