On Saturday morning I went to Barre at a friend’s house. This exercise class is tough and really effective – imagine pilates on speed, small movements, three or four rounds of a plank, plies and crunches all whilst tucking your core. Barre this will take you to a place where you can “Strengthen your body and empower your mind”. I’d like you to say this phrase out loud in an American accent and then shout “AWESOME”. Whenever I hear this word I immediately think of the Lego Movie as everyone is AWESOME when they are part of team. I don’t feel AWESOME during Barre as my legs shake so much, but our instructor, assures me this is a good thing. I don’t feel AWESOME doing the rounds of plank and am ashamed to say got so frustrated with myself about not being able to do it properly that started to cry and then said it was sweat running in my eyes. Not only was I an impatient patient, I was impatient with myself……come on… it is only a flipping plank!
After the Barre class, our instructor invited us all to stay for a cup of coffee. As we sat in the kitchen four of us opened up and talked about issues we were facing – a child causing worry, bereavement, work, cancer and the weight of expectations … a couple of us cried and it was cathartic. The theme of kindness comes to the fore again.
Tip: don’t underestimate your worth to other people. It is in the face of adversity that you start to appreciate how others perceive you. You may be going through a tough time and putting on a brave face – so are others, we are all good at keeping our defences up when sometimes we just need to let them down.
