As you can see, hardly a picture of peak physical fitness or the ideal gymnast! I used to do gymnastics when I was a kid, but gave up when I was about 12. A mixture of puberty, putting on weight and being bullied (by the teachers as well as the kids - my trampoline teacher used to make comments about me going straight through the trampoline in front of all the other kids!! Wouldn't be allowed today of course!) made me turn to laying on my bed reading books in the safe haven of my bedroom rather than put myself on display as it were.
Anyway, fast forward 28 years (I was 40 last year) and I have found myself back in the gym hall. My son showed a talent for gymnastics, so I have been taking him to this gym for about two years now. I just sat and watched for a long time, but eventually asked the Head Coach if I could help and he took me on as a volunteer assistant coach. I absolutely love it, love helping the kids, and love it when they improve in something and their faces beam with pride.
So, in my head, like I'm sure is the same for a lot of us, I am still a teenager, and I watch the kids and think "is there any chance I could still do that??". In my head I can still do it, but my head isn't often the most reliable of indicators! I ummed and ahhed for ages and then a couple of weeks ago decided to bite the bullet and join Steve's (the Head Coach) Adult class, having been assured he wouldn't laugh at me (yeah, right!).
And I'm loving it! Obviously there's loads I can't do now that I used to be able to, but I'm constantly amazed that my fat, heavy, stiff old body can still do some of it! This blog is for me to chart my progress, because I might be forty and fat but I still aim to progress, get better, make the moves I can do look better, try new things etc. Show the world that it really doesn't matter what size or age you are, we all can give anything a go!
What did you do as a kid?? I think everyone should take up a sport or hobby when they're forty that they used to do as a kid!
Well done you Karen - it's very inspiring and I bet your children are so proud of you. Although a few months off the big 4-0, I have recently gone back to my teenage loves of riding and (as of Monday last week), tennis. I ache a bit more than I did back then, but the love of both sports hasn't diminished!
ReplyDeleteYay! Well done you Ann! Don't know if the kids are proud, Ollie goes from thinking it's hysterical to wanting to be my coach and trying to get me to do things I can't do lol. Maybe they'll be proud when they've grown up iyswim? xx
ReplyDeleteHow fantastic! You are better than me, I could never master a forward roll, even as a child!.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your progress and I look forward to seeing your next blog post.
Thanks Emma ! xxx
ReplyDeleteHi Karen, I found your pages incredibly inspiring. I have a project I'm working on which you could really help me with - could you drop me a line at fatlotsheknows@gmail.com so I can explain more? Many Thanks - Tracey (www.fatlotsheknows.co.uk)
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