I have struggled with my fitness since I was young. Both of my parents were stocky individuals with shorter stature. I was big into sports in high school, spurts of college, and now I try to do an exercise a day when I am not in the studio. Finding the studio wasn’t my idea, but I was coerced into attending a class. My first class kicked my rear end. I woke up the next day with sore forearms, wrists, and a bruised shin—pretty normal for aerial and pole fitness. I plan my visits to the studio around my work schedule, so I try to go four to five times a week. Aerial Dance isn’t just a place to walk into and walk out of… here you’re able to condition yourself how you see fit, mingle with your sisters, and have fun doing it all.
I always found working out to be a boring routine that never had an alternative. Now that I am a member at Aerial Dance, I am not so sure I can give up what has been shown to me there. Fitness, in my mind, is about finding what you love to do and sticking to it. At one point in my life, I could have been on my high schools competitive lifting team, because I was able to squat over 400 pounds—but I was a dedicated long jumper for my school’s track team. Fitness is easy when you are confined to a building, especially when there are fitness classes offered before the sports practices. Once out to college, I had to finagle work, school, schoolwork, and sleep before my fitness schedule. I then grew bored of trying to figure out how to put my workout schedule in that mess.
Fast forward four or so year from starting my freshman year of college, one of my old co-workers wanted to step out of her norm and take a few classes and asked me to join. A year and a half later I can say that the progress that I have made is next to none. I haven’t been this pleased with working out I years. The instructors at Aerial Dance have pushed me to the potential that they know I can achieve, and the same goes for all of the other individuals that walk through that door. In this past year, I have become a better version of myself, exceeding goals that I have set forth for myself. I feel as though I am more ambitious since joining Aerial. I have auditioned for the Performance Team and was placed on the Practice Squad as I needed more experience on other apparatuses other than hoop. I am also signed up for the Aerial Dance Competition Team, and I am choreographing my own routine for Comp in January.
Finding the studio was probably one of the greatest things that has happened to me. I feel challenged when I am in classes, and if the exercise is too difficult, they come ready with substitutes for the selected workout. The atmosphere that is at the studio is set to include everyone. The instructors do a great job of extending their knowledge to the students so we can achieve our goals. I feel grateful for the family that has been established at the studio, we all encourage one another to reach our goals and surprise ourselves, too.