12 Jul Letting Go of Fears, One Step at a Time
I like to think that I’m a pretty adventurous person. I’ll pretty much wear anything, try any trend and my love off all things colorful occasionally has me dressing like a walking bag of Skittles. I wear it. I own it! But I realized a few months ago that a lot of things scare me or just flat out give me anxiety. Are these things “scary,” or have I just built up the fear in my mind? It’s the latter.
A few weeks ago I went on a trip to Nashville with Chevy and I had to seriously ask myself, “did I make a huge mistake???” Though Chevy was our sponsor, there was a fitness component to the trip, including CrossFit and kayaking. Um, CrossFit absolutely freaks me out. The workout just seems so hardcore. I like working out, but those workouts just seem too intense. And as far as kayaking? I can’t swim and have a serious fear of large bodies of water. So this trip would have normally been something I said no-way to, but instead I said, let’s do it!
I brought my friend Tara along because she’s a CrossFit lover. She’s been trying to get me to go to her gym that’s close to us in Brooklyn for more than a year. And for more than a year I’ve been saying, “uh yeah, sure, I’ll try.” But this trip, I had no choice but to go for it. We landed in Nashville {which is super cute, so stay tuned for a budget travel and thrift shopping guide soon!} on Friday, had a great welcome dinner and the next morning it was time for the workout. To say that I was full of anxiety would be an understatement.
Reebok outfitted us from head to toe and we took an hour long drive to Rich Froning‘s home. He’s the best of the best when it comes to CrossFit, which made me even more nervous! But we got there and Rich and his team were the nicest, most accommodating people ever. I had a vision of CrossFit being a bunch of shirtless, super fit people lifting massive objects and grunting. Um, this wasn’t that! Rich made it clear that CrossFit is about going at your own pace. Basically, you are your only competition.
We did a warm up and then it was time to really get going. We incorporated the Chevy Silverado pickup trucks into the workout and that anxiety that subsided was rising up again. I had no problem lifting the 25+ pound ball into the truck bed, but we were also jumping into the cargo bed!
After doing a burpee {which I’ve always struggled with!}, we then had to jump into the back of the truck. I have the shortest legs ever, so of course it was a bit of a struggle, but Rich broke it down. He reminded us we just had to “get” into the back of the truck, however we chose to do so was totally up to us. There were some pros who leaped straight into the back of the Chevy {see below!} and others like myself who used a handy little step that’s built into the side of the Chevy truck bed which makes getting in and out super easy.
The workout was over before I knew it {though it felt long at the time} and I was happy I survived. Days before I would have never done CrossFit and then here I was having completed a workout with a CrossFit champ.
To say that I was proud of myself was an understatement, but the next day there was another challenge. Kayaking. I’ve never kayaked. I can’t swim. I hate large bodies of water. I don’t even like going into water past my waist. I don’t like taking water taxis. In the back of my mind I rationalized if I wanted to sit this activity out, no big deal right? Wrong! Tara and I pegged the weekend “Adventure Time,” so there was absolutely no backing out.
As much as I hyped kayaking up to be so dangerous and scary, I was shockingly calm until it was time to get in the actual kayak. There were a few hiccups in the beginning because we just didn’t know how to steer and we were on one side of the river while everyone else was on the other side {see the hilarious pic below!} but after that? We found our groove.
It was blazing hot out but the ride was relaxing, the scenery was absolutely beautiful and not once did I think about drowning!
Besides bringing Tara along because I knew she’d love CrossFit, I also needed to bring someone who could drive…because I don’t have a license! We had the chance to drive the Silverado trucks {we actually test drove two of them!} for the weekend and that obviously meant I needed someone behind the wheel. The car drove smoothly and we certainly got a few looks while driving and when people saw two petite women hopping out of the truck. Though it was nice to sit back in the passenger seat and play with all the different bells and whistles in the car, but I have to admit, I was a bit envious about not being able to drive! I conquered CrossFit, kayaking and now, I think driving is up next!
I finally realized I had a habit of hyping things up to be so much more daunting than they were. But in actuality? It’s usually not that serious. Though some moments proved challenging, I was always safe, having fun and that’s what mattered. kkkk
I always advocate for women wearing whatever they want, trying a new trend and just having fun. It’s time I start taking that advice when it comes to life! I’m ready for my “adventure time.”
Thanks to Chevy for the amazing trip!
Photos: Sanford Meyers for Chevrolet
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