Mom Exercise:Trying to Find My Fitness Niche at 38

Photo credit: f_shields on Flickr

I don’t like to fail, and I don’t like to be “bad” at something.  It’s because of that reason that I never joined a team sport when I was a kid – I’m a pretty bad athlete, I hated gym class, and I always did better in academic classes.  But one sport I always wanted to try was tennis.  In fact, I even owned a racquet and played a bit when I was younger – not in an formal way, but for fun.  So, when I recently joined a gym and was looking for a fun way to stay fit, I was reminded of my interest in tennis.  Is 38 too old to learn a new sport?

I decided to face my fears of the unknown, and register for private tennis lessons.  Eventually, I want to be skilled enough to do a cardio tennis class or play with friends, but first I wanted to know the basics.  When the instructor asked me to hit a few balls so he could see my skill level, I was actually terrified.  I hadn’t touched a racquet in over 8 years, and I was right in the center court where everyone else taking lessons could see me.

Terrified.  Me.  An adult who’s had two kids, travels anywhere, has started her own business and quit a lucrative job.

I hit a few, missed a few, but my the end of the lesson, I was feeling great.  I don’t have to be the best player, or even a great player, but I would like to at least be good enough to play an actual game.  And the first step to getting there was just showing up for the first lesson, even though I wanted to cancel it as soon as I scheduled it.

I’ll be back next week, and the week after that.  Now that I’ve faced my fears, I’m excited to actually learn!

I’ve partnered with Harvard Pilgrim  on this sponsored post but the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. You can find more ways to be well at HarvardPilgrim.org/CountUsIn.