Taking the Hard Way Out

First- I wanted to thank you all again for voting for me to make it round 2 of Project Food Blog.  I was not going to enter at all (you'll see why later) and I really appreciate the effort you take to vote for me.  For real.

Taking the Hard Way Out
Yesterday I woke up, finally in my own bedroom after being away from home for a work trip for three days.  I was tired, I was cranky, but I knew I wanted to get a yoga class in and planned to go to the intermediate class this afternoon.  I did a few errands around the house, grocery shopped, made my blog entry, (which took longer than anyone would imagine) and of course was running late.  Well, being perpetually late doesn't work for me since my studio locks the doors exactly when the class starts.  Fashionably late is not an option here.  And guess what?! I got locked out of the intermediate class. 

I panicked and started walking to my car, but remembered the advanced vinyasa class that started just ten minutes later.  I took this class once before and it was hard, like really hard.  I sucked it up and went to the class.

Did I excel?  Heck no.  I used all of the tools- blocks, straps, extra padding with the blanket, and even had to come down to child's pose to rest.  I lost my balance a lot and I sweated like a chubby kid in front of a chocolate cake.  The teacher, a man who looks like Genie from Aladdin (if he were a real person, of course), came over and corrected me- stretching my screaming tight hamstrings.  Have I mentioned I'm the least flexible person, like ever?  It's true.  In the end, it was one of the best classes I ever took and I appreciated the experience more than my comfort zone classes. 

If left to my own devices, I take the easy way out when it comes to physical activity.  Every hard hike I ever took with my husband began with many excuses, bargaining, and exit strategies.  I even started making future excuses for our upcoming trip- a trip we have been planning for over a year. 

I'm still trying to figure out where these actions and excuses come from.  I'm at a healthy weight, fit, and have been exercising pretty regularly for about 14 years.  I'm no longer the fat kid faced with the dreaded mile in middle school, I'm no longer the slowest kid in class, and I can probably do a lot of stuff if I just took the hard way out.  I am making a goal to push myself out of my comfort zone- in my workouts and in other aspects.

Question for you: What have you done lately to take the hard way out?
For me, it was this yoga class, and going to grad school while working full time and planning a wedding