Step Ahead; Step Back
The sun is shining, it’s no longer -50 outside, and life has a refreshed feeling that always comes with spring. This time of year is also time for exams if you are a student, the end of winter activities and the start of spring sports if you are a mom and have kids in activities, and of course, spring cleaning. While the longer days and warmer weather have a fresh energy, this time of year can also come with a lot of responsibilities that can drain us.
In the busyness of life, where does that leave you? Do you feel like this time of year is like a New Year again where you get excited and feel energized or does the increase in responsibilities and scheduling leave you feeling a little depleted? It’s important to look after yourself and that may mean taking a step back to reflect, see what you need, and plan accordingly.
A quick an easy assessment you can make is do you feel like taking a step ahead or a step back? This can be used in many areas of life. Do you feel energized and want to move forward, or need to recharge and step back? You may feel different in different areas of life, but a quick question can help you see where you have energy for what.
If you haven’t registered for classes for next session yet, here are a couple different ways to look at taking the same classes, depending on where your mind and energy is:
Fundamental Classes
- Step Ahead - If you feel great with your Fundamental class, maybe it’s time to take the next Fundamental class up. Or if you want to repeat, take that extra energy focusing mostly on the non-dominant side, making your moves slow (or fast if you’re working on spins), focus on good quality movement and treat the class like extra conditioning.
- Step Back - If life is a little overwhelming, I’d suggest either repeating the stage you’re at or even taking the Fundamental class below the one you’re taking. If you have a lot going on, you don’t need to add extra pressure with a new curriculum. Each time you go higher in the Fundamental classes, the jumps become more and more difficult. Sticking with what you know to keep your skills, or even going down a level to take some pressure off and focus on perfect movement will not only take the pressure off you, you’ll enjoy moving and will meet new people too!
Companion Classes - Choreography
- Step Ahead - If you’ve never taken a choreography class, now is the time to try something new. With your extra energy and enthusiasm, you’ll have the capacity to learn different movements, especially if it’s a style you’ve never tried. A choreography class can also help increase your endurance of an extra hour per week of exercise.
- Step Back - If you are taking a step back, a choreography class can be a great way to take your mind off of the tricky fundamental moves you’re struggling with. Generally we have those couple of tricks we are working on that can add on unnecessary pressure in your life that you may not want to deal with at the moment. A choreography class can take off the pressure, while adding the fun of doing something new!
Conditioning Classes - Barre, Pole Conditioning, Active Flexibility, Bootcamp
- Step Ahead - These are great classes to take if you want to increase your fitness. Conditioning whether it’s Barre, Pole Conditioning (which is a great conditioning class for all aerial disciplines), Active Flexibility and Bootcamp classes are a great way to step up your training focusing on the fundamentals of strength and flexibility. This can be a good time to climb in terms of your fitness.
- Step Back - These classes are also great if you want to take a break from your usual classes. It’s an opportunity to turn your brain off, work on your fitness, without the mental pressure of learning new skills. If you are taking a break from fundamentals, this is a great time to take a step back, while not only maintaining but increasing all the hard work you’ve already put in to your training.
Whether you feel recharged and ready to go, or need more time to rest and restore, you can take the same classes with different intentions and still get a lot out of it, wherever you’re at and however you’re feeling. Remind yourself what your intention of signing up was and take those thoughts and feelings with you to each class.
Happy Training!
-Brigitte