MY NEW “THING”

Here in my blog, I shared my New Year’s Resolution to go out of my way to experience “new” things.

If you recall, I talked about the dangers of getting stuck in a rut … of following the same old habits … and I decided I needed to branch out a little.

So, “how’s it going,” you may ask? Well, pretty good so far. Let’s take a look.

New Experience #1: I’ve been listening to new music, which is not always easy (or pleasant!). As a performing musician for nearly forty years, I’m fond of the tunes of the ’70s and ’80s. What can I say? I’m a sucker for nostalgia, just like the next person.

New Experience #2: I’ve been eating at new restaurants. Like many of us, I’m guilty of eating at the same places frequently. I’m a notoriously non-picky eater and enjoy new tastes and new locales, but still, it seemed like I was missing something.

New Experience #3: I’ve been working on a new physical activity. Being in the fitness business, I wanted to try something different in physical fitness. Nothing hardcore, time-consuming or expensive, mind you, but something that I could pursue at leisure. I had already tried something really “different” when I took up the medieval longsword sport until I quickly realized my claustrophobia prevented me from wearing the necessary safety gear. But, it turns out Bowling was the perfect fit. 

So, I can say I’m proud of my efforts so far, and I am sticking with my commitments. For example, I went to the local bowling shop and got outfitted with a brand new custom-fitted ball, fancy blue shoes, and a bag to carry it all and, as a result, I’ve hit the lanes almost every week for the past couple of months. I’ve even taken the gym staff out for an afternoon bowling, pizza, and beer. It was a lot of fun and gave us time to bond and get away from the gym. 

In addition to the good times, here are a few other lessons I’ve learned from my new hobby in no particular order.

• I am a terrible bowler. I haven’t set foot in a bowling alley for more than a decade, and I don’t remember ever actually being a “good” bowler. But now, I am sometimes a “terrible” bowler. 😊 In any case, I will keep at it (no matter how painful it is) and may even get some professional coaching if I get too frustrated. After all, a coach’s main job is to take you from where you are to where you want to go. So maybe this lesson is “stick with it.”
• Don’t bowl eight games on your first outing. As a fitness coach, I failed to follow my advice of starting slowly. My hips and forearms were screaming for three days! In other words, remember to “listen to your body.”
• Your friends and staff have NO SYMPATHY for pains or injury from bowling the eight games mentioned above. There is absolutely no way to spin it as something cool–it’s a bowling injury. “It’s about what you think, not what anyone else thinks.”
• Learning something new and working toward improvement is rewarding. I’ve always been a curious person, and this sport is providing me with an opportunity to get better at something. A lot better. This is the most important lesson of all…” keep moving, learning, and growing.”

That’s the state of the state for Brad’s 2022 Resolution. So far, I am enjoying the sport, and who knows, maybe there will be a Bodysmith bowling team in the future. I’ll let you know when tryouts are scheduled 🙂

Do you like new experiences? What’s the newest thing you have tried? I would love to hear about it, and just maybe, you can turn me on to my next new hobby.

~Coach Brad