It’s Positively You

Magic happens when you step out of your comfort zone!

With a dance CV containing one single entry (ballet: circa ages 4-7 - ‘looks like she is directing traffic’). learning to Irish dance at approaching 50 years old didn’t seem like the smartest life choice I had ever made.

After signing up (wine-assisted) for an adult Irish dance class, I got to my first session to discover there was only one other person there. She was almost half my age, had the proper shoes and had danced competitively throughout her childhood. I was in my trainers and didn’t have a clue - see CV above 🙃

A big part of me wanted to run for the safety of my sofa and not go back after that first week. But I also really wanted to learn and I was lucky enough to have found an incredibly patient teacher. So I stuck at it and absolutely fell in love with it.

It challenges me both physically and mentally and brings me such joy. And for the first time in my life I have found something that makes me *want* to strength train.

Those classes are no longer running and I’m now with a different dance academy, which runs a weekly class of a mixture of circuit training and Irish dancing. It’s really good fun.

When our teachers asked us if we would like to enter the Senior World Irish Dancing Championships in September, it seemed like an absurd thing to consider. But three of my teammates with far more courage than me agreed to do it and eventually I decided to 'harden the *&^$ up' and join them.

The competition was on Saturday in London and it’s fair to say that on the journey down there we were all pretty nervous and questioning our decision to enter. All four of us messed up all three of our dances repeatedly while practicing before the competition started 🙈

But we supported each other through the panics and with the incredible patience and positivity of our coach, we were able to dance ourselves proud when it really mattered.

And for me there was an utterly unexpected 1st place in the beginner trophy reel and 2nd place in the beginner championships.

There’s no way I would ever have considered entering if it wasn’t for my incredible teammates and dance coaches ☘️

If you surround yourself with supportive people who share your passion and who believe in you, it will become a lot easier to say yes to the things that make you feel uncomfortable.

I am so glad that I agreed to dance at the feis as it was a brilliant experience. The podium finishes feel like the affirmation that you really can do the most crazy sounding things with the right mindset and some hard work.

That’s the magic on the other side of comfort 🥰

Where did you run today?

The Women’s Rugby World Cup is coming.

To seven cities across the UK. And one town. Northampton. My home.

Six matches will be played at Franklin’s Gardens, including one England game.

Yesterday I went to an event hosted by Northampton Saints to hear from people in the world of women’s rugby, the local authority and people from the local tourism, culture and business economy about the Women’s Rugby World Cup coming to Northampton.

There’s lots to be excited about, but for me the standout message was that this global event needs to be more than just a moment in time, a mark on the sporting calendar.

This is a chance to challenge the limiting stereotypes that exist around women’s sport, to create more opportunities for - and more equal access to - sport for women and girls. And to really engage our local community in this once-in-a-lifetime sporting event taking place on home turf.

For those of us who wish that women’s sport had had more visibility and voice when we were younger, and who want it for our children, our grandchildren, our nieces and for the women and girls of the future…

Game on!

Read more: https://itspositivelyyou.co.uk/its-game-on-for-women-in-sport/

Is your response to this run route:

☘️ Hell yes!
☘️ What fresh hell is that?

If your brain is wired more towards spontaneity than routine, sticking to a training programme can be challenging.

But here’s the thing about this run:

☘️ Distance - planned
☘️ Target pace - set
☘️ Effort level - pre-determined
☘️ Route - absolute chaos

For those of you familiar with The Chimp Paradox, this is chimp management in action 🙃