It’s day 22 of Blogvember. I’m following the prompts from Andrew Canion, which can be found here.

I am not what some would consider to be in any way athletic. Though I’m often asked if I used to play American football (due mostly to my build), I’ve never been interested in it, and for the most part am not a fan. (The reasons are many, but to sum it up quickly: (1) I work with many people with head injuries, some resulting from sports, and I find the NFL’s continued efforts to downplay chronic head injury among players to be irresponsible; (2) I’m simply not a fan of the way the game is played; (3) I support players who continue to highlight racial inequality and injustice.)

Perhaps in part due to not much enjoying organized sports, I’ve never considered myself athletic or taken much time to focus on health and fitness. That first changed a few years ago, when I became enthralled by Zumba, so much so that I became an instructor. This year, that energy has transformed into a love for obstacle gyms and the body weight training that accompanies it. While it can be a competitive sport, to me it’s been a delightful way to relearn how to play. The side effects of fitness are of course welcome, and the even greater side effect of improved mental health has been an unexpected bonus.

At this stage in my life, I like to refer to my fitness philosophy as “Team Technique”. That is, while the younger folks (and the more competitive folks of any age) like to push for time, I’m much more interested in whether I can simply do something, and care little about the time it takes to do it. This has the benefit of learning to control my movement while also hopefully mitigating risk of injury.

In this current sport of my life, the only one I’m competing with is me. Every week, I try to improve my skill or strength in some way. It’s the most fun I’ve had with any sort of physical fitness or training in years, and I hope to continue this journey for years to come.