Beating the Post-holiday blues
Every year my partner and I go travelling. We set off at the end of January and disappear somewhere hot for seven weeks, returning in mid-March when Spring is on its way.
Every year I come home and battle with getting back into shape, getting back into routine, and this year, as we returned to the Beast from the East II, we had an even bigger battle with the cold weather!
But the blues don’t last forever and I’m noticing a pattern. They eventually go away and so to anyone who’s struggling with getting back in to shape I thought I would share some feelings on this:
Day 1: Just a gentle stretch, a gentle bit of aerial training. It’s hard but it’s OK. I don’t have much time today so have decided not to push myself. I also have a little bit of a cold from the flight back. I struggle hugely to get my feet over my head but that’s OK, I’m pretty chilled out.
Day 2: First proper training session. Without noticing it, I went full out – it felt SO good to be moving again and to be up in the air once more. I LOVE IT!!! This is why I do circus. The adrenalin pumping through my body is insane!! Sure it’s hard and I’m out of breath and inverting (turning myself upside down) is hard work, but it feels AMAZING!! Go to bed tired but happy.
Day 3: Oh my God, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to move ever again!! My cold has taken hold. Going upside down is the last thing I want to do. Training is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Every single muscle in my body hurts. Which makes it even harder to invert and to climb. Why have I dedicated my life to this?!? What am I doing with my life?!? Maybe it’s time to consider an office job…
Day 4: A little less painful. A gentler session today, preparing for teaching at the weekend. Working on different equipment, which uses slightly different muscles.
Day 5: Day off – phew!!
Day 6: Teaching all day at The Fantastic Flying Circus in Plymouth. Another reminder of why I do this – I absolutely love teaching! The rewarding sense of achievement when you help a student accomplish something they’ve spent a long time attempting, and see progress in students who have tried so hard and battled so much to achieve the smallest improvement. It’s so satisfying and I love sharing these ‘YES!’ moments with my students.
Day 7: Back to training. Feeling better. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still hard work. I still can’t invert ten times in a row, but I’m happy again. I know that it will come back. I just need to push! I love circus. I know why I chose to dedicate my life to it. Because it’s one of the most amazing feelings. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else so why would I? Sure it’s tough sometimes, but if it was easy everybody would be doing it.
So if ever YOU are struggling, I say – stick with it! If you love it, then why not? No pain, no gain, as they say. Few, if any, of the really worthwhile things in life are achieved without hard work and effort. There’s nothing else quite like that rush you get from training – and achieving. Just do it!
