Friday, January 24, 2014

Fitness Friday: Soccer Bruises

For the first time in 6+ years I have soccer bruises.
What an attractive picture...not hahaha.

Lets back up a bit. I started playing soccer in grade 8 to become "well rounded". Basically I wanted a sport on my resume, and basketball or volleyball wasn't going to cut it (yes these were the things I worried about in grade 8). I continued playing soccer in high school, but lets just say I was not the star player. In grade 11 or 12, not sure which, we only had 12 people on the team, and I was the one who started on the bench at the start of every game. But looking back, it made sense. I didn't really take it seriously and the coach could probably tell that. After playing a few games in intramurals in 1st and 2nd year because the team "needed a girl", I stopped, and moved to things like dance class, zumba, and just going to the gym.

When I started work  here in Toronto, I heard that my work had a soccer team and it kind of sparked my interest, but also heard they were a in a semi competitive league and didn't think much of it. A few weeks ago though, I heard a few of those guys started playing indoor soccer, and one girl in the group, once hearing that I had played soccer back in high school, told me I should join in.

I said yes in the moment, then immediately regretted it. Playing contact sports with coworkers? Soccer? What if I suck?? But finally after the convincing of my friends, I went to the game tonight. I warned all the other players that I was severely out of practice, and told them to humour me. After a couple of first passes though it started coming back!

I definitely have a lot to improve on (my aiming for passes is awful), but there were things I could actually do!! My cardio and speed is actually probably better than what is was in high school, and my left shot is pretty good considering I am right footed (years of being an outside forward come into play) I was able to play most of the 2 hours without running out of breath! And..I GOT A GOAL. I had one goal and a few really good shots on the net!

So, all in all, I am super glad I got over my fear of "not being good enough" and actually went out to play, bruises and all. I especially liked that I wasn't treated as "girl player, only on the team because we need one", and could actually contribute to the team! I find it really hard to be motivated to work out on Friday, and this is much more fun than just going to the gym.

Other than that, for fitness this week I did an super fun Sh'bam (dance inspired) class on Tuesday, and then yesterday I did a circuit workout and treadmill intervals for an hour, then Zumba for an hour (stupid exercise endorphins made me think this was a good idea).  Then soccer for two hours tonight. AND I have a gym date with a friend tomorrow AM....I'm not going to be able to move on Sunday!!!

Anyone else trying a long lost hobby/activity? Anyone else fall victim to gym endorphins?

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