There have been many times when I've not felt like exercising. The usual excuses run through my mind - i'm tired, i'm hungry, i've got other things I need to do, it's cold. it's wet, it's too hot, it's - just an excuse when all is said and done. I know that the benefits should outweigh the negatives, the pain, the monotony of sets, miles, drills. But sometimes the negative chatter can and does win.

Practice though really does pay off in the long run.

Week 5 of my short course, nothing went right. Nothing at all. I was hopeless, out of synch and unable to do any of the spins, curves - I was so tempted not to go the following week. The following day, sore, tired and bruised - yes the dancers injuries are many and varied - I began to practice some of the moves we had learned. I don't have a pole at home, but I do have a lot of floor space, so I used it to improve my abs, my upper body and arm and shoulder strength by doing push ups, and some of the many leg exercises that we were learning. Every day I would do something, whether I wanted to do it or not. The result - the last week of the course, everything went perfectly. It all came together, the added work I had done finally paid off and I will be moving up to Intermediates.

The bad thing is - the work I have done, is not going to be enough, I need to up the abs, push ups and leg work because we will be inverting - I have to admit to a certain amount of dread - but again I am determined that I will not be defeated - and I know I will get much better with practice and "home" work. Hmm - I wonder if I can my daughter to teach me how to do handstands!!!

If you want to get better, you need to be willing to push yourself a little harder, a little differently. And you do need to practice, even when you don't feel like it.

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"I know you've heard it a thousand times before. But it's true - hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice."
A J English
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