I was so lucky to gather a group of friends and family to play in a charity volleyball tournament on Feb 14. I’m finding more and more the socializing I do with friends centers around fitness activities as I’ve shifted away from drinking alcohol and am being mindful of my eating. Last year I had roped my family and one of our kid’s friends into playing with us, this year I got cycling buddies and other friends involved.
One thing that I love about the day was the time between games socializing and eating (my two favourite things!) None of us are volleyball players and that was part of the fun. I do things I’m not good at with my kids to show them that it’s ok to learn and you don’t have to be good at something to enjoy it. I’m definitely not good at volleyball but I’m far worse at rock climbing!
I don’t play team sports and it struck me that volleyball is all about the communication between team members. Since this was our first time playing together we didn’t always know when to take the ball, no big deal. Being related to half the team meant laughter when we crashed into each other, it was pretty funny and falling on sand is much nicer than a hard court.
My partner and I were reflecting on how we felt this year compared to last year. Last year both of us had really sore feet, the tendons and fascia strained from the flexing in the sand as well as sore arms, hands, groins, thighs and glutes. This year I had soreness the next day in my inner thigh next to my knee and a bit in my lower back but that was it. It definitely spoke to an increasing functional fitness for me. I feel I can pick up and try an activity safely, that my baseline fitness has improved. More than that, as my time is filled with activities that move my body I notice a drop in my stress level and an increase in my overall productivity. I’m getting way more done on a given day, I feel energized and connected to my awesome friends.
