What Makes You a Jock?

Last week, asked Here’s what some of our readers had to say:

Having a heart means teaching your children to have a heart and leading that example as a parent. With a little (okay, quite a bit) of encouragement from me, my children asked all of their birthday party guests to bring a donation of baby food, formula or a canned food item which they would donate to Sacred Heart. They collected many grocery bags full of baby food, formula and other food products and learned a valuable lesson. They didn't need any material goods; what they had were big hearts! We also volunteer in the community and encourage the children to be kind and understanding to those around them.

I've learned that having a heart is dying to selfish wants, & giving to others "REAL NEEDS"! It's such a Blessing!

Having a heart means helping others who are in need. My mother taught me the importance of giving to others, so I've done the same with my own children. If someone needs a ride, a listening ear, a hug, a friend or even a place to stay, food to eat or money for gas, a bus ticket, etc. then we do what we can to provide those necessities for those in need. Helping others to become independent is another way of having a heart. It's not always easy opening our home to others in need or even feeding those who are hungry, but the blessings that one receives back are enormous and satisfying. Having a heart means taking in a child, who has no one else to care for him, even when it's not convenient for your or your family. We don't always receive recognition for the numerous acts of giving and sharing but we don't do it for glory, we do it because being a good person, who cares about the community and world that we live in is important.

This week, Moms Talk moves to the rest of the body, asking what would it take to make you a jock?

Just recently I realized that the way I think of myself has changed; I now think of myself as someone healthy and strong, someone who exercises. An athlete. A jock. I wasn’t a slug before, but after a year of working out five times a week, I feel different.

What it took for me was finding exercise that I actually like and want to do on a regular basis. What it took was Deborah Yates. Deborah is the group exercise director at Los Gatos Health & Fitness. Deborah is first a dancer—she taught her first dance class at age 15—and now teaches “dance fitness.” You can tell she’s a dancer by the way she moves, but her energy and stamina make it hard to believe she’s been teaching dance and fitness for nearly 40 years now.

I’ve tried and enjoyed other dance fitness classes, like Zumba® and U-Jam™, but Deborah’s class is my favorite. Where else can you do swing, merengue, Bollywood, soft shoe, salsa, hip hop, and occasionally even a little Irish dancing, all in one hour? As my husband is fond of pointing out, my music taste is stuck in the 80s, so anything current I know (Avril Lavigne, LMFAO) is from Deborah’s class. Plus, I like that Deborah’s class is made up of real people representing a range of ages and fitness levels.

After getting hooked on Deborah’s class, she brought in barre fitness—think Pure Barre or The Dailey Method—and now I’m hooked on that too. Usually I take my barre classes from Lisa Barretta, who’s also clearly a dancer and laughs and groans and sweats along with the rest of us as we strengthen our cores while we work previously undiscovered muscles in our legs, arms and backs. Lisa is so sweet and supportive that before you know it, you’ve done 50 push-ups (modifications okay!) without realizing it. (I have also tried Pure Barre and The Dailey Method here in town, and they are definitely killer, but they didn’t turn me into a jock. They’re not as me … the instructors seem like they’re in their 20s, with no fat anywhere, perfect make-up, and not a hair out of place, and every person in the class wears a gorgeous Lululemon ensemble that probably cost more than my car.)

For me, what works is an instructor I can relate to, activity I enjoy, and a comfortable environment. That’s what turned me into a jock.

What would it take to turn you into a jock?