Excercise And Writing, How Does It Compare?
As part-time Les Mills Body Combat Instructor and the author of Two scoops, not Three, I feel I have worked hard to be able to do the two things that I love.
And interestingly, I have used similar methods for both exercise and writing.
I started writing my debut novel – Two scoops, not Three ten years ago, when I simultaneously found the Body Combat work-out too. I am extremely grateful for the programme because it is the reason I stayed at the gym and became an Instructor. In fact, some of Two scoops, not Three is set in the gym but I must point out that none of my characters are based on any real people, they are all completely fictional.
I think the fear of starting to write a book is similar to the fear of walking into a busy studio and joining a new work-out class. It’s in you, you want to workout, get fit and meet new people but you are worried about what people may think of you as you creep into the back of a busy studio.
You also have this yearning to write the book you’ve been harbouring for years but doubt yourself, wondering if you are capable and again you find yourself worried what people will think of it and what they’ll think of you.
The same advice relates to both, don’t worry about what people think of you, believe in yourself and just do it. You have nothing to lose and all to gain.
Every three months Body Combat Instructors are given a new release to learn by heart to perform and teach to the participants. We have to learn the new choreography, music and the coaching of ten different tracks which is very daunting when we first receive it. There are always tracks we don’t like, sometimes it’s the music, sometimes it’s the choreography and other times it’s both but we have to find a way past our personal dislike.
The results are proven that when you go from track to track, each track plays it’s role in achieving the best from the workout and one can’t be missed out, even if you don’t enjoy it because you’d be cheating yourself.
I find this same frustration runs with writing too.
You have a main goal but how do you get there? You can’t miss out that vital step because you’re finding it difficult. There are bridges that need to be made and sometimes you are stuck. Just like when trying to learn the choreography and you just don’t connect with it, you’ve got to dig inside and find a way to engage with it and sell it to the class. When you’re sat looking at the screen wishing for inspiration you’ve got to dig in and believe you’ll find a way, it’s not going to write itself. For every obstacle there is always a way round it.
In a Combat class there is a process which takes you up to a heart rate peak on tracks 7 & 8. For me with writing a story, I enjoy that same process and want to take the reader on a fast paced journey, which steadily picks up speed to the crescendo.
The building of the heart rate, the building of breath is an emotional response to the workout. Through writing I also want that same emotional response. I want the reader’s heart rate to increase with anticipation, and the adrenaline to kick in with excitement and/or emotion.
I adore Dan and Rach, the master trainers for Body Combat and when we receive the new releases despite how daunting the amount we need to learn is, it is an absolute joy to watch the masters at work. The way they make me feel with their coaching is something I try to emulate in class and I hope to inspire the class like Rach and Dan do me. It’s definitely a feeling they create and I want to pass that onto the participants. I want to create feelings within my readers through my writing too.
Dan and Rach explain how relaxing during an exercise move can make the movement flow better and create more impact both mentally, physically and visually. The same rule goes for writing, just relax and let the imagination tell the fingers what to type. Don’t think too much, don’t expect a result, just go with the flow.
I am a character-driven writer and the reviews I have received from women of all ages say how they love the girls in my book, they know someone just like them, they’re reminded of their younger selves through them and all have wanted to hear more from the characters in a sequel (I’d better get writing).
You can make friendships at the gym and you can also get so much from the relationships you make with characters in a story.
Motivation to get to a class as an Instructor and also as a participant can often be lacking and you’re just not feeling it, but after you’ve been and done the class you come out on a high, the endorphins are buzzing around the body and you feel good. I know how it can be a drag to go and sit in front of the computer, especially you’re not feeling inspired but you don’t want to miss that burst of adrenaline. What if today you write the best chapter of your life and your fingers just spill uncontrollably across the keys.
For both writing and the gym, I need to remember the reason I am doing it and pull on the after feeling to get me going. It feels awesome after class and it feels flipping fantastic to have written that chapter or bridged that gap. If I don’t go to class and if I don’t sit in front of the computer I am not going to experience any of those rushes.
Teaching Les Mills Body Combat makes me feel good and I want my participants to feel good.
Writing a book that is receiving 5 star reviews makes me feel really good, especially because the readers are feeling good too.
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Terri Boas lives in Hampshire with her husband, Rich, daughter, Portia and Pud, the cat. She is a part-time Group Exercise Instructor at some of her local gyms. Two scoops, not Three is her debut novel.
Follow her on Twitter https://twitter.com/Bo2303T
Two scoops, not Three
Two Scoops, Not Three, Terri Boas
Sometimes, finding the perfect combination involves sampling a few flavours . . .
Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips
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