Today was an exceedingly GOOD day
Mostly because I had a riding lesson, but also because I got to spend time with goldy_dollar.
I'm so glad that I made the decision to indulge myself and have quality horse time. I do have something of an internal struggle over the whole idea of riding, but in the end it has such a positive impact on my mental health, that I believe it is worth the risk. My lesson today not only filled me with peace of mind (which has been sorely lacking of late) but also boosted my self-esteem and motivated me to be more physically active. While I think it's a little sad that I need the 'payoff' of riding to get me to be more active, it's still a good thing that it does in fact motivate me.
I'm more than a little amazed that I got such good work from myself as it's been 4 months since I last sat in the saddle. Part of the credit goes to Robyn (my coach). She chose an exercise that made the most of my positive riding abilities and minimize the negative ones. When she showed me videos during our lesson, I truthfully asked, "That's really me?" at one point. That was simply because my perception and feel of myself really didn't match up to what she was seeing. This is why video-ing is such a great training tool for riders. After watching the videos, I could see that I was getting the desired result and associate the feeling with it.
Anyhow, here's one of the highlights from this awesome lesson:
I am going to try and have 1 lesson a month in the interest of my mental health (and not slipping back into the funk that has been plaguing me of late).
I'm so glad that I made the decision to indulge myself and have quality horse time. I do have something of an internal struggle over the whole idea of riding, but in the end it has such a positive impact on my mental health, that I believe it is worth the risk. My lesson today not only filled me with peace of mind (which has been sorely lacking of late) but also boosted my self-esteem and motivated me to be more physically active. While I think it's a little sad that I need the 'payoff' of riding to get me to be more active, it's still a good thing that it does in fact motivate me.
I'm more than a little amazed that I got such good work from myself as it's been 4 months since I last sat in the saddle. Part of the credit goes to Robyn (my coach). She chose an exercise that made the most of my positive riding abilities and minimize the negative ones. When she showed me videos during our lesson, I truthfully asked, "That's really me?" at one point. That was simply because my perception and feel of myself really didn't match up to what she was seeing. This is why video-ing is such a great training tool for riders. After watching the videos, I could see that I was getting the desired result and associate the feeling with it.
Anyhow, here's one of the highlights from this awesome lesson:
Click to viewI am going to try and have 1 lesson a month in the interest of my mental health (and not slipping back into the funk that has been plaguing me of late).