Nothing’s more motivating than knowing that the menopausal women at the YMCA could easily kick my butt.

My friend’s friend gave me a long, inspiring rant the other night about how all you need to get fit is running, push-ups, and rock climbing. He told me about how he’s gradually built up his endurance and muscle from simple home exercises. Which is very well and admirable for him.

I have less willpower than that. The only way I can get myself to do push-ups is if someone’s screaming at me to do them, so I decided to start going to classes at my local YMCA. I was already going to the gym, and the classes are free with membership, so why not? Maybe they could make me push myself a little more.

And boy.

They do.

Nothing’s more motivating than doing kickboxing with a tiny 60-year-old woman who not only has more endurance than you, but is also more flexible and more muscular than you.

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The younger people in my classes casually talk about how many half-marathons they’re running this year.

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When you’re lifting weights next to a pregnant woman who looks like she’s ready to burst into labor any second now, you know that there are no excuses.

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These classes can push you hard. In a free weights class I go to, the instructor takes pleasure in her students’ pain.

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It doesn’t help that I was never fit to begin with. I have zero core or upper body strength, a fact that I discovered very quickly.

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These classes are exhausting, but they definitely make me try harder than I ever would on my own. I don’t know if they’re working, but I’ll keep trying! It’s for my health, after all.

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Geez, I’m such a try-hard. Oh, well. Hey, if I keep trying, maybe one day I can look like this!

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(Though I’m willing to settle for less.)