By Alan Shaw, Co-Founder and Head Coach of Rhapsody Fitness in Charleston, SC
What a year it has been, friends.
I know this is a thing that people say, but it seems like 2021 moved at a clip that my brain could barely wrap itself around.
Still processing and licking our wounds from The Blip, we careened into The Comeback – picking up pieces and putting back together some semblance of structure and normalcy. Y’all came out swinging with no holds barred, and it was a privilege and a pleasure to be your coach and confidant through it all.
As we stare down a new year full of unknowns, promise and potential, I find myself wanting to paint a bigger picture with a broad brush using all the colors – bolstering our understanding, enhancing our experiences, and, above all, amplifying the ways we connect with and serve our communities.
For many of us, as we put our heads down and bulldozed through rebuilding our worlds got a bit smaller. In light of that, my challenge and wish for each of you in the year ahead is to expand.
EMBRACE FULL FITNESS
Starting with the work we do inside these four walls, I want you to see past the leaderboard and take a look inward. What are you telling yourself as the clock counts down? Are you pushing your edge or competing with the person next to you? Are you putting in the work for yourself or reacting to external pressure?
I encourage you to think more holistically about your fitness to integrate mindset and character with muscle and stamina. Expand your understanding of what it is to be healthy by valuing your headspace and heart as much as those benchmarks and brawn.
Rhapsody Fitness in Charleston, SC.
INVITE EXPERIENCE
Branch out and get uncomfortable…again. Understandably, safety and security have been top of mind for many of us, but this life is meant to be lived and doing so requires stepping outside of the complacent and convenient to expose yourself to something new.
I invite you to get a little rowdy right here by leaning into a skill that unnerves you or pushing past a sticking point. Quarterly check-ins are around the corner, and Team Rhapsody is here to help you set and crush those lofty goals.
But don’t stop with rings or barbells – take this outside. I dare you to embrace vulnerability, do it scared, and expand your experience.
CONNECT, SERVE + REPEAT
Of everything that we have introduced and accomplished through Rhapsody Fitness, I may be most proud of our Sweat & Serve program that, to date, has dedicated 1,500+ hours to Lowcountry organizations and local initiatives.
Not only do I love taking our mission outside these four walls, but I believe with every fiber of my being that serving reminds us that we are all in this together, despite our differences, and will be far better off when we take care of one another.
However you choose to contribute to and connect with your community, I challenge you to double down on and expand those efforts in the days ahead. We will all be better for it.
I cannot begin to tell you what is in store for us in the weeks ahead, but I believe our best days are yet to come. Let’s be open to it all, shall we? After all, constantly varied to face the unknown is exactly what we train for.
3-2-1-Happy New Year! Ready to let some Rhapsody into your life? To learn more about Rhapsody Fitness in Charleston and our range of programs, get in touch with Team Rhapsody today.
