The Climb

Lessons I learned from Rock Climbing

Trying new things is a scary, exhilarating, and an overall nerve wracking experience. No matter how much you prepare, until your in the moment, you cant anticipate the rush of endorphins of putting yourself on the line. Despite the fears that go along with the unknown, I enjoy putting myself in that position to do something new. I believe it's because I'm a curious girl. My Father once told me one of his favorite traits was my curiosity. At the time I thought it was an odd compliment, but over the years I came to understand the remark from a parents perspective. He empowered me by endorsing my character as a fearless and curious daughter. He complimented me on my strength of character, more so then he ever did on the beauty of my physical attributes. As an adult, I'm proud that I never outgrew my curiosity. I let my heart guide me in new endeavors, risks, and adventures.

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."- Walt Disney

My inquisitiveness has made an impact not only on my personal growth but my physical health goals. I grew up dancing and dabbled in other forms of exercise, but unless it was an activity that increased my flexibility or form for my art, I rarely invested my time in it. 

i.e. My senior year when I went out for Track and Field. I had the ridiculous idea I could Grande Jete over the Hurdles and gracefully sprint from once obstacle to the next. Yeah, the logistics between "leaping" and "hurdling" are polar opposites of each other... I tried to lengthen and stretch out past the bar, but soon learned I was supposed to shorten my stride and bound up and over the hurdle with as much speed and force as possible. After one day of Track, I knew it was not the sport for me. Don't get me wrong, I would never tell someone to give up after the first attempt, but in my situation I already had a full dance load on top of my schooling. Adding a new sport wasn't in the cards for me. Especially one that was so counterintuitive to my dance training.

My first venture into the Fitness Industry was through Zumba, which was followed up by Barre Fitness, then Aerial Silks. The common thread within my certifications is obvious, but despite the graceful activity's I excelled at, they each brought out a new side to my health interests. Without the courage to try new workouts, I wouldn't have ventured into Triathlons, Hiking, and Running. And never in my wildest dreams did I think my newest fitness endeavor would be Bouldering.

Cahoots Fitness hosts a Girls Night Out once a month and in October they were invited by Momentum Indoor Rock Climbing to come in for a week of free Bouldering before the big GNO. Free rock climbing for me and 1 child + 50% anyone else I bring is a no brainer, I jumped at the opportunity to try this out. 

The women and I were lucky to workout with Cahoots Nutrition Coach, Dallin Dickerson. Not only is he an incredible Health Coach, but an avid climber. He gave us a private lesson and instructed us on the in's and outs of bouldering, and dare I say "showed us the ropes" of rock climbing. (Ok that pun was awful, but it was too cheesy not to include lol) We focused on the level 0-2 routes and practicing proper form. He was hilarious and talked us through using our bodies to our full advantage by staying loose, flexible, and to never stop moving. Keeping my hips in towards the wall and properly engaging my shoulders and back to climb was really challenging. Dallin compared our climb to Motherhood , specifically how we carry our car seats. He was talking us through form and it just wasn't clicking, so he asked us how we carried our kids in our carseats. Where do we carry the weight? In our forearms? Biceps? or Shoulders? What muscle groups were we utilizing? And why different holds engaged different muscles and creating unnecessary tension. As soon as he made the analogy, my body intuitively knew what to do. If I can carry 2 kids around all day, i'm strong enough to climb and hoist myself up and over the wall. Overall it was a great lesson and introduction into the world of climbing. It was all so new, and i'm not going to lie, I was extremely sore the next day. But I had so much fun! 

I came in a novice, and left a novice. I wish I could tell you I got better and this would be a new sport I'm taking up. But Bouldering is a lot harder then it looks, and requires a lot more upper body strength then what I have. I was pleasantly surprised how sore my hands, wrists and shoulders were after only an hour or two of climbing. It's a fun activity to do and really challenges the climber to use creativity and strength to get through their routes. I came out of this experience with a lot more respect for this athletic art form and the patience you need to train for such an extreme sport. 

Momentum owns three indoor climbing gyms in Utah and are known for their intricate wall designs and climber training innovation. "All our gyms offer programs, training tools and terrain to meet the needs of every climber, from first time walk-in to elite climber athlete." I was particularly impressed with their Youth programs and the wall set up for young children. One climbing session I went to, I was alarmed by the overabundance of teenagers and was ready to call it quits before I realized they were just one of many climbing teams at Momentum.  I was fascinated watching them scale the difficult routes and work together to accomplish the drills the coach had set for them. Nothing like a novice coming in only to be shown up by a kid half her age haha despite my first timer status, I could appreciate the beauty behind their movement and the discipline rooted within their training. 

The next time I came in was with my family and thats when the real fun began. My kids were apprehensive at first, but once they saw everyone climbing, they got excited! Addison, my little Coco Suri, was a natural. She loved the challenge of climbing and made it farther up then Brody. As long as I had my hand on her back she felt comfortable to reach out try to grasp new handles.  To see the wonder in her eyes as she discovered new skills in her mobility made my mommy heart burst with pride. 

Brody on the other hand was a lot happier staying on the ground and jumping up to touch all of the handles. It was a pretty big sensory experience, and I had to be patient with him. Heights was an issue, and the idea that he could fall scared him. But my husband and I gently would remind him that it was ok to take this activity slower and that we were really proud of him for trying it out. 

 "You will enrich your life immeasurably if you approach it with a sense of wonder and discovery, and always challenge yourself to try new things."- Nate Berkus

The majority of the space was dedicated to adult climbers, but they had an area up stairs that was kid friendly and was the perfect space for my little explorers. With brightly colored ledges in fun shapes and sizes, it was a lively area where my children felt happy and safe. As a child it's easy coming into a new adventure with an open mind, but when your a child with special needs, each adventure seems a little bit scary. 

Not knowing what to anticipate or how your child will behave can be difficult. You want to offer them peace of mind and but also challenge them to step outside their comfort zones. I wont lie to you, the first day of climbing was emotionally very difficult for Brody. We didn't stay long and instead of participating with his sister, he felt more comfortable watching and exploring the gym space on the ground. As the parent, you walk a fine line between challenging your child and protecting them. You learn your child's behaviors and mannerisms and have to judge which course of action is right for him/her in that situation. For Brody, it's an extremely fine line and anything and everything can set him off.  After a half hour of trying to get Brody to climb we knew we couldn't push him any further. I felt discouraged that I couldn't get him to try something new. But once we got home he began to cry and said he wanted to try again. 

The next morning I took him out on a Mommy date, and I let him call all the shots. We ran around the facility a few times (which probably wasn't very kosher), jumped around upstairs in the kids climbing area, and then I took him to the adult area and let him watch the climbers. He told me he was scared but I asked him if he trusted me, and with all the courage he could muster, he nodded his head Yes. I secured him on my back and together we climbed up the center wall. He held on tight and we slowly made our way to the very top. He absolutely loved the view and was so excited about our accomplishment. I had to approach our climb differently, and I may have broken a few rules or two in the process, but to see the smile on his face after we made it to the top was priceless. 

Everyone experiences their own challenges and will face them in a myriad of different ways. Sometimes you have to face a trial alone, but if your lucky you'll have someone their to guide you along your journey. Whether its a friend holding your hand, encouragement from a loved one, or even a ride on your Mom's back; no one should feel alone during a difficult time. Revealing our vulnerabilities is frightening but with support and compassion, we can push past our comfort zones and come out of our trial stronger then ever. 

Another reason why I loved climbing at Momentum, was their programs for climbers with disabilities. It was inspiring reading what they have accomplished to give every child an opportunity to safely try a new skill and experience risk. They believe,

"... everyone deserves the opportunity to experience risk in their life, regardless of ability. It’s also the idea that important life lessons can come from risk. Think about what you have gained from experiencing risk in your life– perhaps you struggled or felt defeat, but you also might have experienced personal growth or accomplished a big goal..."

In a safe environment Brody was able to experience risk and personal growth. With enough practice, I know he would succeed in this new endeavor. That belief stays with me every time I try something new. When we put ourselves in a place to experience risk, we change for the better and expand our limit of the unknown. With enough practice, consistency and patience what once was impossible becomes possible. My wish for you is to find your passions, seek out activities that challenge you, and embrace the unknown. Be curious. Be strong. Never stop growing.

"It is never too late to be who you might have been."- George Eliot