Fancy That!

RRRRR! After many years on stage, I know what singers go through dealing with the shakey microphone, forgetting words, knocking knees, and that racing heartbeat. Stage fright is so hard to get over unless you keep going back on stage over and over again and becoming familiar with being in front of people weekly, if you can. For a singer, this is one of the biggest problems. Most churches have singing groups that may require an audition, and that's a good place to find a support system of like-minded people. Singing in a small group can give you the feeling that you aren't alone up there on stage. It builds confidence.

Volunteer for church related productions. If you are good with children and your church has a childrens' program, this would be a great place to start. Children aren't judgemental, and they want you to do well and help them have fun. They aren't going to keep score or even remember if you messed up.

When you do have to go on stage alone, preparation at home is the key. Practice till the walls in your house know all the words to the song; at least until you can recite every verse and disect the song by verse and bridge. Then, begin to envision your performance being an inspiration to others. This is a technique used by athletes before the big game. They imagine themselves making the shot that wins the game. Even if you have to let yourself fall asleep with this in mind, it will help you on the day of the performance. Your mind will have already been there, done that - perfectly!! So, no sweat. If you can arrange a practice time in the actual sanctuary or stadium, it will help to familiarize yourself with how many people will actually be there when it's full. Later, it may not be so shocking when you step out on stage seeing how huge and full it can be.

On the day of the performance, don't be late. Give yourself plenty of time to get up and warm up your instrument. Nothing is worse than stacking stress on top of stress. If you are waiting on your turn and minutes are counting down, focus on deep breaths. If your heart is racing - hold your breath for 3 seconds and breathe. Holding your breath for a little bit will slow your heart rate down. If you are someone who has trouble remembering the first few words of the song, write them on a piece of paper or your palm. If you've noticed your hand shaking the microphone while you are singing, change the microphone to the other hand for a while. If you've noticed your knees are knocking, try standing with one foot a little in front of the other with knees slightly bent. Walk around the stage to the other side.

If you've ever watched the movie Center Stage, there's a part where the prima ballerina says to her partner how her nerves are getting to her. He says, "Use it! Dance it!" That's the best thing I can recommend. Use the nervous energy as a positive force to push your performance further. Use it to give yourself the edge over all of it. Use it to distinguish yourself as the performer you always dreamed you could be.

As a busy Mommy what can you possibly do in between cleaning and laundry and dishes and dinner? That's the trouble when you want to work out. I've found a few places to squeeze in a little time for small workouts during lunch. My gym is very close to the office, so I grab a Luna Bar and head to the gym with my bottled water and a gym bag. No, I usually don't get that sweaty, but just in case, there are some toiletries for that in my bag too!! One of my co-workers in the past brought her workout ball into the office for slow times. I'll bet she was hiding some weights in the closet! She'd go to the rest stop off the interstate near the lake and run during lunch. Wow!! That's Hard Core!

Another suggestion is to pack the stroller and sunscreen and bottled water in the car. After work, pick the kids up from school and go walking in the park. My son really needs the extra energy burn just like I do! It's a great learning experience for the kids. Yesterday, my son had picked up a pine cone and a woolly caterpillar and saw a dead black snake. He was very excited! We got a great walk, and he was more than ready for dinner, bath, and bedtime! I have an MP3 player with a speaker, so I can put the volume on low and play it softly in the stroller tray to keep pace.

I signed up for a Stroller Strides class once. It was a 30 minute drive just to meet up with the coach, but it was really fun! Unfortunately, it's only a weekday morning class which didn't fit my schedule. There was a great route for walking, and we loaded up our strollers with the kids and resistance bands. We did interval training. There were stations where we stopped to do upper body exercises, and then long stretches for lateral squats and then lunges while pushing or pulling the strollers. It was great! Some of the kids even fell asleep! The pregnant moms even enjoyed this workout.

Dealing with the guilt that goes along with working out and still having Mommy duties is something everyone battles. The risks for not taking the time to give yourself the gift of exercise can mount over time. The body can become borderline or even diabetic with high blood pressure or high cholesterol. If you don't keep moving, the joints become stiff and muscle can fade away. Getting fresh air can help improve well-being so much and relieve stress. Every day can build to a better day. If you are a beginner, start slow and progress a little more each week. Endurance takes time, but once you start to feel better and see results it will translate into every area of your life. Your smile will be brighter, and people will notice. So even allowing for a small workout several times a week can add up to big rewards for success.

Sometimes I have tried to put on FitTV, the satellite channel to do a workout with my 4 yr. old while the baby is sleeping. That has gone ok, but watching my son try to keep up tickles me. It's like watching a frog in a blender!

It's easy to give up, but there's no sacrifice that's worth making that costs you nothing. That's a lesson, in itself.