I’m an exercise fanatic. It started once I realized, mid-teenagehood, that my metabolism wouldn’t last forever and that I would eventually have to counter my ice cream-eating habits with some sort of physical activity. And it’s lasted for years. The key, I think, has been fitness classes and groups. You name it, I’ve taken it: yoga, pilates, aerobics (regular & step), boot camp, kickboxing, spinning. Most recently, I’ve narrowed my fitness repertoire down to my two favorites: spinning and running.
My instructor and fellow runners and riders make me feel like a capable, contributing member of a community and constantly motivate me to endure and improve. They have helped me to recognize my own power, as well as the control I have over my body. We share fitness-related advice (our recommendations for shoes & gear, tools to help record & track runs or rides, tips about form and new ways to improve speed), talk about articles we’ve read or techniques we’ve tried, discuss our goals and realistic ways of achieving them. I learn from their mistakes and improvements and they from mine. Although I believe that I am capable of attaining the same fitness goals on a personal level without these relationships, my success rate has always been higher and my progress more consistent when I am an active member of a group.
I couldn’t help but compare my personal fitness network (PFN?) to the personal learning networks that we’ve been exploring in our latest chapter; to me, the metaphor is obvious. Interaction, collaboration and improved practice? These characteristics are as essential to PFNs as they are to PLNs. Learning while doing instead of learning as preparation for doing? That element is there, too. We share the same objectives of advancing our collective knowledge and skills, learning more and improving. Although this metaphor may not be helpful for people who aren’t as involved in fitness communities as I am, I found that comparing PLNs and PFNs has helped me to better visualize the role that I might play in a personal or professional learning network, as well as the significant impact it could have on my life.
