Best in Health

Best in Health (December 2012)

One of my friends signed her email to me “best in health.”  I actually don’t remember what the email was about, but those 3 words stuck with me. So much so, that I now sign my emails best of health. (I hope she doesn’t mind.) That is truly my wish for everyone; that they are in their best health. When people are in their best health then they are happy and with happy comes the life they love.

Our health is something that we so often take for granted. We put it on the back burner and fill our minds with excuses as to why not put it front and center. What many don’t realize is that you either are not performing at your optimum or may not be able to conduct your day to day activities at all if you don’t put your health first.

What is our health? What is it to be healthy? It’s not 2% body fat and model thin or benching our body weight times 2. It’s being at a place where we are happy with our life (inside and out). Sleeping, eating, and sweating with balance.

·         Fully resting when our body or mind are tired.

·         Sweating an hour each day or 3-4 times a week, and

·         Making conscious decisions of the food we are eating.

 It’s that simple! But for some reason it’s so hard for many—including me. J

For a very long time, my cousin referred to me as a “skinny fat person.”  I was thin in my early 20’s but definitely not healthy. You could see it too, in my skin, my hair, and my overall demeanor and outwardly approach to life.  The latter was the saddest part of me not being healthy.

For years, I struggled with sadness, possibly depression, uncertainty, anxiety, etc. I spent so much time trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I went to numerous doctors, therapists, social workers, and psychiatrists. It was the same story, over and over again: I wasn’t happy, tired, and not sleeping (enough).

It wasn’t until my mid 20’s that I stumbled onto dancing salsa. I LOVED it! I was so excited about it. I went out dancing just about every night, took lessons, and joined dance groups. I was hooked/addicted (I will talk about addiction another day). Wow, life was great. After a few years, of living and dancing in Philly, I moved to Long Island. I continued dancing, teaching dance and even dabbled in competing. I still didn’t make the connection that dancing was my happy drug.

It wasn’t until I got involved with Zumba® that I realized the mind body connection in sweating! It finally dawned on me that I enjoyed working out because it released endorphins. Thus, since I was so happy with my life after a workout/dance or in looking forward to a workout/dance, I made consciously good decisions about the rest of my life: food, relationships, career, money, etc. I began living positively and once again looking forward to accomplishing goals.

I continued to combine my love for dance and fitness and continued pursuing additional fitness certifications and also received my 200HR RYT Yoga Certification. All of this led to where I am today. Through body movement we strengthen our mental and emotional minds.  

When I don’t work out for days at a time, I feel lazy, uninspired, and just blah…but when I consistently maintain a workout schedule (which at times includes just walking to the park with my little one) I feel fresh, inspired, motivated, positive, etc.

Through my body feeling so amazing, I consistently try my best to make better decisions for the rest of my life. One important one is the food I eat. This also gravely impacts your body’s health—thus your life’s health. There are healthy foods that give you energy, naturally and there are others that can drag you down, add fat to your body, and take you/energy for an emotional roller coaster.

Healthy is different for everyone. What I do know is that many of us fill our minds with excuses, negativity, and sadness preventing us from being healthy and happy.

Probably the number one excuse is that there isn’t enough time. However, what one must realize is that when you take the time to work out you gain more time in your day/evening. How so? Well, when you are working out, dancing or practicing you will usually release endorphins thus giving you more positive energy. We can accomplish so much more in a day when we actually have positive energy. When we don’t go for that workout after work or school, our chores, making dinner, or doing work becomes a daunting task and we move/think slower than if we did work out. Trust me. Try it one day or for a week and see all that you accomplish. Create a workout for a week (maybe just 4 days) and then reflect on how your body and mind feel after 7 days. What decisions you made that were different than your usual, what did you accomplish that surprised you, and how did you overall feel about yourself?

The second excuse is probably that it’s too hard to work out or don’t know the moves or how to use the machines. That’s why it’s important to shop around and find what fits for you. Just like when you are looking for the perfect shoes to go with your cute dress/suit you have to find a place that offers what interest you, offers you diversity, and also has professionals that know what they are talking about and what they are doing. Simply think about your passion. Something you have always wanted to do but didn’t have time, or didn’t know how and so you never did…”Google” it and take a class!

Working out doesn’t always have to be the conventional treadmill, weights, etc. It can be salsa dancing, yoga, etc. All that is important in being healthy is moving your body, not how many reps, how much weight, or how far you’re running.  

Prioritizing your health is prioritizing yourself first. Focusing on your health lowers your risk for illness, disease, and fatigue. If we don’t have our health, we can’t:

·         Love—which is our sole purpose of existence.

·         Take care of our loved ones (i.e., family, friends, etc.).

·         We can’t perform our job at our fullest potential because we are tired, negative, and unable to think creatively.

·         Be happy because we are full of negative thoughts, sadness (possibly depression) and stress.

·         Live the life we love—NOW!  Because we are too busy making excuses.

I only speak about things that I have experienced firsthand. I know that healthy is different for everyone. But I also know what it’s like not to focus on your health first and that is simply sad. Walgreens has a commercial with a tagline “come find us at the corner of happy and healthy.” I love it! It’s exactly where you want to be (on the corner of happy and healthy—not necessarily Walgreens). You don’t have to make huge changes in your life, just have to take it step by step—but you do have to take that step, before it’s too late.

I now maintain a balanced workout schedule, teach fitness, make conscious decisions about the food I am eating, and write goals. I no longer need to see doctors or therapists or even take any prescription or over the counter anything (medicine, supplement, etc.). I focus on what I want in my life and work towards achieving it. I do this all because I prioritized my health first.

Best in health,

xoxo

Abi