Therapeutics
For a number of years, on and off, I've been working on somatic therapy. I've always connected to my spiritual self through my body. (I guess this is why I ultimately chose fitness as a profession).
Somatic therapy teaches you that your physical self is a body of communication. Through your nervous system, your body gives you information about yourself. Psychologically speaking, I find this absolutely fascinating. Especially fascinating since for many years I stuffed my (now super healthy) body with drugs and alcohol. Yes, my 20's were full of summer nights on rooftops in Manhattan and on the playa in the desert at Burning Man. And the winters were way less healthy ;) It was at this time, however, that I started going to therapy and ended up completely changing my life as a result of it. I can attest that by starting to listen to what my body was telling me (CRAZY hangovers are your body screaming about a lack of hydration and B vitamins) I began to realize my full potential.
To make a long story short I kind of went through a personal hell in order to find my own light. Besides the psychological work, I did a lot of yoga. I had always been a powerhouse athlete so choosing to do yoga was a pretty far reach. I just didn't think that yoga actually did anything besides breathing, chanting Om and stretching.
Growing up I did gymnastics. In high school I ran cross country, played soccer, danced, was a cheerleader and swam on the swim team. I was 9th fastest in the county of Los Angeles (which is pretty large) in the 50m freestyle in 1996. One night in NY I partied all night and then went to a kickboxing class at 9am. I thought my body was invincible. Well it wasn't. I'm just glad I had the wisdom to seek health before illness or injury came around. I happen to be blessed with a naturally strong body, but any body can only take so much.
Due to my own personal history and the fact that I tend to go all out at whatever I do, when I work with my clients, I try to teach balance and a sense of communication between themselves and their bodies. I believe that cross training is the healthiest form of fitness and this is also why I will never run a marathon. I think that if we were meant to run for hours and hours we would be horses. But that's just me.
I do also believe that if someone finds an activity they love, wonderful. I like to encourage a wide range of activities because this creates muscle confusion so that the body must always be on its toes, thus increasing calorie burn.
Knowing When to Say When
For many years I always thought that I needed to push my body when I exercised. Mostly this was because I thought that the more I pushed my body, the more weight I would lose. Once I realized that nutrition was the only real way that I could lose weight, I started to look at exercise differently. Yes, now I do work out hard, but I don't overdo it. Here's my current workout schedule: (which looks a lot different than it did one year ago when I was pregnant and 2 years ago when I was working out a major body part at the gym every day).
Mondays -- Baby Bootcamp (running, sprints, resistance bands, hills, calisthenics - 1 hr)
Tuesdays -- Day off, elliptical or run around Lake Merritt with baby - 30 min
Wednesdays -- Mixing of the Arts Class at our studio (Brooklyn Academy Roots) that is strength and conditioning and muay thai - 30-40 mins
Thursdays -- Workout at the YMCA (heavy weights) - 1 hr
Fridays -- Class or full body workout with heavy weights at studio (45 min)
Saturdays -- Yoga at yogatothepeople in Berkeley or swimming at YMCA 1hr-30 mins
I often miss class and end up working out about 4-5x a week. Yoga or swimming is my easy day. The point of this story is to change up whatever you've been doing unless you do a range of activities. You'll see a change in your body and you'll learn new ways to use your body.
It turns out that my body loves variety. I've been able to get my dream body because of the balance of nutrition and different activities. I was on a diet for 2 months, lost the baby weight and am now maintaining where I want to be, physically.
I train myself and my clients in stabilization, balance, strength, cardio and stretching. This weekend I went to yoga for the first time in a long time and learned so much about my body. Yoga is the type of exercise that MAKES you focus on you. At no other time in the day (except for maybe when you go to sleep at night) do most people focus on themselves. Often times, most of us are too busy to bother. Yoga makes you SLOW down, calm down and check in.
Getting to know your own body is priceless. It will tell you what is really going on with you. Sometimes when I can't make a decision, I pause and listen to what I really need and my body tells me. Our bodies are a manifestation of our minds. Never will I disrespect my body the way I did in my 20's. That was a lesson learned :) However, these days I do sometimes forget to check in. Fitness helps me get back in touch. Knowing when to physically push your body and when to stretch, relax, sleep or do some yoga is something only you can figure out.
Try to listen :)
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