Queen City Dancing Queen: Fitness Philosophy

Fitness is defined by Merriam-Webster as being “physically and mentally sound”. Let’s talk first about the “physically sound” part. Well, technically, that would include exercise wouldn’t it? Exercise is a VERY important component of fitness. In fact, it is the MOST important component of fitness, but I’m going to propose that you think of exercise in a different way. The way that you should look at exercise is this:

LIFE = EXERCISE.

Exercise does not have to be your traditional going to the gym, getting on the treadmill, doing 100 crunches, or climbing stationary stairs for 30-60 minutes a day. Talk about torture... For most people, including me this is not my idea of fun. While a small percentage of people actually do enjoy these activities, most people are only doing it because they are "supposed to". So what you must do is think for a few seconds about a non-sedentary activity that you can honestly imagine being a regular part of your life and that makes you happy. Is it dancing? Is it gardening? Is it cleaning? Is it singing? Is it hanging out with friends? Is it playing with your kids? Is it running? Is it swimming? Is it working around the house? Is it martial arts? Is it hiking? It is rock-climbing? Is it climbing a mountain or going for a hike? You must find the answer to this question before you can go any further with your fitness training. Keep in mind that there is no “right” answer. For me, the answer is “dancing”, but everyone has fun in different ways. What activity do you find most enjoyable? Okay, once you have your very own personal answer, this is what you have to focus on and it will be called your FUN ACTIVITY. Your FUN ACTIVITY should leave you feeling happy and because of this you will want to do it often. Before you know it, you’ll be on the path of fitness.

Now about the “mentally sound” part. First of all, note that nowhere in the Merriam-Webster’s definition was a certain size, weight or body shape mentioned. That is because we are all different. While this does sound obvious, still this is very difficult for most people to accept. So if you want to be on the path to fitness the best thing to do is accept that your body is yours and that it will continue to be yours for the rest of your life. You will not have the body of anyone else but you, and that is a beautiful thing. Once you accept your body as yours, you are on the path of fitness because loving yourself and having confidence in your own skin will help you to be “mentally sound”.

Finally, I would like to remind everyone that being "fit" is not a destination. It is part of living, and living should be fun. Find something that you LOVE to do and do it often, and most importantly, love yourself. Being fit will be a natural by-product of these changes in your life.

Dance-Inspired Fitness Classes… We don’t workout, We DanceOut!