I've been thinking a lot about what living a healthy lifestyle means to me. Growing up as a dancer naturally meant that I was pretty active without having to even try. It wasn't like I consciously said to myself, I'm going to go to class and workout now. Dance was fun...and it just happened to be a great workout.
But here's the thing, I've slowed down a lot in the past few years. I'm no longer teaching dance several hours a day. I'm teaching three hours a week. I'm also not teaching advanced dancers anymore. I'm teaching young beginner dancers. This means I'm not sweating as much or working as hard during class. In fact, I'm not really getting much of a workout at all during those three hours.
When I teach beginners I spend most of my time talking, explaining, slowly working through sequences, and fixing dancers alignment. When I teach advanced dancers, I don't have to do that much at all. Advanced dancers know these things already, so I spend much of my time actually dancing and demonstrating difficult sequences that get the heart rate up and doing movements that work my muscles intensely. I sweat a lot in an advanced class.
I'm perfectly fine with where I'm at as a teacher these days. I've purposely taken my work load down. I enjoy teaching beginners. It is exciting to see them progress and come in to their own talent.
But....
I miss the way it feels to really be in shape. I miss feeling strong. And I'll be honest, I miss the way my body looks when I'm in shape. An active lifestyle makes me feel a lot better mentally and physically.
So, Ashland and I have started walking in the morning. It's a small change, but it's a start and it feels good. Eventually Pilates will become a daily routine again. Cycling, weight training, and yoga will be added as well. I'd like to make a lifestyle switch, if you will. I'd like to see where it takes me and if I can feel better about how I look and feel as a result. But one thing at a time. I know myself and if I heap on too much in the beginning, I will fail. I also know that if I'm not having fun with it, I will fail.
I've always associated being active with having fun. Being active cannot feel like a chore to me or I won't do it.
Right now, early morning walks are a great place to start.