Embody Your Workout

Finding your fitness passion!

Is your workout routine embodying or just going through the motions?

When we stop to consider why we work out, why we beat ourselves up through self deprecating practices and body judgement, it is no small wonder that we have little interest in going to the gym. If your fitness practice is not an experience you look forward to, how much is it really helping you?

One of the many reasons I have fallen in love with belly dance, and really many dance forms, is because this is a wonderful means of exercising the body that the heart and the mind are equally moved by.

I was, as many of you likely were, not the first one geared up and ready to go in physical education classes in school. The idea of putting on that boring school gym uniform, or those ratty workout clothes was in no way the highlight of my day.

But, when I discovered belly dance, I saw a way to have fun and forget that I was working out. Not to mention the clothing options are so much more fun! In only a few weeks of regular dance classes I found my body changing. I was toning up and trimming down, all without a thought to how much work my body was doing. It was too much fun to be exercise!

Maybe bellydance doesn’t really move you, but there are many other forms of dance that are just as fun. Okay, I am bias, belly dance is the most fun. Find what calls to you. It is not just the dance itself that keeps the body in shape, it is the motivation to dance better.

As a dancer and instructor, it is important to keep my body in good working condition. No matter what your physical passion is there will come a time that the dance itself is not enough to be a workout anymore. It is at this point that the passion becomes the motivation to do more.

A good dancer practices often and well, a great dancer finds new ways to stretch the limits of the instrument of his or her art. Learning new stretching techniques, discovering unique ways to drill body movements, and creating a healthier diet, will not only make you greater at whatever activity moves you, it is also the tricky way our passions convince us to stick to that fitness routine.

So, what is your dance? How will you use that to motivate you into a healthier and happier lifestyle?