Celebrate the Uncelebrated

Many people have brought the video of Moscow based dancer Sergei Polunin performance of Irish singer-songwriter Hozier ballad, “Take Me to Church” directed by artist David LaChapelle to my attention. Compelling, gorgeous and gravity defying – thank you each for the notice. As a former dancer I have some understanding of what it took to create this stunning piece: the sacrifice, work, the commitment and resilience.

It got me thinking. In life, there is no seamless choreography, no musical score and no four minute transformation. Life is not a crafted video and healthy living even more so. It is an infinite series of small choices sending us on different trajectories.

With that thought in mind, I’d like to take a moment to applaud my clients and women out there in general daring to make a change. They do so with out much notice or fanfare or recognition even. They do it to better their lives, value their health and energize their life for the betterment of those around them.

A few thoughts to celebrate the uncelebrated:
Here’s to the woman that refuses to hit snooze so that she makes it to the gym on time.
Here’s to the client that puts it all on the table and risks trying a new strategy for healthy living.
Here’s to the gal that was hit with a medical condition and refuses to relinquish her health with out a fight.
Here’s to the young adult that saw healthy living sabotage from others and walked away for self-preservation.
Here’s to the mother that insisted on being as healthy as she could for her children and one on the way.
Here’s to every woman out there doing their best, quietly, habitually and with out any fanfare – to improve their health for the benefit of herself and all those that need her.

Here’s to celebrating our small moments and the little victories of the women around us!

“I didn’t say it was good, I said it was beautiful.”

MichelleBlakelyColoradoDanceFestival

When I was a dancer, I took an Alexander Technique workshop at a festival in Colorado. During class, about thirty of us were lying on the floor circling our arms and rotating our torsos exploring the economy in our movement.
The instructor walked by a fellow dancer and said, “That’s beautiful.” He replied, “Oh, that wasn’t even a good one.” The instructor snapped, “I didn’t say it was good, I said it was beautiful.”  Twenty years later, this comment still resonates.

What words do you use to describe your success and missteps in healthy living? What is your body image vocabulary? “Good, bad, fat, skinny” is very limiting. Couldn’t we use some descriptions that are less stringent and arguably more accurate? As I’ve stated before, progress is not a straight line. All of us evolve in our own way. That dance teacher wasn’t evaluating whether the student was doing it right or wrong, she was appreciating beautiful movement. How brilliant. We all need to view our efforts and complex bodies with a wider lens. Grab a thesaurus and step away from “good and bad.”  It just might offer a fresh perspective and renewed appreciation on our paths to live healthfully and happily.