When Matteo, my 4 year old, saw these pictures from a photo shoot in LA he asked, “Mommy, are you a violin?” I was so taken aback by this question, not just because of the expanse of a 4 year old’s imagination but because in some ways, I guess I am a violin. We all are. As the famous quote says “Enjoy your body, use it in every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own”.
So how do we take care of this fragile instrument within a modern sedentary, over-connected lifestyle? How do we honor it when there are so many expectations of it? How do we celebrate it in the face of comparison? These questions are so rooted in me; from my upbringing in the ballet world, as a woman, and also someone that has always had to work at gaining & keeping physical strength, seemingly my peers. I credit my ballet career and continued work in dance fitness with body awareness and tireless curiosity of “what’s next?”. As I get older, the following list are things that keep rising to the top for me in terms of what I need to keep doing to slow down the clock and take care of my instrument that goes beyond wearing sunscreen & staying hydrated. 🙂
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Flexibility– As I’m reading Tom Brady’s TB12 Method, my mind keeps going back to how much, this book contains the principles of ballet but in an attainable method so that even a man (no offense) can do it. He maintains that we focus so much on strength in athletes that pliability (softness in muscles) is left out and it’s actually the secret sauce to longevity and performance. He gives examples of how in pro sports, the focus is always on strength and that leads to overuse and injury. To me, this translates into pushing range of motion (mobility and flexibility) despite strengthening the muscles, which is what dancers strive to do (and what we do at MaZi Dance Fitness). The key is to work within a range of motion that pushes your personal limit while also building strength. Focus on maintaining the flexibility you still have, and work on it 3-4 times a week doing a workout that has a deliberate mind/body connection, not just running on a treadmill. Check out this post for ideas.
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Rest– This is a tough one, especially for women, especially for moms. We just don’t know how to rest. The rest that I mean isn’t just sleeping or resting on the couch, it’s a mental break. If we just feed our brains countless inputs, we are like lab rats on a treadmill, firing on all cylinders; work, relationships, social media, the news, we are bottomless pits of media consumption that fills our heads and hearts with too many things to think and feel. This isn’t even counting what’s actually going on right in front of us. It’s too much. I’m the guiltiest of them all, but you do have to put the devices down and give yourself a break. Forget your phone, go outside, sit with you kids or pets in the sunshine, turn off the TV or take a Facebook sabbatical. It will all be there when you return!
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Eat already– Nothing stresses out your instrument more than not feeding it good things on a regular basis. Diet discussion feels so tired, like everything has been said already, you know what I mean? Here’s the thing, there is no secret or special diet. From someone that’s tried it all…. eat good food, with people you love until you’re full when you get hungry. Make at least one of your meals every day, don’t count calories, and don’t leave out entire food groups unless you’re allergic. Check out this post for more diet insights.
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Detox– Be selective with your energy. We have limited sources of energy, maybe 4 hours of really good focused energy to accomplish things, and be at our most critical thinking. There’s a great book that I recommend entirely on this subject, called Harvard Business Review on Managing Yourself. Add dealing with negative people, environments or thoughts, on top of just living life, you have no time! You have to decide do I want to workout today, enjoy planning a trip or project, have energy for my child or career initiative today, or do I want to encounter someone or a situation that drains me? It’s like a bad email that derails your to-do list, you have to be selective with your battles. Read the book if you can!
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Speak gently to yourself– I saw this fascinating video on Facebook today about bullying. They did an experiment with 2 plants; one plant was bullied with hurtful words, the other was spoken to in a loving way…. can you guess the outcome? Words and thoughts are so powerful, especially the ones we tell ourselves. It’s like a Jay-Z quote that I love, that upon further research is apparently scripture: “I believe you can believe things into existence”. If we take care of our instrument, if we speak and think kind thoughts about it, it will flourish! Check out this post for how to feel happy now! XO, Z
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Photos by Christopher Brown Photos
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