Kalara's Live Well Challenge Blog

August 12th

May you live in interesting times.
Chinese proverb

I went to the “Financial Fitness Lunch ‘n’ Learn Series” yesterday. In the intro, the presenter spoke extensively about the uncertainty in our world – financial markets collapse, job loss, war, terrorism, global warming, threat of nuclear holocaust… I looked around the room and everyone looked concerned. I was close to tears. It can be really overwhelming when you consider it all.

As they mentioned in the presentation, stress is a major factor in how healthy you are. Stress is a major contributor to depression and can cause you to become physically ill (insomnia, headaches, acute and chronic illnesses). Stress can be a huge drain on you and your body. It’s REAL.

Some people seek escape by taking drugs, withdrawing socially, or becoming violent with family… Others appear to cope. Did you know that exercise is one of the best ways to ward off depression and reduce stress? Studies show this to be the case. Daily exercise is not only good for you physically, but can give you a mental boost as well!

I talk a lot about dance, but Hubby and I also enjoy being active together. Sometimes we hit the gym and go our separate ways, but other times we are together. One of the things we do each year is walk in the Heart Walk. Not only are we out exercising, but we’re doing something positive to help by raising funds for the American Heart Association. Volunteering is also a great way to gain a mental boost – nothing like thinking of others to make you appreciate what you’ve got. My mom always said when you are upset about something you want that you don’t have, stop and be grateful for all of the things that you don’t have that you *don’t want*. (Of course, my father said that the definition of a pessimist is someone who is forced to live with an optimist – but still). Take stock of what is good around you too.

Today, I’m going to try to concentrate on the positive and get out and exercise too! I’m also going to ignore the “Pollyanna” comments by my co-workers. It’s how I’ll cope for today.

August 6th

Yesterday was my older son’s birthday. He turned 27. We all went out for dinner to celebrate another year of this fabulous human and that meant no dance class for me.

Today I went to put in my activity time for yesterday. I looked at the boxes. I thought about putting in my usual 75 minutes for Wednesdays and just couldn’t do it. I flashed back to my conversation with Hubby just a few months ago about “just because you have a gym membership, doesn’t get you fit- you have to actually GO to the gym”… I realized that you have to be honest with yourself as to what you are doing and where you are.

We are all really good at rationalizing to ourselves—if no one sees me eat it, it doesn’t count. I get plenty of exercise just by moving around at my job. I just can’t resist chocolate. I could never go on a hike. I just don’t have the time to exercise or eat right…

I’m going to screw up my courage and put in my ZEROES for dance yesterday and accept the fact that I ate a huge dinner and flat out didn’t exercise. There! I can look at that and move on now.

… now tonight, I’ll make a different choice. I’m going to go dance my feet off.

August 4th

Balance.

Yesterday in bellydance class, I got everyone to work on balance exercises. I’m hoping that this was a helpful exercise.

Our lives are often out of balance. Too much work. Too little sleep. Too much food. Too little play. Life is a real balancing act and we spend a lot of it off kilter.

Sometimes people think that bellydance and life are all very serious, and they end up missing out on the fun to be had. The studio where I study (Visionary Dance) loves injecting humor to balance things out. In the show we did on Sunday, we had several dances that were not at all serious. This show started as an aromatherapy show and has branched out into tastes as well. Sunday we had the show in Delilah’s (my beloved teacher and mentor) beautiful garden and served the food that we used for our muses. We research the scent/taste, come up with music and costumes to portray the essence and then perform. The audience was invited to eat our dance menu items and brought potluck items to share as well. When they had eaten, the show started – the intros were read by our MC and we danced our hearts out.

Delilah did a drum solo as a chicken (this was incredible!) for her BBQ chicken drumsticks and thighs. It was beyond description! Hiromi did a Hum Boa dance to “Yummy Yummy Yummy I’ve Got Love in my Tummy”! I did a sword dance using a cucumber (and if you’ve ever tried to find a “balanced” cucumber in the produce section to dance with on your head, you’ll appreciate a produce manager with a well-developed sense of the absurd. “Can I <ahem> *help* you, ma’am?” -- and then of course, I got to eat my prop afterwards!). We had Regae Salad, Honey, Lemonade (you have not lived until you’ve seen a bellydancer perform to the Beach Boys!), Mango Salsa, Baba Ganoush, Rum (done in full pirate regalia no less), Sangria,… it was so fun.

Not that we didn’t have serious pieces to balance it out, but we also made people laugh with us. I think sometimes we are so into doing what’s right, doing what’s necessary, and doing what is good for us, that we forget that there is fun to indulge in too. As Alanna said in her Mint Ice Cream intro – “Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first”.

Ok… just make sure that the dessert is in a reasonable quantity. BALANCE!

August 3rd

What a weekend! It was All-Bellydance-All-the-Time! Friday was dress rehearsal for the Sunday show, Saturday was a baby+wedding shower combo (not for the same person- since someone is bound to ask) and Sunday was the show. We’ve been really busy doing community gigs too – Senior Centers, Showers, Memorials—any momentous occasion that needs to be marked with a rite of passage. It’s fun for the dancers and gives us a chance to touch people’s lives with dance. Public, collective joy is rare and we love going out and sharing our passion for this dance form.

Last week we danced at a Senior Center and were practicing a group dance beforehand. A very distinguished gentleman came and asked if he were now deceased, as he was obviously surrounded by angels. What a love! After performing, we gave a short lesson and were able to get quite a few folks up and moving. It was so fun! Everyone thanked us and we heard several comments (particularly from the women present) about our obvious comfort with our own bodies, and how much they admired that. Several expressed the wish that they could be so accepting of themselves.

This is something that I hear over and over when we perform. Our group has many shapes and sizes, ages and complexions. There is not one “acceptable” body type for bellydance – and I love witnessing how we are changing attitudes about beauty by way of our dance. If people will stop and watch, they start to realize that the beauty of a dancer is not inversely proportional to the number on the scale. Bodies in motion are beautiful.

I’ve lost a lot of weight since I started dancing (85 pounds and counting) but that’s not the point. The point is that I’ve trained my instrument, loved my body’s dance, and let loose the stories that I have to tell with my bellytalk. The only size that matters, is the size of my dancer’s heart.

I’m not saying not to work out, or strive to be more healthy (full disclosure: I do some sort of dance every day of the week). I am suggesting that you love and accept yourself as you are today, as the best YOU that you can be at this very moment in time. If you have ideas about how to be healthier, great! Just try not to discount and devalue yourself today because you’re not there yet. It’s ok to be on the journey, and not at your destination.

July 30th