dance

Healthiest

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Faith Levine Pilates

What are your barriers for living the healthiest version of you?

Exhaustion?

Lack of knowing what is “healthiest” for you?

Lack of resources, like time or money?

These are real questions (not rhetorical) that I’d love to hear your answers to, either in the comments or a private email if that feels more appropriate.

My biggest barriers are sleep, fear, and apathy.

I’ve never been a “good” sleeper. As a kid I would have insomnia a few times a month. Most of my 20’s were spent in a survival state of little to no sleep. Now at the end of my 30’s, sleep has improved but many of my days are still dictated by my nights.

Fear and apathy. Not quite ready to touch those ones right now.

What would your healthiest self look like?

Be realistic.

If I am being realistic, my healthiest self would meditate somewhat regularly, like a few times a week for even 5 minutes. Meditation is like broccoli; I know it’s an important part of the (mental health) plate but not as much fun as the mac n cheese. (mostly kidding, I genuinely love eating all veggies)

If I am being realistic, my healthiest self would weigh about 5 pounds less because it would be a result of less overindulging. Because if I’m being realistic, I would never expect myself to 100% stop overindulging, I honestly find a beauty and a pleasure in occasional, conscious gluttony.

If I am being realistic, my healthiest self would spend less “screen time”. I love my phone and I love social media, I really do, however I don’t love that I am addicted to it.

If I am being realistic, my healthiest self would spend daily time on “self-care” in the form of mobility work and self massage (myofascial release). This work has often been pushed to the back-burner in favor of work or workouts but, as I approach 40, my awareness is shifting from “more miles, longer runs, faster, burn calories, get stronger” towards “I wanna walk-and dance-when I’m 90!”. I notice a positive difference from as little as 5 minutes a day of mobility and massage work, 5 minutes that I definitely have to spare right now.

If I am being realistic, my healthiest self would dance more.

If you know what’s good for you, do it 😉

On that note, I’m rolling out the #545healthiestme game* starting Monday. Every Monday for 5 weeks I will set a goal of doing something specific for 5 minutes every(week)day. The first is 5 minutes a day of sitting meditation. Join me?

*I wrote challenge several times when deciding what to call this but it didn’t sit right with me. Call me a hippy (‘cus you’d be right, born and raised) but “game” sounds much more approachable, supportive, fun, and community building than “challenge” to me. So, let’s play!

{image by the magnificent Meredith Coe}

Why Handstand?

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Why do I handstand?

 

Handstands are a perfect mix of empowering and humbling.

 

Handstands are a great benchmark of where I am at in my physicality.

 

 

I spent a most of my teens and early twenties with wrists so weak and tender that sometimes I couldn’t even hold a heavy skillet without pain, not a helpful or fun thing for a professional modern dancer, fitness professional, yogi (and this was in the time of all chataranga, all the time), and overall athletic person.

 

Thanks primarily to chiropractic wrist adjustments, I have been mostly pain-free and strong in that area for over a decade. 

 

An 18 year old hamstring injury sometimes prevents me from having the mobility to kick up into an handstand. When I can practice kicking up on each side I know that my hip and hamstring are in a happy, healthy place. 

 

 

 

Handstands are the burpee equivalent for dancers/yogis; they require full body strength and coordination, they are hard, they challenge your endurance.

handstand2 

Unlike burpees, which I also love, handstands are playful!  The only other activity that brings me the joy of equally feeling kid-like and playful and being very empowered in my own body is mountain biking. 

 

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have always been in awe of gymnasts; to me, that type of athleticism is the ultimate in self-assured, confident, mobile (albeit often way imbalanced, extreme mobility), strong, and graceful embodying. It’s always felt ‘otherly’ to me; unattainable and superhuman. 

Back flips are not in the cards for me but I can taste a little of the magic by playfully challenging myself in handstands. 

 

This is why I always taught handstands when I was on dance faculty at Piedmont; it is empowering to turn your world upside down and learn how to land on your own two feet. 

I would see students go from; “I can’t” “I’m scared” to “wow, that’s fun! I’ve never imaged I would be able to do that”, a little bit of their inner superhuman emerging before my eyes. 

I photograph myself in handstands for the same reason; I still surprise myself that I am capable of this feat. Pictures help me see progress in my strength and form while simultaneously bringing me a sense of my own super-humanness; “wow, that’s fun! I never imagined I would be able to do that!”

Do you handstand?Â