Who can relate with this? How many of you get mid-way through a walk or try some cardio at home and end up in this position rather than invigorated, energetic and limber after exercise? I went through an entire professional dance career feeling like this photo! I know a little something about this kind of debilitating pain and disability.

I am into healing and transforming by looking at the bigger picture, the complete you, a “whole-istic” being. You are not a machine or a disconnected group of body parts. You are a person with emotions, preferences, needs and interests, and physical concerns and often limitations. Healing, self-development, fitness, transformation and becoming better at anything in life needs to include all of yourself to succeed in your goals and dreams.

Starting with home workouts during quarantine that you can’t complete because it is just too much pain. Anyone dealing with that?

Who has back pain preventing good workouts? Or that leave you stranded because you walked too far and can’t make it home?! Believe me I understand these things from first-hand experience!! There are unconventional methods for overcoming all of this.

But here’s the problem. We have all repeatedly been told that pain is gain. It is not! Pain is your body sending a message. The thing is you must learn the difference between types of pain. Women are guilty of trying to do too much, thinking the more painful, the more they will achieve until they end up in too much pain and backslide into giving up or worse, injuring themselves. Is this you ladies?

Even professional athletes and dancers, who should know better, get this wrong. Your body lets you know when it has done enough for that stretch, that activity or that much weight to lift on any given movement, any given day.

You must listen and trust your body if you want to improve, do more, and move forward. And you must learn how, when and how much to push for more to achieve results. Trust your body which has a wisdom of its own. And then trust your intuition which connects you to all that is… inside and outside of you! You will achieve more faster if you are patient. It’s the difference between the tortoise and the hare!

So, stretch yourself is whatever way and be prepared to ache a little or feel uncomfortable but do NOT ever tear yourself down! And I mean that whether it is physical fitness workout, emotional output in the performing arts, or any type of self-improvement. Grow but don’t force too soon!