I’ve never been a fan of treadmills, elliptical machines or weights. Repetitive motion on a machine doesn’t inspire me to get fit.  Over the years, I realized, fitness doesn’t have to be boring and not everyone
does well in a gym setting.

Thank goodness for Lindy Hop because without it, I’d be obese since I eat like a six-foot man, rather than a 5’2” woman.  After 8 years of Lindy Hop, I have the typical swing
dancer’s body: general fitness, toned calves and outer thighs from all of those swivels, and decent shoulders as a result of keeping my frame engaged.  The benefits of social dancing are vast and each dancer gets something different from it.  Every dance I have is different and challenging in its own way…I could never get bored of dancing.

On my fourth day with Canyon Ranch, I designed a schedule that consisted of one yoga class, two dance classes and one stretch class.  The “Rock Your Flow” yoga class was energetic and fun as went through traditional yoga poses to contemporary rock music.  The two dance classes were aerobic and it felt more like we were in a club than in a gym.  One even had a live DJ who created an environment for us to sweat profusely throughout class.

While I’ve been here at Canyon Ranch, I’ve learned that fitness does not have to be a chore and you can design a fun regime that inspires you.  Just because some fancy fitness class is all the rage, it doesn’t mean it is right for me.

One of my favorite quotes is from the author of Flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: “A joyful life is an individual creation that cannot be copied from a recipe.”  This quote is positive reinforcement on how to live life: I know what makes me feel good so I vow to continue doing what works for me and only me.