WEEKLY CHALLENGE:Β
Do a total of 3-5 Fit2B videos of any length or difficulty that feel authentic to you. The featured routine for this week is one in which I feel super authentic and vulnerable. It’s me, leading basic dance stuff, in my own way. It’s not any particular style, and I’m just having fun while trying to help you have fun and feel good in the skin you’re in today.Β
Yeah… Where are my wannabe dancers at? Hear me on this: I am not a dancer, but I love to dance. I was raised in a home where dancing was forbidden, yet I fell into fitness through a high schoolΒ step aerobicsΒ class, which was an acceptable type of βmoving to the beatβ in my parentsβ eyes.
Even though I quickly discovered that I had a knack for choreography and rhythm, I kept my movements linear, literally, for a couple of decades,Β fearful of “moving my hips wrong.” I was allowed to line dance and dance at weddings, but I told myself I’d never be a dancer or teach dance. I myself never believed dancing itself to be bad, but I had been told so often that IΒ shouldn’t do it that I couldn’t do it. I truly believed that I didnβt have the ability to dance.
Even when we filmed our lovely Latin Dance series with Jahnea, I just watched from behind the camera. Then I discovered a new ability in myself as I created the Rebound Routines. I discovered that I definitely can dance even if Iβm not a dancer. I can teach others to explore dance in fun, silly ways β in my own way β and Iβve learned how dancing is GOOD for our lymphatic systems, joint mobility, bone density, mental health, all while providing fun cardio!
So here is the first of my very own, authentic style of dance aerobics. Itβs quite similar to regular aerobics but with more breaks and more dancey-type stuff. As always, my heart is to erase barriers and lies that keep us from moving our amazing bodies. I hope you laugh at me, laugh at yourself, and have a great time!
Featured Routine: Basic Dance Aerobics
Parallel “Authentic” Workouts:
As usual, I’ve run our massive workout library through my personal, internal filter. It’s a bit like a keyword search, and this time I was asking myself: What are the workouts I’ve filmed where IΒ felt most like my own authentic self? What workouts will help others feel authentic with me? Here are a few that bubbled to my brain’s surface:
Pilates in Pajamas
Rocking Yoga & Pilates
Rebound Cardio I
Catching Connections
Black Battlesticks
Tone & Flow
Moving Thought:Β When our energy is slipping and (or) we are heading into the late luteal phase of our cycles, our filter can be thinner. I know mine is. I notice small things that normally slip through my radar. My fuse is shorter. My mind is sharper and quicker, and so is my tongue! It’s my most, authentic, unfiltered self. It’s not my “best” self, but it’s a phase of the month that always reveals things to me about me (and others). I’ve learned it’s a great time to write down my observations, thoughts and feelings but NOT make big decisions. My mind is more clear, and my filter is fully functional during my follicular phase, but it’s those low-energy, late luteal days that show me where I’m still growing, still building strength, still improving. It’s vulnerable and imperfect, but the authenticity offers valuable feedback.Β
Quote Of The Week:
βTo be authentic, we must cultivate the courage to be imperfectβand vulnerable. We have to believe that we are fundamentally worthy of love and acceptance, just as we are. I’ve learned that there is no better way to invite more grace, gratitude and joy into our lives than by mindfully practicing authenticity.β
β Brene Brown, Professor & Writer
HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS CHALLENGE:
- Make the featured routine ONE of the workouts or videos that you choose this week, even if you only do part of it.
- Reach out if you need suggestions for different workouts to round out your week. We are here for you!
- Join the conversation or start it below in the comments! Check out what others have done, share ideas, offer encouragement, or get encouragement from those who’ve done this week before you!
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Share what you think of the featured routine.
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Share what workouts youβre doing and how they felt to your mind and body.
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Respond with your thoughts on the βWord/Phrase of The Week.β
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Ask for help with anything: workout ideas, mindset, motivation, alternates for the featured routine, anything!
See you in the workouts,
P.S. Did you know that I traveled to England in 2019 to speak on “Authentic Puberty: Raising Girls Who Get It” at Women on Fire? It’s a global gathering of female fitness thought leaders, and it was a huge honor to be invited to speak! I framed much of my talk around the information in
our Fit2B Girls course <<< Click that or this image to learn more!
I really needed this theme and word of the week right now. I love the dance routine, and today I tried Tone & Flow for the first time. Amazing workout !