my fitness principles.

I get asked often about how I stay 'fit' so I thought I'd write a little about my fitness journey and my approach to movement, fitness, and staying in shape.

First of all, let me tell you that by no means have I always been consistent with my workouts nor have I always had a positive body image. I was however a dancer growing up and my family has always been quite active so I have always enjoyed movement and the concept of fitness generally.

The best thing to happen to my approach to fitness and body image was, wait for it.... Back surgery!

Ok look, that's a bigger story for another day. What I mean is having back surgery and going through the recovery process with a physical therapist was HUGE for me.

I was 26 and ready to get my ass moving so I did everything he told me to do.

EVERYTHING.

Here are the main fitness principals that I've developed for myself since then (and predominantly thanks to that physical therapist):

• Walking - I go walking almost every day if I can help it. Getting outdoors is an enormous mood booster not to mention that it's the safest form of cardio.

• Planks - There are SO many different versions of planks that you can do. I do multiple versions of planks AT LEAST 4 times a week for overall core strength. I now also do a variety of ab exercises (I mean, when I'm feeling it) but really planks are all you need for a good core.

• Consistency - Yes, lifestyle changes as does location and seasons but a general baseline of consistency is KEY not only in fitness progress but also in maintenance. This means that even if I don't have time to go for a long walk for multiple days in a row, I can still go for a 20 minute walk and knock out a series of planks in 30 minutes. OR maybe just grab a chair or bench to do 3 or four rounds of step-ups and push-ups to get my heart rate and muscles going for 10 to 15 minutes. ANYTHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING.

Combating the overwhelm.

We all get overwhelmed from time to time, right? I've had points in my life of having frequent breakdowns from feeling completely overwhelmed. It's taken me until relatively recently to really grasp what I can do on a daily basis to prevent the overwhelming breakdown.

As the fall season gets busy and schedules become filled, I thought I would share a few things that help me keep my shit together. (or at least, give the illusion of keeping it all together!)

One of my 2019 New Years resolutions was that I would journal more - some call it daily writing or 'mind dump' - whatever. The point is that I write pretty much every morning. Sometimes it's just to remind myself of that day's schedule or to create a to-do list, but frequently it's to write thoughts, feelings, and experiences while having a few minutes of calm reflection in the morning. - Here are a few beautiful journals to help get you started!

Lists. This might seem like the same thing as journaling but to me its TOTALLY different. Making a list is especially helpful when I have multiple concerts and/or auditions on the horizon. I can make a list for each concert or audition with categories for pieces and where attention is most needed. This helps me tackle each day of practice feeling like I have a clear and actionable plan rather than feeling overwhelmed by a giant stack of music. - I prefer physically making my list with pens and paper but a list or note app could work, too.

Reviewing my calendar is super helpful to me in prioritizing work and time. Literally just looking and taking in what on deck for the day and what's coming up. - I'm an apple girl so iCal works best for me, but you do you!

And a few other helpful activities:

Walks and just generally spending time outdoors. I love walking in Frick Park.

Yoga - I go to I am yoga in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh.

Meditation - I don't currently meditate (although I have, and I should) but my boyfriend swears by the Waking Up meditation app by Sam Harris so I'm going to go ahead and recommend it!

I'm curious. What do you do to stay calm and collected during busy times?

from a walk in Frick Park in the springtime

Hello body, I'm listening!

Hello body, I'm listening! Or at least I thought I was... 

I woke up this morning with terrible neck and shoulder pain. I've had this pain once before - last fall, during a super stressful month when I definitely wasn't taking care of my physical body and well-being. In addition to stress and overwork, I ended up discovering that my posture while playing (the violin) had been compromised which I am sure led to even more tension and pain. 

I ended up spending multiple months with an amazing physical therapist at Pivot Physical Therapy here in Pittsburgh and, as a result, was feeling stronger in my upper body, neck, and shoulders.

I've spent the past year re-focusing on my personal fitness and making it a goal to be more consistent in maintaining - and maybe even improving! - my strength and agility. As a result, I've been happier in my body AND in my mind than I have been in a long time.

So, what happened to my neck?!

It's takes constant effort and awareness to listen to one's body, especially as we grow and move through life, always with stressors and distractions. Those stretches and strengthening exercises (should I share some of them?) that have been working for me for the past year might need an update. My body is clearly asking me for something else! In addition, I've been learning a lot of music recently that is new to me which, I have found, causes me to hold unnecessary tension in my neck and face.

For musicians especially, our body and mind awareness is of the utmost importance in order to consistently execute in our daily practice as well as on stage and in auditions.

Would you like to know what I am doing to help my neck? What do you do to keep your body and mind in the best possibly shape?

I'd love to hear your comments and thoughts!