I truly believe that when I have a healthy mind, everything else in my life is healthier. My relationships are healthier, my diet is healthier, my immune system is stronger, my level of physical activity is higher, my motivation is higher, and my level of creative inspiration is more consistent. But if my self talk and my spirit is in a negative place, every other part of my life seems to fall apart.
I think there is a misconception that people who are consistently positive or in high spirits must not have any problems, but I have found quite the opposite. Many of the people who are the most positive in my life, seem to be those who are often battling the most devastating obstacles. But these people know the power of positivity. They know if they manifest hope and high spirits that they will have a better chance at overcoming the odds, rather than succumbing to them. It’s twice as much work to remain positive and inspired, but the results and benefits towards training your mind to stay in that kind of a mental state are incomparable. I am not the positivity guru, I have my fair share of negative thoughts and low points, but I try my hardest to maintain my mental health. Considering that we’re in the middle of a pandemic, mental health is essential in the global battle against illness, unemployment, hunger, and loss. I thought I would include in this post a list of the top five things I do that immediately take me out of a negative headspace and redirect me into a positive mindset.
Jenavieve
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Living as a young woman, who aspires to dance professionally, in the social media age, body image and health seem to be the topics that come up in 90% of my conversations with both dancers and non dancers. Each day is a battle with consuming enough nutrient dense foods to nourish my body, while avoiding foods that will bloat me, are considered “bad”, or have lots of preservatives and high processing. On top of that, I have to choose meals that are easy to prepare during my busy days and that are composed of affordable ingredients. Then I open up apps like Pinterest or Instagram and find contradicting posts that argue what foods are “good” and “bad” for you. At this rate, I think the only things I can consume that are unarguably good for me are water and air, filtered of course (if I could insert rolling eye emoji here I would).
Now, in order to have a chance at a professional career, aside from my daily dance classes and rehearsals at my university, I am constantly told that I need to be taking open classes in the city and auditioning for summer jobs and intensives during every free second I have. That way I am fostering outside connections and creating more diversity in my dancing. But … I also need to cross train and build strength and endurance with other activities such as yoga, pilates, gyrotonics, weight lifting, and cardio. Oh but I’m not done yet. Somewhere in there I also need to make sure I am taking care of my body with adequate levels of rest. I absolutely love trying new workouts and challenging my body, but the sheer number of different fitness options advertised can be overwhelming. According to Facebook and Instagram; Pure Barre, Orange Theory, Equinox, Club Pilates, Soul Cycle, Fly Wheel, Y7, Rumble and Barry’s all provide the best workout ever. I don’t know about you, but I surely do not have the time or finances to support that extensive of a workout regimine. The newest edition to the health world is Ebooks. So many nutritionists and fitness influencers push both their recipe and fitness Ebooks, claiming that they will transform anyone’s body. But I won’t find out if that’s true until I drop $40-80 on the book and try it for myself. Now, I know I’m poking fun at all these things, but I have tried nearly every single one of these fitness classes, Ebooks, and diet plans. Some of them I have really loved. Others, I have absolutely hated and then felt extreme guilt for hating them because it seems like everyone else loved them. I feel like I’m trying to take care of my body, stay active, and challenge myself for my health goals yet I am always a step behind the rest of the world or I can’t stay with it consistently. This December when I returned home to visit friends and family for the holidays, my body and mind did a number on me. I was sick for two weeks straight. I had never felt exhaustion like this in my life. My mind and muscles were depleted, literally limp. Yet, I would still drag my body out of bed to hit the gym for two hours or go to a dance class each day. When I finally started to feel better, around New Years, I realized I didn’t want to be a slave to my body or other people’s opinions of healthy living in 2020. I also realized that no fitness schedule is going to work the same for anyone. Although someone else thinks it is the best workout ever, I don’t necessarily have to feel that way. We are all created differently, therefore different diets and forms of fitness will affect our body differently. So my plan for this year, is to stop overdoing it and to stop trying to do what other people do. Instead, I want to build a plan that makes me feel good and that I am excited about doing. I know that there will still be days I might not feel like working out, dancing, or eating healthy at all, but I will balance disciplining myself to persist and allow myself rest or indulge when needed. I know it may take me longer to achieve my goals this way, but hopefully my results will be more sustainable and I will enjoy the process better. I know I will still be swayed by social media, my peers and teachers, and other outside influences, but I can always implement their suggestions while keeping to the core things that I enjoy. My personal plan will most likely focus on supplementing my dance training with pilates and yoga, weight training, and cardio. For cardio I enjoy cycling, running, and sometimes even just walking is enough for me. For my diet, to be honest I like everything and have no restrictions or allergies. Yes, I try to eat mostly whole foods and keep my protein intake high and get most of my carbs from fruits and starchy vegetables. But I’m also a sucker for sweets and often times over do it in that area. I personally struggle with overeating them after long periods of restriction. I’m still learning to work on eating my treats in moderation, and that’s okay. So I encourage you guys to let fitness and nutrition role models, you either have in your real life or you find on social media, inspire your lifestyle choices but not necessarily determine every aspect of YOUR healthy lifestyle. Because it’s actually only “healthy” if it makes you happy, because happiness is the biggest component of living healthily in my opinion. Love Always, Jenavieve |
Jenavieve Anna CapriHi guys, I just wanted to pop in and let you know a few things about me. I'm a Commercial Dance major at Pace University. I nanny on the side to help me afford living in this beautiful city. I live by the three Ts - Trader Joes, TJ Max, and Target. If it's salted caramel anything, I will gladly put it in my mouth. In my eyes Disneyland is the OG and Disney World will never compare. Hopefully, you'll choose to continue to get to know me more through these blog posts and my social media. Connect With Me:
Instagram: @jenannacapri25 |