Let's Get Physical

A while back I asked a couple of questions about working out. Simple ones like: Do you workout? 25% of my readers do not. What workout do you prefer? I seriously got answers from intercourse! NO LIE! To pilates, to running, and lastly I asked what workout do you wish you could do? I got the answer I was looking for! DANCE! Really any of them with the exception of intercourse because that came from a single gal who I am proud of for abstaining until she meets her prince! But that is beside the point!

What is the point? The point is it does not matter how old you are, what kind of shape you are in, or what you look like doing something, just do something. Even if that something is a walk down the street and back. Movement is the key and the real key is to find the movement that fits your heart, your body, and your desire.

Why do I say this? Well, for starters is because before I found my dance classes at age 44, I was doing everything and anything I could to lose weight. I was trying every workout. Yoga, pilates, pole walking, (yes that is a thing), tennis, triathlon, (yes I did that and I am proud to say I was 9 weeks preggers with Graeme when I completed my second olympic triathlon), and plain old walking. The only thing that brought some results was the triathlon, but I ate like a horse to keep up with the workouts so the results were not what one would think.

I unfortunately or fortunately got seriously injured playing tennis. Why do I say it like that? Well, my girlfriends who I use to play with LOVE the sport and I LOVE them, but I got hurt pretty bad and was down for a long time and I don’t ever want to twist my ankle and break my foot like that again. Unfortunate because I miss seeing my friends so often, but fortunate because I found dance! And when I found dance my world changed! My heart changed! My mind changed! My weight changed! My life changed! Hell! I became a dance teacher at 45 years of age! Who does that? Amy Foley Berry! That is who! And I am not looking back!

Who dances with a broken foot? Amy Berry that is who!!!!!

This could not have happened at a better time in my life either! In 2016 my mom got very ill. We had my Dad at our house and my mom in a facility, my youngest son was still having major ear, nose, and throat issues and I got shingles! Life was really out of control. BUT, I kept going to dance because I loved it and it was my one hour every day that I could check out and not think about what my life was. Yall, my left arm was paralyzed, NO LIE, from the shingles, but I kept dancing. My arm did not move and it was really weird, but the rest of me did. My dance family embraced me and loved me through it even when life got really icky.

I will never forget the first phone call I got in the middle of a dance class. It was Trey saying he was with my mom and he thought she was having a stroke! I remember darting out of there and getting to the hospital. Sure enough she did and things started getting worse. That was on December 8, 2016. That was a scary time for me. But, I swear I got through it because of the dance, the movement, the sweating, the heart pumping, and literally the mind shutting off for one hour every time I went. One hour! And only three days a week back then and those three days and three hours saved my life. I am telling you I was super depressed, super scared, super angry, super exhausted, and super grateful for dance.

Why am I saying all this? Because I have a few friends going through some tough times right now or have just come out of a tough time. They all say the same thing. Whatever it is they are going through they feel the need to be there for their family and have zero time for themselves. I promise you and please hear me if you too are going through something. EVEN 30 MINUTES CAN MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE. Movement! There is magic in movement. Movement is medicine! It is the medicine that creates change in our physical, emotional, and mental states! I promise you this: If you will move a little more today than you did yesterday and a little more tomorrow than you will today….and keep that pace going….you will start to feel something different. Something big. And when life knocks you down like it did me, if you have something, whether that something is dance, tennis, running, yoga, pilates, pole walking, soccer, body pump, weight lifting, swimming, basketball, ping pong….whatever it is, it will save your life! Trust me I know. Dance has saved my life about 5 times now in three short years! So find your thing and let’s get physical!

Until Next Time,

XO,

Amy