Let's run, walk, hike, swim, or even better—let’s dance! This month’s session of Grounded explored the incredible gift of movement, prompting me to reflect on my journey toward an active and healthy lifestyle.
As a young woman, I was never particularly fond of sports, though I spent countless hours exploring my backyard and playing with my childhood friend. Somewhere along the way, we drifted apart, and I became less active. Why? I gave myself countless excuses: “Life happens,” “I don’t have the time,” and “I have too many roles and responsibilities.” However, at the age of 35, I debunked those excuses and lost over 100 pounds (insert cheers here).
So, what sparked my newfound love for movement and working out? First, I thought about my health. With diabetes being the number one killer among African Americans in the Virgin Islands, my family was not an exception. My mom, dad, uncles, and grandparents all suffered from complications due to diabetes. Talk about breaking generational curses!
Then, there was the realization of how fortunate I am to move. At Grounded, we reflected on the popular adage, “I complained about not having any shoes until I met a man who had no feet.” Don’t get me wrong, there are amazing people out there living flourishing lives despite their disabilities. However, how lucky are we to have the ability to run, walk, dance, and climb with our legs and arms, yet we often take this ability for granted?
Finally, I grew to love the overall feeling of working out in the gym and watching how my body changed, not just physically, but mentally. It felt incredible seeing results and building energy like never before. Impressive, right? But then, life got bumpy.
The COVID pandemic forced us to stay still for a while. Amid COVID, I started a new job and a second career, and then a traumatic experience changed my life—the sudden death of my brother. Yes, he died due to complications after contracting COVID. My motivation was lost, and I eventually sank into deep feelings of depression and loneliness, stopping my gym visits. Long nights with a lack of sleep, lack of movement, and unhealthy eating became the new norm, and I am back at square one.
So here I am, sitting in the audience at Grounded in Movement, fully engaged in conversation with our panel guests, Langly Shazor and Raven Phillips, and I am thinking, “Is God, the Universe trying to tell me something?”
Langly spoke volumes about the importance of being disciplined in our need to move. “We use excuses of not having enough time, but we do have to make time for things that are essential for growth.” Reflecting on Langly’s words, we were all required to dig deep and search for the reasons why we struggle to find our grounding in movement. Our second panelist, Ms. Raven Phillips, brought up a great point, “Sometimes, due to past experiences, individuals find shame in the movement of our bodies. As children, we were always eager to move, but as we got older, we were told to tame our movement or not to be immature or silly with our movement. Some individuals have also been judged for the way their bodies move.”
In the beginning, there was some shyness among the audience when asked to feel free to move. However, as we all got acquainted and comfortable with one another, the stage at this Grounded event became our dance floor, our safe space to move without shame or judgment. We were able to express ourselves, relax, laugh, and have fun. Our childlike desire to move came to life as some of us danced with intent, while others danced to make each other laugh. Of course, I couldn’t shy away from all the fun and joined everyone on the dance floor. The energy was contagious—Ms. Raven Phillips eagerly pulled out her Bamboula skirt, and our youngster in the audience opened up. There was a feeling of excitement, enjoyment, laughter, and motivation to just get up and be active.
After this event, I made a promise to myself to continue to move. Some days may be harder than others to be active, but other days I will be all in. Regardless of the type of day it is or the environment I’m in at the moment; I made a promise to myself to remain grounded in my movements.
