Terrific at 25

One day you wake up and you hear it faintly....what is that TICKING and where is it coming from? Your 25th birthday is quickly approaching and with it comes new thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Have you made the right career choices? Is it time to settle down? Are you taking care of your health? Sure this time is full of ups and downs, and yes the quarter life crisis beast has a few tricks up her sleeve. But with good family & friends, a sense of humor, and an open mind you can tackle anything that comes you way with a smile. Besides, who said your quarter life had to be a crisis???

Scholar, Activist, and Author. I'm a 25 year old woman enjoying and learning from every minute of every day!

May152012

Beautiful Belly

During my senior year at Oberlin, a group I was in called Sisters of the Yam (SOY) decided to perform a belly dance for Oberlin’s annual Colors of Rhythm Dance Show. The idea actually came from the mind of one of my nearest and dearest friends, and she had the wonderful ability to make everyone feel comfortable regardless of size, shape or ability. We had so much fun that semester, learning to dance but more importantly learning to love our bodies. The semester we did that performance was awesome, and the memories I formed during that time are some that I will never forget (and I am not just saying that because the experience was immortalized on facebook).

Fast forward 4 plus years to the present moment. I recently was feeling like I wanted to add a new, fun, and unique workout to my regular regimen—- which can be a bit intense at times. While running around one day I spotted an advertisement for an advanced belly dancing class. Immediately my mind raced back to my senior year of college, and the awesome experience I had with this art form in the past. While I looked over the ad I thought to myself: I showed my belly back then, I can surely show it now! I love to dance, and belly dancing a few nights a week would totally add some new fun to my regular exercise plan. I wont have to buy anything because I still own all of my accessories from when I first learned the art form at Oberlin. This could be a fun tool to sharpen and add back to my romance tool box…. After thinking it over for all of 5 seconds I made my decision and signed up for the class.

I am writing this post (literally) after my first class. The class was 2 hours long, but it seemed to fly by. When I belly dance the curve of my hip is celebrated, everything about me that makes me a beautiful woman is celebrated and valued. Just as powerful is that fact that in a group setting I can be a part of celebrating my classmates as well. When I belly dance I feel strong and powerful and beautiful and sexy—— very sexy. What 25 year old would not want that??

So three cheers for recognizing and celebrating beauty in all of its forms, realizing that every woman is powerful and beautiful and strong. The more I think about it, the more it seems that my original belly dancing experience may have been one of the many catalyst to my personal wellness journey. Because of it, I started to not see myself differently but really LOVE all of myself. I would highly recommend every woman try belly dancing at least once. It is not just a form of exercise, but a spiritual practice….

Belly Dancing Dancing Fitness Health Beauty

March172012

33.5 Inches

I am probably the biggest Dr. Oz fan in the universe. Leaving my love of all things Oz for another day, I will focus on his wonderful health and wellness advice. Of course, no person has all of the answers. That being said, I believe just about everything that wonderful specimen of man says. So, when he said that rather than focusing on the number on the scale, we should focus on our waist size, I took notice. According to the Oz, a woman’s waist should be 32 inches (or half of your height). At 5ft. 7inches, I should have a waist size of 33.5 inches or less. That was a challenge I decided to take on. Not because I wanted to be super thin, but because I know that looking at numbers other than weight can be a good way to understand your overall health.

If there is one thing I never do, it is back down from a challenge. So, I added a good bit more of strength training into my normal work out routine, and stepped up the intensity over all. This morning I pulled out my tape measure and to my shock my waist was 33.5 inches. Naturally I didn’t believe what I was seeing and measured it a second time, and a third just to be sure my mind was not playing games with me. Then I let out a squeal of delight and started dancing around my bedroom. I HAVE A 33.5 INCH WAIST!!!

All day I have been thinking about why I am so overwhelmed with feelings of excitement and pride. Even when I was at my heaviest, I was happy. I had good friends. My family was fantastic. I was a leader. I dated. I was a top tier scholar. All in all my life was great. That being said, my health was HORRIBLE. Today I can honestly say I feel healthy for probably the first time in my life. My body, my mind, my spirit——they all feel balanced. What an amazing feeling that is. When I started my personal health journey, my motivation was never “being skinny”, but rather getting healthy. I didn’t really know where I would end up, and today I am so happy with where I am. I am so excited to keep on the journey, and to let my body find its happy weight and size naturally.