happiness in life

Best Face Forward

Categories: Happy, happiness in life, Happy, Healthy | Posted by: Suzy Shulman

Everyday, regardless of the weather, I am outside with my dog Tal. We walk in the subarctic negatives(thanks Vermont), we sprint in the humid 80s and trudge through mud season. It doesn’t matter, the movement is as important to me as it is for him and nothing, especially not the weather, can stop us. I always protect him the best I can. Booties for when there is salt and sand that bloody his tender paws, a sweatshirt to protect him in -25 degree temperatures and sunscreen on his nose in the blaring July sun. Whatever he needs I try my best to give to him. I work on doing the same for myself. I believe that good skincare is a cornerstone of healthy lifestyle. I love that my skin is clear and vibrant and reflective of  the hard work I put in. I exercise for my body and brain, and my beauty routine is my workout for my skin.

 

Recently my skin was hurting, I had gotten a bit of frostbite on my cheeks. It had mostly healed but I was left with rough, dry patches of skin that seemingly couldn’t and wouldn’t heal. I kept looking in the mirror and being saddened by what was looking back at me. I looked old and dry so, so dry. The only thing to do was call on Therin Pohley (respected aesthetician and friend) for a much needed facial. Therin got me an appointment right away and on short notice (which, if you have a hectic and somewhat unpredictable schedule like mine, you know is a feat of amazingness). I was welcomed into a beautiful and tranquil room, clean and removed from the loudness of the world outside. Therin really heard me when I said my face was hurting and didn’t suggest that I was to blame ‘cause I was using the wrong products or that I didn’t care for my skin in the “right” way. She was polite, knowledgeable, and soothing. She understood the stresses of being a Personal Trainer, a full time fitness instructor and a doggy mom. She exercises regularly and prioritizes her needs, so much so that she builds her busy work schedule around the classes she attends, LIKE THE BOSS SHE IS. Yet another reason to respect and adore this woman.

 

An hour later, I was me again. My face didn’t hurt for the first time in weeks. The skin on my cheeks was soft and dewy. My brain was calm and my neck and shoulder muscles were far less tight than when I came in.  Not only is Therin an amazing esthetician, but one hell of a massage therapist too. I returned to the world, quite literally, with my best and freshest face forward.

 

It’s not just about working and pushing and working and pushing, there must be time downtime and space to restore, refresh and rejuvenate. My frostbitten face brought me in to see Therin, but my calmed and reseted frame of mind at the end of the facial was what I was really needing. Also, having bebe soft cheeks was awesome.

 

ps Go see Therin.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read more

Anything is Possible

Categories: Happy, happiness in life, Happy | Posted by: Suzy Shulman

While everyone else is bitching and whining that the summer is over, I’m over here staying the course and making it happen. Labor day having come and gone did not spell the end of my plans. This summer has given me the time and rest I needed to be even stronger than I thought possible. I am excited to start new projects and continue my journey in the health and fitness world.

Let’s stop lamenting summer’s end.

Yes it’s gonna get cold and no I’m not happy about it. This is a great time of year to create and implement the change you wanna see happen. Didn’t quite get into a workout routine this summer? No biggie, start now. Hire a trainer, seek out new studios and try new classes.

 

Read more

I don’t want fixes for anything that jiggles

Categories: Fit, Happy, happiness in life, Happy | Posted by: Suzy Shulman

Between teaching classes and seeing private clients, I have plenty of downtime to research the latest and greatest in fitness and what diets are trending and what’s falling out of favor. I spend an inordinate amount of time on social media sites like Facebook and Pinterest (in addition to reading NYT and LAT wellness blog like it’s my job, which I guess it is). These are invaluable sites for me because they give me a greater understanding of what people are looking for in terms of weight loss and fitness.

 

The problem with a lot of the stuff out there, especially on places like the Health and Fitness board on Pinterest, is that many women believe that the images looking back at them are what they themselves are supposed to look like. Even I have fallen victim to this multiple times. These sites remind me very quickly that my body doesn’t measure up. I am clearly too short, too thick, and far too large to possibly represent what a woman in the fitness industry should look like.

I stare at my computer screen and wonder: if I, who LOVES my body and is PROUD of what it can do, can fall victim to such images, how do women who have lower self esteem deal?

 

Reading widely has also shown me that most people want to reap huge rewards from spending as little time moving as possible. Recent headlines include things like “Drop 10 LBS by Friday,” and the post was from Wednesday evening. Other favorites include: “How to have a better butt in 3 min, 6 fixes for anything that jiggles, get killer abs by doing nothing at all!” (This was actual headline from a magazine that I will let remain nameless.) It seems to go on and on and on.

 

I think about my journey into the fitness world, and  why I started to work out. It was  of a pure desire to change the external (only to learn that I needed to change the internal voice before I could possibly enjoy the external image). I actually believed some of things that I read. More important, I believed that the pictures staring back at me were accurate depictions of what truly fit women’s bodies look, and that I, too, would look like that.

 

Here’s the cold hard truth: I will never look like them. I will never have long, lean limbs. My strong, thick thighs will gobble up shorts that get in their way, no matter how many inner thigh exercises I do. I will not weigh 120 lbs.  The more I exercise, the more muscle I gain. I will not get “skinnier” if I run more.

 

I don’t want fixes for anything that jiggles. I want exercise moves that turn me on and makes me feel good. I want the internal and external to both be happy. My body will always have curves.  I will fluctuate in weight and will still love what I see in the mirror. I will do more than 3 minutes of exercise because I love to move and want to do more than that.  I want to think, breathe, and sweat.

What I really want is an accurate depiction of fit women. Long, short, thick, thin, brown, black and white.

What helped me to quiet the voice that is so strongly affected by these images? Im lucky, I have an incredible ego. Seriously, no joke, I have always really liked myself, even when I have been a different size and shape.

My self worth is defined by my inner dialogue. Outward appearance is a by-product of a strong mind and set of deep seeded morals and ideals that I own and make work for me.

If you are having trouble hearing that voice than listen to mine. I will tell you that I love what stands before me. You are a force that takes up space and its awesome.

 

Read more