THE FIRST YEAR

I cannot believe that we are already through the first year of practice here at the Center For Well-Being, our beautiful BIG BLUE!!!

Best Chiropractor Fenton Michigan - Dr Erica Peabody - The first year
The Center for Well-Being

This will mark my 15th year in private practice but the first year in this location. It has been nothing less than incredible!!! We have, hands down, no exception, the most beautiful office space in the area. I am not saying that just to toot our own horn either. As you look around during your appointments, you will notice it is like being adjusted in a museum. The woodwork is incredible, there is so much to look at. I do my work by hand, and the fact that all of this woodworking was done by hand is just so impressive.

The space that we adjust out of is just absolute perfection for us. We have room to move and breathe and as our reception area packs full, which happens on the regular here, we still have room for everyone and do not feel like they are sitting on top of one another. The greatest thing is being able to have so much room to move as I dance around my tables adjusting all day long.

Best Chiropractor Fenton Michigan - Dr Erica Peabody - The first year
Our Office

I am grateful beyond any words that could describe it all. One year later, I look back to where it all began with a big unveiling of our sign out front in the front yard on Monday, September 17th of last year at 9:45 to accept our first patients at 10!

Every single day I feel more and more healing coming from this building, but as we work with her more and more and begin to shine her run-down corners, I can feel her healing as well. She hasn’t had the TLC over the past years that she is so deserving of.

Have you been in here yet? Do you feel the grounding and healing energy like we do?

Over the past 3 months, we have been able to really begin to shine up those run-down corners, hallways and rooms. She was already so beautiful but you need to SEE HER NOW!!!

Dr Erica Peabody - Best Chiropractor Fenton Michigan - The first year

We have our first tenants moved in and joining their businesses under our roof. It was the intention from the start that instead of saying “The acupuncturist is across town” we can now officially say “The acupuncturist is just down the hallway and to the left.” as Michigan Community Acupuncture has joined us early September.

I have many practitioners that I refer to on a regular basis and now we can ALSO say “An incredible psychotherapist, Lauren Lay, is just up the grand staircase and to the right. She has created a beautiful cozy space to work in.

What I love the most about all of this is that there are other great people now loving on our building just like we have over the past year, and it is only the beginning. We have a few other things in the works and only 11 more office spaces available up for grabs at this point and we couldn’t be any more excited about this whole thing coming together as my dream is brought to life.

WOW!!! One whole year!!!

Just WOW!!! And if the first year is any indication of where this thing has potential of going, I stand in pure amazement. Swing by and see for yourself! It is time to plan an official OPEN HOUSE!!! Stay tuned….

FULL CIRCLE

On Saturday night, my life came full circle.

I was invited back to my varsity soccer field for the alumni game.

I graduated from Fenton High School and although I was a three sport athlete, my heart was in soccer.

As a freshman, I was pulled up onto the varsity squad and of course back then, that was a really big deal. I got to play with the older and more mature team that, in my naive mind, was really going places. By my senior year, I was team captain.

Best Chiropractor Fenton Michigan - Dr Erica Peabody - Full Circle
the shoes – and our favorite team socks!

Once I went off to college, I played club soccer at Michigan State University but it was just for fun. Beyond my first year in college, I put my cleats and flats up on the shelf and there they have sat…well technically in a box and moved them all over the country for the past 24 years and pulled them out for Saturday night!!! LOL!!! That is a true story! In fact, the flats that I have saved were Adidas Samba light blue suede and the material has deteriorated so much they are literally falling apart!

Walking hand in hand through the gates of that field with my husband was a wild experience. The field is the same, only has had major upgrades since I played there…as has MY LIFE!!!

The evening was absolutely beautiful and I had SO MUCH FUN! Of course, some of my teammates wrangled me back onto the field and then showed up in regular street clothes and sat the bench. I don’t know how I was swindled like that but in the end, I guess that was probably the only real way to get me back on the field. It was great to catch up with those beautiful ladies and their families after all this time. LADIES!!! NEXT TIME YOU ARE PLAYING!!! Plan accordingly and BRING YOUR CLEATS!!!

As I sat there, drinking a Mead from another friend from back in the day, I couldn’t help but feel that coming-full-circle concept…and WOW what a circle I have come!!!

Best Chiropractor Fenton Michigan - Dr Erica Peabody - Full Circle
My teammates – notice their street clothes. 🙂

I have always wondered with how far I went and then how in the world I ended up back in Fenton after all. It feels right though, it definitely feels right to be in Fenton.

And to think that I am the owner of the crazy HUGE blue Victorian home/office space on the corner of the town I grew up in and the community that has helped to shape me into the person I am today, it sometimes feels like the twilight zone.

So let’s talk about the game – I guess I didn’t really put it all together that the word “alumni” includes those that just graduated in May of this year, 2019. “Alumni” is not gender specific although for some reason I had it in my mind that women would appreciate going back to their field as much as I do.

So I end up out on the field with 18 year old exceptional athletes, a few of my own patients, running circles around me!!! LOL!!! Actually I can hold my own alright for not even have kicked a ball for a couple decades because I was always a strategist and conserving my energy while out on the field.

Best Chiropractor Fenton Michigan - Dr Erica Peabody - Full Circle
My Teammates Took This Picutre From the Stands
Get in the GAME ladies!
Actually, thanks for the cool picture!!!

The one thing I didn’t expect was that soccer balls, kicked back into play from the goalie that I assumed just graduated, literally came falling back into play from what seemed like OUTER SPACE!!! My last plays were with women, 20+ years ago, and although we could kick high and far, it was a fraction of that height and distance!!! Try trapping a ball coming down from OUTER SPACE!!!

It was an experience to say the least and I am laughing still from the weekend. I got to touch the ball and participate enough during the game that I felt like I had made some solid contribution. I dribbled and passed but as the team was trying to feed the ball to the “older one” to attempt to score, the sacrifice and reach of a foot out there in a lunge position to attempt a shot on goal, my mind keeps me in a “self preservation” mode and limited. Ultimately, no matter how much fun I could possibly have on Saturday night, I still have to be able to walk on Monday morning when patients arrive back in my office.

WHAT A BLAST!!!! My life doesn’t allow a whole lot of extra time to pursue a recreational indoor league or something like that right now, but my love for soccer is life-long and I am so so glad that it has all come full circle.

HOUSE SHOES

I am one that has to wear house shoes now.

One year ago I was preparing to turn 40 and I was really busy calling it “Version 4.0” and redirecting my attention away from the number and more towards an “upgraded version” of myself.  Reframe on point!

I had summitted Mt Kilimanjaro a month prior and although I am sure my body was still trying to recover from the physical intensity of that experience, I was also in the middle of a 6 week yoga challenge when my birthday rolled around.  Looking back, I am not sure that much yoga was a good thing for my body at that time.Dr Erica Peabody - House Shoes - Best Chiropractor Fenton Michigan

As I continued with the challenge, I experienced more and more pain in my left foot.  I was always fine during the class and for the rest of the day following, but the mornings were continuing to get worse and worse, with very painful first steps out of bed.  This continued until I finished the challenge and took a break from that kind of movement….and then every other kind of movement as well.  (All of the rest of the year following that injury and my “boot camp” has been written up in previous blog posts so I won’t go over all the details here but look back through the blog history).

Two days ago I was getting ready to head over to my brother’s house to celebrate my niece’s 8th birthday.  I had a few things I needed to gather however front and center on my list of “things not to forget” were my house shoes.

I have been unable to comfortably go bare-footed in my house, or anywhere for that matter, in months.  I spend all of my time with some sort of shoes on my feet.

I have been to quite a few yoga classes lately and sections of the classes are comprised of dramatic movements and jumping around…on hard floors…in bare feet.  As I glance around the room at the other yogis, I find myself wondering just how much they take the fact that they can go barefooted for granted.  And that is not saying that I wasn’t that same way not long ago.
I look at them and their feet and I think to myself…I remember a time when I didn’t think twice about being barefoot.  Now I can wear one of 3 pairs of shoes but I have to have a pair on my feet at all times.

Yes that means getting up out of bed in the morning and stepping right into shoes.

Yes that means carefully crawling onto my double yoga mat (for extra protection) in the yoga room and being mindful enough to get through the classes.Dr Erica Peabody - House Shoes - Best Chiropractor Fenton Michigan

Yes that means every single outfit I wear is matched with sneakers…either my Brooks or my Saucony…black or navy blue…and when I say every single outfit, I am serious.

Yes and that also means that I have to pack house shoes whenever I go anywhere.

I have a healthy fear of hardwood floors and tile now which seems really unfortunate but is apparently how life will be moving forward.

I always thought I would be able to do what I have always done.  Version 4.0 told me different.  I am not a fan of blaming age and years for all of our ails and have been seeking any and all information about healing foot tissue and nerves and bones…and everything else for that matter.

It has lead me down some interesting paths, into some interesting offices, trying interesting remedies, meeting interesting practitioners and reading some interesting books.  I have a whole lot more knowledge about the foot and leg than ever before and I will continue to progress down my path of healing.

I still have quite a road ahead of me with this foot and have never had anything take over a year to heal.  In fact, I am at the point of accepting maybe it will never ever be the same.  I am trusting the slowing down process that has been required of me so far.  I will keep walking forward even if every single step is inside of sneakers or these silly house shoes.  Here is to celebrating the completion of my 41st trip around the sun!!!  🙂

 

 

 

ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS

Dr Erica Peabody - Engagement Photos - Chiropractor Fenton MichiganFrom the beginning of our time spent together, the one thing that I told Mike is that I didn’t want normal engagement photos taken.  I didn’t want to take time out of our busy schedule to prepare our wardrobe and have an “engagement photo” session.

Some people have asked “What?  What did you want then?”

Right from the start I had asked Mike to “just be sure there is a photographer standing by close for when the engagement happens and we can have some candid photos taken on the spot.”

Of course for a woman, this makes a lot of sense.  For a man, this can be a difficult situation to maneuver.  Poor Mike got stuck in the middle of it…and though there was a photographer right there for the actual engagement, the photos are not what I was thinking, not because of the photographer though, he was great.  For many other reasons…let me explain.

You see, the proposal was a total surprise.  I did know he was going to ask me to marry him but I didn’t know when or where or how.

I remember along the way we had been talking that he was going to go in and get his haircut just prior to the engagement…but WHAT ABOUT MY HAIR!?!?!?!   My hair appointment was schedule for 4 days after the day he proposed.

I asked him to be sure that when he is going to do it that I at least know enough to wear an outfit that I would want photos taken in.  To make a super long story short, it happened at a western themed winter party.  Not ideal as western wear is not my normal. Dr Erica Peabody - Engagement Photos - Chiropractor Fenton Michigan Now mind you, Mike and I get dressed up every single week and go out on a date night.  We make a deliberate effort to change out of our ordinary work or day clothes and get a little bit fancy and go out for the evening for dinner and dancing. Dr Erica Peabody - Engagement Photos - Chiropractor Fenton Michigan

I don’t know (as I shrug my shoulders) maybe one of those nights would have been a good option???Dr Erica Peabody - Engagement Photos - Chiropractor Fenton Michigan

Our lives are filled with work, personal and family obligations and it isn’t the easiest thing to carve time out for a photo shoot and I was a little bit annoyed that it had to happen this way…that is until I got the pictures back.  Dr Erica Peabody - Engagement Photos - Dr Erica Peabody

The day was fun-filled touring all around Frankenmuth, Michigan, hugging and kissing and getting our pictures taken.  We have a second home right downtown Frankenmuth and we have many sweet little place that we scoped out for great backdrop to our hugs and kisses.

I will be quiet for now and let you scroll through some of the other engagement photos…Dr Erica Peabody - Engagement Photos - Chiropractor Fenton Michigan Dr Erica Peabody - Engagement Photos - Chiropractor Fenton Michigan Dr Erica Peabody - Engagement Photos - Chiropractor Fenton Michigan Dr Erica Peabody - Engagement Photos - Chiropractor Fenton Michigan Dr Erica Peabody - Engagement Photos - Chiropractor Fenton Michigan Dr Erica Peabody - Engagement Photos - Chiropractor Fenton MichiganChiropractor Fenton Michigan - Engagement Photos - Chiropractor Fenton Michigan

 

BAREFOOT AND FREE

I had an incredible weekend!  It was just about as much fun as one could possibly pack into the minutes of one single weekend and a good portion of it I spent at the Barefoot and Free Yoga Festival.

Chiropractor Fenton Michigan - Barefoot and Free Yoga
Pack up yoga mat and hike to the “unknown”

We live, work and play among some real superheros and it is hard to know who those superheros are until something like this weekend is pulled together through the vision of one woman.  Of course, there will always be so many people behind the scenes that do not get enough recognition, however, it takes one person to have the vision to start with…and that person is the one who ultimately takes the initial step forward.

Proud Lake Recreation Area is a super amazing place just south of Milford, Michigan.  I had never been there before and although I had signed up for the yoga festival just because of the idea of it…quite frankly I had no idea what I was getting into.

I pulled in, parked my car and took a walk to the festival site.  It was an absolutely ideal location allowing for yoga classes to be held in a few different areas on the grounds.  There were vendors, big tents that would hold yoga classes, a bunkhouse for those that wanted to stay, areas for tents, food vendors and so much amazing positive energy, it could not have been in a more perfect place!

Us yoga peeps, even though we are supposed to be super flexible (not only in class but in life in general), sometimes get stuck with wanting to only take our “favorite” instructor(s) and become actually quite rigid with our regular yoga routine.  For me, my time is precious and I am always wanting to maximize my time spent in any yoga class and so I have my favorites and stick with them.

The great thing about the festival setting is that there are options and you are exposed to some other really

Chiropractor Fenton Michigan - Barefoot and Free Yoga
The reflection is the view while laying on my yoga mat

exceptional instructors…and because this festival was so close to home, those instructors are easily accessible to me, well if you consider “easy” to be within about 45 minutes.

When I am at my usual yoga class(es) during the week, I am usually running in there last minute and heading out immediately following closing postures.  Life is busy, busy, busy!  The flow of this festival and the timing of classes

gave us some real time to spend with these like-minded people.  There were a few people I see regularly at class but I actually had some time to ask them about themselves and their lives outside of the studio.  We shared time, space, laughter and snacks together.  We had time for conversation between sweating our behinds off.  We had a few moments to jump in the river together.  I have stronger, tighter connections because of the weekend.

And then I should mention what it means to the body and mind to do that much yoga in a condensed timeframe.  I took six, 75 minute vinyasa classes in 90-100 degree temperatures.  I took an inversion workshop, a slow burn class and attended a lecture.  This all happened in a matter of 48 hours starting at 7pm on Friday and finishing Sunday at the same time.   That much yoga for me would usually be over a 2 week period and so putting myself into that many different postures, that much intensity, that much breath work, that much laughing and that much dancing, shifts a person at their core.  Barefoot and Free has such

Chiropractor Fenton Michigan - Barefoot and Free Yoga
Grateful for the fresh water of the Huron River

divine timing as I am in one of the most stressful weeks of my life in a long time.  In the midst of playing a mean hand of “52 Pick-Up” with my life, I find peace.  Peace is my center and I am craving more time on my mat like I have never felt before, such a strong draw for that level of intense movement and shifting.

I have shared about my experience over the past day and so many have asked “How do I get involved?”  “How did you find out about that?” and “When is the next one?”  I can say this for certain, DO NOT MISS next year!  It is a simple 30 minutes from my home and if you are around the southeast Michigan area, probably within an hour from yours too…very central location to many.

I seriously had no idea what I was getting into.  This is yet another time that I simply said YES and made it happen.  Leading into the weekend I was asked, “Are you meeting a bunch of friends there at the festival?  Do you know many people going?”  No I did not know many people going, but I knew by the time I left, with the nature of yoga and the woods and the connection with Mother Earth, I would have new friends by Sunday.  Plus I am not sure I love anything more than being BAREFOOT AND FREE!!!!!

 

Thank you to that teeny tiny superhero, Beth James, for creating a place for all of us to play…and be barefoot…and FREE!!!

 

 

RIDING WAVES

I wrapped up 2013 on vacation with great friends in Costa Rica.  As some of you know, Costa Rica has become a popular surfing destination and there are opportunities for riding waves all over.

If you have followed me at all, you also know that I am an avid snowboarder and one of my happiest places is strapped to my snowboard in Colorado.

While in Costa Rica, my Colorado friends and I took quite a few opportunities to surf.  The ocean is really warm in that area so it is simple to throw a rash guard on, grab a board and paddle out.

I have done quite a bit of surfing over the years in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Belize, California and New Jersey.  One of my greatest challenges of surfing is getting the board and myself safely out past the break.  It is a game of finesse, timing and strength.  When one is a little on the tall and lanky side and riding a 9 foot board, it can be quite challenging as sets roll in.  photo-11

The particular beach that we surf at in this spot in Costa Rica, the water is soft, the waves are gentle and there is a beautiful rhythm to the ebb and flow.  It also makes getting out past the break just a little bit easier.

While I am out waiting for the next wave, I am thinking about all the snow that is piling up at home.  Though I am grateful beyond what words can describe to be sitting on that board in that moment, I also have a moment I am considering how much I am excited about getting on my snowboard when I get home.

The two sports are similar in some ways.  They way you stand on the board is the same, though snowboarding you are strapped in.  There is a meditative sense to both sports…in other words, you need to be present and in the moment or you can quickly find yourself in trouble.  There is a sense of working with nature, snowboarding-snow conditions, surfing-the powerful ocean.

My dearest love for snowboarding stems from many reasons that I will not go into due to the length of the list.  One of the key reasons I love it is because I get a chance to explore a mountain.   There is a chance to check out this run over here, that run over there, this restaurant for breakfast, that one for lunch, this group of Aspen trees, that group of pine trees, this trail, that chairlift.  You get the idea.

Surfing is different.  It is paddle out, catch a wave, come back to where you started, paddle out, catch a wave, end up back where you started, paddle out, catch a wave…and it goes on.  There isn’t necessarily an area of water you are covering and not one area of that water is ever the same.

…but for me I realize how much it is about internal exploration.  It looks a little like this…This water is so beautiful.  The view from my board is amazing.  Its really awesome I have some good friends joining me.  I see a set in the distance.  I wonder if I am in the right spot. I can see that wave building.  Is it going to be big enough to ride?  Will it break right or left?  it it going to be too big for me?  Oh $#1t, here it comes!  I am in the right spot? I need to turn around and paddle. Where is all that anxiety coming from?  Will I catch this one?  Will I get rocked by it?…and honestly, none of this internal dialogue and analysis is helpful.

The only thing that is helpful is learning which wave to catch and then letting go. photo-12

When mental resistance and fear come up and the mind shifts to and through all of that diologue, it is very difficult to go with the flow of the wave.  If you have the skill set, then paddle when you know you should paddle, pop-up when you know you are on it and then simple ENJOY THE RIDE!!!

It is such a beautiful dance with such a powerful force.  There is not one thing you can do to change the wave you are on.  The only thing in that moment is to turn the mind off, get to that feeling place, relax, let go and trust.  It is more of an internal exploration experience with a sense of adventure, thrill and flow.

Usually surf sessions last an hour to a few hours.  This gives time to rest and regroup inside and find more and more peace, grace and flow.

When you snowboard, you have a little bit of say in what the snow is going to do underneath your board.  When surfing, you have absolutely no say in what the ocean is going to do.

Surfing is about life and life is about riding the waves.  We have a choice what wave choose to get on, we do not have a choice about where that wave is going.  We have the ability to turn or get off that wave…but if we learn to trust ourselves, we transition into the flow of the powerful Universe gracefully.

(The following link is not my video but it is taken at the surf spot we spent most of our time so you can get a feel of the waves)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppfzD8MsDLE[/youtube]

I am grateful for my life and the opportunities to explore and go on many adventures.  After this past visit to Costa Rica, the ebb and flow of life is forefront in my consciousness.  There is an ebb and flow to the days, the nights, work, family, friends, driving, eating…absolutely all of it.  The troughs make the peaks sweeter.  The peaks make traveling back down to the troughs exhilarating.  The most important part of all is finding internal peace so that wether at the top or the bottom while riding your waves, you remain graceful.

Peace to you as you start 2014.

 

 

A TINY HOME

I have a very tiny home that I go to about 4 days a week.  It is about 2 feet by 6 feet and is easy to transport and move from place to place.  This tiny home is my yoga mat.

As I enter the yoga room, I always find myself gravitating to the same location on the floor.  In one yoga studio is is one particular location, in another studio it is another spot and the third is still quite a different spot.  There is a feel to the location in the room and is all very much part of my process.

I usually arrive early, sometimes 30 minutes early, because I want to be in that same spot.  It may be a location where just a class or 2 before, I found myself staring at a ceiling tile and bursting out laughing.  It may be a spot that just the day before, I left a huge puddle of tears on the floor.  It may be a place that a week prior I had such an awesome flow and was really linked in to whomever was practicing next to me…either way there is a reason, and I cannot always put my finger on the why of my choice in locations.fenton chiropractor yoga room

When I arrive at the perfect place for my tiny home, I line my mat up perfectly parallel to the planks of the wood floor, fold my hand towel in half and put it near the top of my mat and find the ideal un-kick-able spot for my water bottle.

As I am laying on my mat waiting for class to start, I spend a little time observing others as they walk in to find their “spot” to set up their tiny home for the next 60-75 minutes of their lives.  It is interesting the process they go through.

Some walk in confidently, drop their mat, roll it out, set up their water, climb on and lay down to meditate.

Others set up their tiny home, lay down, get back up and move to the opposite side of the room with a “something about the mojo of that spot isn’t quite right” tone to their walk.

Still others will stand by the door and survey the scene to decide their plot before making a move and others will stand and have a discussion with their friends about perfect location for their tiny homes.

There is such a magic to all the happenings.  People arrive at different times for different reasons but one by one we all stake our claim to a 2 feet by 6 feet plot of wood floor to set up our tiny home and by the time class is about to start…it is all in perfect order.

The floor of the yoga room is covered in brightly colored mats of all shades, big towels, little towels, water bottles of all shapes, sizes and colors, and beautiful bodies of all shapes, sizes and colors that have found a “tiny home”.

The dance begins.  The music fills the room.  The sweat pours onto the mats.  There is reckless abandonment during the flow…a vulnerability that you would only find if you were inside your own home and no one was watching.  The bodies turn and twist into all kinds of shapes and forms and the energy is indescribable.

The classes I attend are taught with such incredible intensity that it sometimes takes everything I have to keep breathing just to make it through the next movement.  When I am physically working that hard, there is no time to play with other thoughts in my mind and it is a 60-75 minute moving meditation.  The only goal ever set out by the instructor is to “keep breathing and stay on your mat”, in other words…”stay in your tiny home”.

At the end, everyone lays down on their backs and melts into the floor.  All the hard work, the physical, mental and emotional garbage has a chance to settle out and be absorbed by the floor of the tiny homes we have set up for ourselves.

When all is said and done, we all roll up our tiny homes and head out into the world.  It is the feeling that has filled the body at that very moment that gets us all to come back time and time again for years.

Our tiny homes find their usual spot in the back seat or trunk of our vehicles waiting for the next 2 feet by 6 feet plot of wood floor in another yoga room to stake claim of next time the chance arises.

The tiny home that I go to on a regular basis, though exposed to the elements of the room and surrounded by people within inches, is a profound place of peace for me.  I hope you have a place like that for yourself somewhere in your life as well.  Namaste.

FROM SEAT TO SEAT

One of my most favorite things to do is go to a comedy show and laugh.  There is so much that shifts in just a few minutes of good, wholesome laughter.  Last night, I was lucky enough to see Jerry Seinfeld live and of course laughed and laughed and laughed.  He is clever and so funny, and the literal person that I am, I really get a kick out of his humor.  He used his time to entertain the crowd however also used it to effectively deliver a couple LIVE AND LAUGH!messages about health which I was pleasantly surprised!

One thing that really caught my attention is he said something like “we spend our entire days going from one seat to another”.  He was talking about we get up out of bed and go and find breakfast and sit down.  Then we get up and get ready and go sit down in our cars.  We drive to work and then we sit down for the morning, get up to go sit back down at lunch, come back to sit back down at work for the afternoon, sit back in our cars to go home and sit down for dinner and spend the rest of our time sitting in front of the TV.  Have you ever thought about that?  He, of course, added in the joke of “no wonder we are building bigger and bigger seat cushions on our bodies!”

There seems to be a growing trend of jobs that require long, long hours in a seated position.  It is just how things are these days which is perfectly fine.  The challenge is that the body is designed, and happier and healthier, when it is in motion, when there is movement happening on a regular basis.  Unfortunately, the law of inertia states that “a body at rest, tends to stay at rest…”  If we sit all day, we tend to want to sit more, which leads to more and more and more…until life is a sedentary experience.

The other half of the inertia law states that “…a body in motion, tends to stay in motion”.  People often tell me that it is just too hard to get a workout program started.  I will add to that, the longer you wait, the harder it will be!  So GET UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spend your workday sitting if that is what your job requires…but after that, GET UP!  GET OUT OF THE CHAIR AND MOVE!!!  GET OUTSIDE AND ENJOY YOURSELF!!!  Play, dance, run, walk, hike, go for a swim, go to the park, fire up the grill, shoot some hoops, play catch, do something but GET UP AND MOVE!!!  Life is passing by very, very quickly.  Grab something and hold on tight for the ride…or just sit there and watch the rest of us have all the fun!!  …and remember to laugh along the way since “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter” -E E Cummings.

Make the most of the day and spend more time UP OUT OF YOUR SEAT!!  …we only get one chance.

FLASH MOB

This past weekend I had my first flash mob experience!!! How fun! Flash mobs are happening all over the world these days. Have you heard of it? Basically people choose places where there are predicted to be large crowds and start some music and do a choreographed dance. If you have ever witnessed one, it begins with just 3 or 4 people. Then a large group gathers around to watch and a portion of the spectators are actually in on the dance and join. Then usually there is another section of the crowd that seem innocent but are actually in on it too and join and when it is over, everyone goes back to doing whatever they were doing and act like nothing happened. It is about bringing joy to others through the element of surprise and dance.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_Wb35o4qOQ[/youtube]
So I got wind of this group called Flash Mob America and I registered with them to receive their updates. It just so happens they were coming to do one in Ann Arbor…and you know me, always looking for rich, rewarding experiences…so I decided I would make it a point to join in the fun. I arrived at 9am for rehearsal which lasted for 3 hours. We went over and over and over the dance and learned about the specifics of how it develops because there is no actual practice time in the chosen location. There were about 80 people that were at rehearsal and it was awesome to see it all come together.

The flash mob took place at the Artisan Market in Kerrytown area of Ann Arbor (the same location as the farmer’s market if you have ever been). The 80 participants walked around shopping leading up to the time it was supposed to start which was 1pm. Then out of nowhere, we here the beginnings of the song “Party Rock”…which literally starts with the singer yelling “PARTY ROCK!!” Then 4 people began the dance and it evolved from there. I was fortunate to have a friend standing by and videotaped the entire thing and I wanted to share it…and my incredible dance moves, jk :)…with all of you.

If you get wind of a flash mob happening in your area…check it out, join in and have some fun. We only get one chance…dance like no one is watching…or dance like the whole world is watching and shake that booty and make it count!!!