We are not breaking, we are not broken, we are unfolding.

When news first broke about this virus, as a business owner of a fitness studio, I will admit I was scared. Honestly, “scared” is not the right word, I was downright terrified.

I thought to myself, “How could a virus wipe out a business I had put my blood, sweat, and tears into for the past 14 years?” I never imagined I would have to shut the studio down, let alone worry about closing the doors forever.  I thought to myself, “two weeks, no problem we got this (in true Inner Fit spirit),” but then the reality set in that two weeks was a blip into the reality of this.

I don’t know about you, but the last few days have been sobering. Today as I taught my online classes, my heart felt so heavy. I simply missed my Inner Fit community today. Don’t get me wrong, I am having a blast doing the online fitness classes we created with the AMAZING Inner Fit community, but tonight I missed their hugs, the laughter and smiles, the late-night conversations after class, the in-person energy and fun, and I even miss their cursing (you know who you are).

It is hard because we just want things to go back to the way there were before we took it all for granted which may or may not have lead to an epic cry in my truck. You know the kind of cry where you turn the windshield wipers on thinking it is raining, but nope, it’s just your tears causing the blurred vision. But don’t worry, for me, tears are healing, and I welcome the emotions to flow because it pushes me to get uncomfortable.

Change is hard and there is a lot of change taking place right now. Change makes us uncomfortable and when we cannot see a clear vision of our future we get unhinged, we get reactive, we shut down, and we do not grow nor do we allow new experiences or people that could change us for the better in. But there is so much beauty in change. It rips us out of old patterns that were no longer serving us, even if it doesn’t feel good right away. And right now, this virus is ripping us out of some really old patterns and I believe there will be good to come from this.

I also choose to believe this moment right now is offering us a chance to pause and see what and who is important to each of us. It’s a moment to be grateful for the good people in our lives, a moment to change what needs to change, and a chance to slow down and do some inner work.  It also has opened up doors for many business owners because it has forced us to get uncomfortable and step outside our boxes and do everything we can to make it out of this and sometimes we need that push.

The scary part is right now we may feel like it has taken away our tomorrow but this is also an opportunity to see what you have taken for granted in the past too. Who have you put off seeing to tomorrow because you were too busy or what did you say you would do today but then said tomorrow? Fitness comes to mind lol

So perhaps when we return to a new “normal,” there will be clarity for each of us as to what we thought was important before and what is truly important now. I know now how much I value the warmth of a hug, seeing my members each day,  and the great outdoors (man I miss my mountains). 

I believe our reality is not broken; it is merely unfolding to show us a new path and to appreciate what and who we have in our lives.

In the unfolding phase, I highly suggest connecting with people who you know will lift your spirits and stay connected with them. The Inner Fit community is keeping my spirits up every time they log in and smile and I invite you to join us anytime for a workout online www.innerfitstudios.com

Let’s unfold together and see what this beautiful life has to offer us … #innerfitstrong 

With Love and Hugs …

Rachel Seay,

Owner of Inner Fit Studios

For the past 12 years, I have observed countless challenges at Inner Fit Studios. One person walks away as the big winner, losing the most % of body weight, while the others, who started off strong in the challenge, get frustrated and end up throwing their hands in the air while saying, “F&*$ IT!, I am not going to win anyway so what’s the point?.”

It’s a little bittersweet as the winners and close top 10 worked really hard, but several gave up fast.

What I love about any challenge is seeing those who did amazing and lost the weight. It’s such a wonderful thing to see when people achieve their goals and the results of their hard work is so inspiring! Continue reading →

Rest Vs. Active Rest

No, taking a rest day doesn’t mean you should be sitting on the couch eating chips, chocolate or cookies all day long. This, as you might imagine, won’t do you much good and could destroy all your progress from the week prior.

Instead, an active rest day is meant to be a light or easy day where you’re still moving, but not at the intensity level you normally move.

According to Athlete’s Edge, active rest:

“Involves performing light exercises (often swimming or cycling) that stimulate the recovery process without imposing undue stress on the injured body part.”

Taking an active rest day will quicken your recovery, making you feel stronger and faster when you’re back in workout-mode—as long as you don’t overdo it.

Plus, it’ll help you feel less sore and stiff after an extra tough workout day.

The perfect active rest day is indoor cycling at Inner Fit or a Yoga class. Choosing to not doing anything active is counterproductive to your training.

We live in a time where people rarely go for a walk longer than 30 minutes and the rest of our time is spent on the phones or watching Netflix or sitting around with friends. We simply need to move a minimum of 10,000 steps a day, period, or engage in one hour of exercise daily to simply be healthy as a baseline.

And I hate to be the one to break it to you folks, but we are not hard core athlete training 4-6 hours a day to deserve a “do nothing” rest day. Activity is very important for our daily health both emotionally and physically.

Wake up, kick off your “active rest day” with a cycle class on a Sunday morning versus “taking a rest day” and make it an awesome day. Cycling wakes up your mind by activating your brain, creates fluidity in you fascia and prevents injuries.

If you can’t make a morning class the odd time, make sure you get outside for a power walk as your active rest activity.

Let’s rethink the way we use the words “rest day” as they have a powerful affect on how our day unfolds.

When was the last time you submerged yourself in nature? If it has been a while, have you noticed a shift in your mental and physical energy? Have you been feeling tired, sleepy, unmotivated? Have you noticed a change in your energy? The good news is nature is the fastest way to restore our bodies and simply feel better and here is why …

As humans become less connected with nature, we lose an essential health buffer. “There is mounting evidence that contact with nature has significant positive impacts on mental health,” said Mardie Townsend, PhD, an honorary professor at the School of Health and Social Development at Deakin University in Australia. Continue reading →

If your goal is weight loss, do you know your numbers?

So many people have an unhealthy relationship with the scale and it’s simply the society that most of us were raised in.

Over the years, people have slowly attached their self worth to the number on the bathroom scale and it is simply not true. Your worth comes from who you are as a human being.

The first number you should always know is your current weight. This should never be a guessing game of where you stand. Continue reading →

Who is sick of eating for weight loss? Who is fed up with giving up your favourite foods, only to crash and burn on the latest “fad” diet?

What if food was less about weight loss and more about healing our bodies and helping us feel better?

It’s time to change the way we view food for good. It’s time to stop obsessing over what we eat and make changes that in the long run will heal our bodies, give us energy, help us lose weight, and prevent illness in the future. Continue reading →

Monday is your fresh start day. Let’s forget about the weekend “damage” and kick ass on our fitness goals this week.

Imagine how awesome you would feel by next Monday if you created a shift today? Or better yet, imagine how awesome you would feel at the end of an kick ass workout today?!

Here is 10 simple ways to kick the Monday blues in the butt and have a stellar week… Continue reading →

Why bother setting a goal? It is one more thing I can add to my failure list!

Sound familiar?

Goal setting seems to be something the “successful” people in life do. And if you do not think your worthy of experiencing joy for yourself, then what is the point?

Let’s start with asking yourself a question: Are you worthy of a little extra time to discover what you are capable of? Or is your time allotted to making everyone else happy and leaving yourself at the bottom of the pile?

People don’t one day wake up and say “I am not worthy”; it’s something that happens over time when life gets busy “adulting.” Continue reading →