NYC. Perfect weather. Beautiful views. I Heart Media. Health and wellness. Oh, and ME! Completely typical Thursday right?
On 6/15 I was honored to take part as a fitness expert at the I Heart Media headquarters and theater in Tribeca, New York (which if you haven’t checked out this area of the city…please do, it’s kinda awesome). I Heart Media launched a new initiative with I Heart Me Day and offered health and wellness classes for their staff to help them in building an overall healthier lifestyle. Brands and concepts like Gaiam, CKO Boxing and Avia all took part to offer the employees fitness classes, massages, manicures and meditation throughout the day. A mind blowingly (yes I know that’s not a word) delicious lunch didn’t hurt in enticing people to join. Fitness classes included yoga for beginners, pilates, abs focused workouts, kickboxing, spinning and an afternoon stretch session led by yours truly to close out the day. I was fortunate enough to lead 4 different sessions for the day. 2 lunch time ab classes featuring the ab wheel by Avia (working up a sweat just thinking about those classes right now!), an hour of mediation, motivation and life discussion and finished the day with an hour of stretching and the art of foam rolling. They were definitely NOT feeling this by the end of the day but foam rollers play a crucial part in muscle and tissue repair! Plus it didn’t hurt that the day ended in with a Happy Hour : )
The staff at I Heart was absolutely amazing and welcoming. The whole atmosphere was light and playful despite me know that they run a multi-million dollar company and their stress level is through the roof on any given day. They were great, engaging and accepting which provided so much encouragement to lead the charge in helping everyone realize the importance of balancing their overall wellness with their work lives. We all start somewhere and there isn’t shame in that. I used that as a reminder throughout the entire day. I fully remember what it was like to function on a high and quick level from years of working in sports and entertainment; however, what good is any of it without your health?
Ultimately, my favorite part of the day ended up being the meditation and discussion hour. I never expected to take part in this but stepped in where necessary and I discovered that I probably needed it just as much as they did. It was amazing to help people take a step back and realize that it’s ok to confront their fears and put aside the stresses in their lives. It served as a reminder that they are good enough and strong enough. It served as an hour mental break of self-empowerment and an ok level of entitlement that was well deserved. As a whole,we put so much pressure on making others in society happy whether it be in a social or work setting, but my reminder to them was that, ultimately, you need to find your own inner happiness and balance or it will drive you to a breaking point. Been there and done that and I don’t really recommend it to my worst enemies (not saying I have any BUT…). It was an hour of my life that made me sit back and realize that I actually have a chance to make a difference in people’s lives and I am very ready for the challenge.
I Heart Me Day was empowering, fun, and life changing. It did so much for me in regards to a self-esteem pay off in motivating others as a blogger and showing their employees that is okay to take time out for them. Many companies are forming health and wellness initiatives as more and more millennials conquer the workforce and that is ONE millennial movement that I am happy to get behind.
We all want success (minus you lazy bums out there) but you must know your body and understand your mind. An overall balance of health is the key to a great life. You are no good to anyone as a physical and/or mental crumpled mess. Just remember that, the next time you are sitting at your desk staring at a booked agenda because you over extended yourself and now have to eat microwavable Ramen in order to get it all done on time. It’s ok to say no. And it is definitely ok to make your “you”, both inside and out, a healthy and unstoppable force.
Thanks for the reminder I Heart. Keep on inspiring and leading the charge.
xoxo,
The Pleasantly Reminded Blogger