Find your fitness…how many times have you caught yourself saying “okay I’ll head to the gym tomorrow, I’m too busy or tired tonight”…and how many times did you find, that tomorrow, well it just didn’t come.
In a society where we have indulged the world of alienation through cell phones, social media and computers (…I am guilty of this too!), we often find that it seems easier to excuse ourselves from activities by sitting at home – is this the deeper reason why we don’t make time for our inner fitness needs? Do we find, that in this generation, we would rather sit at home making excuses than ‘find our inner fitness’ and socialize our bodies physically and mentally?
After, pregnancy, I found it a lot easier to sit at home and push my “date with the gym” to another day, and another day…finally one day, I broke the cycle. On a beautiful brisk autumn morning, I found myself sitting on a bench on the West Vancouver seawall, herbal tea and sleeping baby in tow. I gazed around at my surroundings and visually stumbled on a group of women; overly sweaty full of energy, yoga mats atop their shoulders, charging out of ‘what seemed to be’ a class. I walked over and past the group of women, and toward the studio, ‘Oxygen Yoga and Fitness’…a sign prompted ‘find us in your iphone apps.
Later that week, I forced myself to one of the scheduled classes, I figured I would take the easy approach, a nice light class to get me motivated ‘Warm Yin and Deep Meditation’. D-day had arrived, I lay on the floor on my mat, in the perfectly toasty room, I looked around; ‘women of all shapes and sizes, beautiful perfect women in all different forms…ready to find inner meditation and renewal’…or so I thought. In walked the cutest little fitness babe, I was in awe at my instructor, who introduced herself as ‘Melissa’ she gave the energy and appearance of a goddess like woman, with dark skin glistening of youth and hydration. Melissa came to the center of the room, where the music box was sitting, she pushed a button and within seconds, the doors were closed, she raised her voice ‘Hi guys, welcome to Pilates Fusion, perfect balance of high intense cardio with yoga’. 
The loud obnoxious voice in my head starting in “Uhhhh, JP, did you hear what she just said, HIGH INTENSE CARDIO….have you lost your mind?! You idiot you are in the wrong class!”
But, what was I to do, I couldn’t leave, this was already embarrassing enough, the obnoxious voice kicked in again “Get up JP, you need to leave, did I mention the room is a striking 30 degrees?! You can’t work out in this…you can’t work out period!”….sorry inside voice but, I’m not leaving.
And just like that, I sat and accomplished my first Pilates Fusion class. The class was challenging, and at times I found myself falling over, but, the gentle pats of encouragement on my back from my instructor, kept me motivated and feeling content. The class itself, one hour long, flew by, I was so caught up in the music, the moves, the vibe & rhythm, that time didn’t even cross my mind. I drove home and told my husband what had happened, he laughed and poked fun but, was proud that I had stayed and finished the class. The next day, my body ached, muscles I didn’t even know existed were aching, but, somehow the ache felt good, like a first kiss kind of good. The next night, I looked on my phone and found even more classes to try; Hot Box Yoga, Burning Abs, Tone and Sculpt…Wow these classes were amazing, my body and mood seemed to have changed in just a few short weeks - finally, I had found my fitness. 
Taking the time to step away mentally and physically from life is challenging, there's house errands, work, kids and the dark vice 'the cell phone', it really is tough. Did you know, that our bodies secretly yearn and crave healthy lifestyle activities?! What if your body could talk to you? What if you could hear it cry and plead for activity, real physical activity...I am sure you would find the time, no?
If you already go to the gym or fitness classes, good for you, keep it up! Maybe, challenge yourself to something slightly harder or a new exercise, this will help keep your body active and constantly pushing itself to achieve more, instead of the plateau that can often occur. For those of you, that have yet to make that 'date with the gym' a reality, think about this; 'in the last three months, think about everything you've done; late night drinks, partying, flights, work, driving, sitting at desk all day, and repeat....pushing your body, exerting your body, abusing your body. Taking the time to 'find your fitness' whether, it be deep stretching, kick boxing, a light jog, yoga or a hot spin class will show your body just how much you love and respect it. All it takes is that first step and that first class, research different forms of fitness and find something that works well for your schedule and your body.
I found my fitness, at Oxygen Yoga in West Vancouver, and might I add for a steal, with memberships starting as low as $99/ month for unlimited classes, they also offer a one week free trial and if you have a friend that is a member at Oxygen, you could even scoop one of their buddy passes! The classes range all over, from deep meditation to boxing, to high intense cardio or simple Hatha yoga classes. Oxygen offers many franchise locations all over BC, with a variety of classes and times, so even the single mum who works till 5pm with 2 kids, can find a class and time that works for her. The West Vancouver location, has to be the most beautiful; nestled steps away from the stunning seawall, between boutique coffee shops, nature and health food restaurants…it's a real hidden gem, plus the passionate knowledgeable staff and tons of free parking is a great bonus - what more could you ask for!
I hope my fitness journey story, will inspire you to reach out of your comfort zone, put down your electronics and give back some quality time and love to your body – trust me you will thank yourself later!
Follow them at @oxygenwestvan
Special thanks to the team at 'Oxygen Yoga West Vancouver'. 
