Making a Case for Silliness

If you came here looking for some uptight wellness professional who takes herself oh so seriously...I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place.

I've been working in this industry for nearly thirty years. There isn't much of the science I haven't been exposed to. I can happily nerd out with you about neuroscience, hormones, kinesiology, adaptive responses, and strength training.

But none of that matters if people don't actually show up with you.

Knowledge alone doesn't change lives.

People do.

And people keep coming back to things they enjoy.

I grew up doing step aerobics in my basement, and if I'm being completely honest, I started exercising because I wanted to look like Barbie. (We all have our reasons, don’t we?)

Thankfully, that didn't last.

What kept me coming back wasn't the mirror. It was the feeling. Somewhere along the way, my focus shifted from changing my body to celebrating what it could do. Movement became something I looked forward to instead of something I had to endure.

Think back to your childhood.

Kids don't exercise.

They climb trees. They race their bikes. They dance in the kitchen. They cartwheel across the lawn. They jump off rocks into lakes just to see who can make the biggest splash.

No one hands a seven-year-old a fitness tracker and tells her to burn 500 calories.

She moves because it's fun.

She comes back because she can't wait to do it again.

Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, many of us lose that relationship with movement. Exercise becomes punishment for what we ate, another item on our to-do list, another place where we feel like we're falling short.

I don't believe that's what our bodies deserve.

Science actually backs this up. We return to things we enjoy. Laughter lowers stress. Play improves learning. Joy increases motivation. And every time we try something new—whether it's lifting a barbell, balancing on one leg, or taking your very first yoga class—we remind ourselves that we're capable of learning, growing, and surprising ourselves.

The best exercise program isn't the one with the fanciest equipment or the most complicated plan.

It's the one you're excited to come back to.

I know my workouts are challenging.

I know they're effective.
But what I'm probably most proud of is how often people laugh.

Sometimes it's because someone falls over. (Usually me.)

Sometimes it's because we lose count. (Again, I'm usually the culprit.)

Sometimes it's because someone accidentally says something so ridiculous that the whole room loses it. (Apparently no one told me oversharing wasn't allowed.)

Those moments aren't distractions from the workout. They’re part of it.

They're part of what makes people come back for more.

Taking care of your health shouldn't feel like another chore—at least not every day. There will be days you skip the workout. Days when dinner comes from a drive-thru. Days when life simply wins.

That's okay.

Be kind to yourself. Rest when you need to. Just don't stay away too long. Keep coming back—not because you're chasing the perfect Barbie body, but because of how movement makes you feel.

Strong.

Alive.

Capable.

Proud.

Because somewhere beneath the responsibilities, the grocery lists, the careers, the caregiving, and the endless pressure to get everything right, there is still a little girl who climbed trees simply because she could.

I'd love to help you find her again.