One of the best parts of our ‘Ignite Your Soul 6 Week Challenge’ has to be the amount of things I’m learning along the way. My goal in creating this series is to share new thoughts, inspirations, and ideas around 6 main components of our lives. By bringing awareness to these areas and incorporating different concepts, we’re able to become the best versions of ourselves!

Adding movement into our lives is crucial when it comes to our personal health and wellness. Our focus for Week 3 is on MOVEMENT, which for obvious reasons is one of my favorite topics. I sat down with a good friend of mine, Molly Flaherty, the owner of M/Body, to chat all things movement. Molly is an absolutely amazing women with a huge heart and passion for what she does. Read more below to discover how moving can be both fun and beneficial, without being difficult or time consuming!

What does movement mean to you?  

Movement—to me—is defined exactly by the theme of your series.  It is what “ignites your soul”.  It’s what “floats your boat”.  It’s what motivates you to put aside the excuses for not moving and “M/Brace” the purity and guilty pleasure of what speaks to your person.  I train elite athletes and I train people with Parkinson’s and other physical and emotional challenges.  The inherent success of a fitness/wellness regimen is determined by what people want and strive for themselves.  Not what I think they need.

Why is moving our bodies important?  

Imagine not being able to.  Imagine the feeling of being told to sit still against your will.  95% of the population are able-bodied people that have the invaluable gift of choosing whether to move their body or not.  I feel so strongly we not only owe it to ourselves to engage our bodies in the freedom of movement that we ARE SO LUCKY and so rewarded in doing so but to all of those that wish they had the opportunity but can’t.  When my kids were little, if I got especially grumpy with them or in general…they would inevitably ask, “Mom, did you get to run today?”  It was then that I realized I owed it more to them than to myself to get the release and the mental and physical “rush” that moving my body provided in order to be the best version of myself.  

How can you make movement fun and easy especially during the winter months?

 Easy.  Find what you love…if it’s yoga.  Practice.  If it’s a dance-based practice.  Dance.  If you hate to spin.  Don’t spin.  If you love to watch “Ellen”  on the elliptical.  Watch Ellen.  (And do some kickin’ dance moves when she does). Get OUTSIDE!!!  Shovel snow and then take a walk around your neighborhood to look at Christmas lights or the beauty of a Rochester winter landscape.  Rent cross-country skis and head to a park.  But you HAVE HAVE HAVE to find something that you actually look forward to…all else fails in the long marathon of a Rochester winter.

How can you expect to feel after adding more movement into your life?

 Proud.  M/Powered.  Able to conquer the world.  A better version of yourself.  Tired.  Sometimes sore.  But always, always better than you felt before NOT adding that movement.  It’s cliche’, but I tell people all the time.  No one ever said, “Gee, I regret that workout.”

What is your favorite way to move?  Personally, right now…it’s yoga.  I’m not a certified yoga instructor…so I simply get to be a student.  I feel my body regenerating and rejuvenated during every practice.  I beat my body up and have for a number of years.  Selfishly, I get the most satisfaction from a rigorous yoga practice from Nicole or any of my amazing instructors.  After that, it’s going outside for a jog in either my amazing Webster neighborhood or my home away from home in the NOTA area.  I RUN sometimes, which I like to do…but when I JOG outside, I feel like a giddy teenager.  

A huge thank you to Molly! She’s got me fired up and wanting to get my move on… Are you with me!? Check her out along with the M/body crew soon. You will leave feeling amazing and M/Powered!