LA DANCER MAGAZINE | Page 34

FIT LOOKS GOOD ON YOU By Yaelle Maftsir Fitness! Health! Both of these together are kind of like that big, historic question about the chicken and the egg: Which came first? So… which did come first? Fitness or great body shape? Does a healthy body need a healthy mind or vice versa? After fifteen years as a fitness trainer, an actress, and a performance artist, I have a confession to make— yes, I’m like that mother who likes all of her children, but underneath the happy face that I’m wearing for each of my clients, my favorites are the ones who are truly crazy about their bodies, who celebrate the amazing machine God gave them. The ones who smile during our sessions, those who do stretching after a day of shopping because they’re smart enough to understand that such days are sometimes even more intense than a serious hike at the Ranyon Canyon (especially on heels!), or those who dance themselves in the room and stretch their backs on the lintels of doors. So if you belong to these types of people there three things I wanna say to youA. Great B. Amazing C. Keep going! You are not just my favorite customers, you are also the easiest to work with. And… there’s the other group of people, the ones who don’t know what they are looking for. A trainer or a sitter????? Their favorite sport is to work on their thumb muscles, texting me that you wanna reschedule our session. They’re having a giant conflict between their body and mind; the mind thinks that it needs the right body to workout. They like the stretching more than the workout itself, they need A LOT of water breaks and they find a million problems and issues with their bodies so that they may get the golden ticket that absolves them from doing some of the exercise. If you belong to this group of people I have three words for youLet. Me. Help. Work Less Almost everyone that I know wants the “er” affect— to be leaner, firmer, stronger, thinner. Well let me tell you a secret: In fitness, just as in life, you often gain more by doing less. In other words— relax. There is a vicious circle in fitness lifestyle