Heather Meyer, Work it Out!: How I Have Fun, Do Good

The twelfth guest blogger in my have fun do good series series is Heather Meyer.  

Heather is a passionate fitness expert, who loves to dance from her heart and inspire others to create their own beautiful! 

You can connect with her on Facebook, or her blog Work it Out!~Fitness with Heather, where she sends out weekly juicy tidbits on living a healthy, happy life (from drinking water, to easing body aches to laughter). If you're in the Bay Area, you can join her classes at Hipline and Inside Outside Fitness.

Heather Meyer, Work it Out!: How I Have Fun, Do Good

As a child, I remember literally throwing myself around full-force without thinking too much about the consequences; I had plenty of bruises to show for it. I vividly recall running in big circles around my front yard pretending to fly; and, then having vivid dreams about it actualizing. I fondly recollect choreographing my first piece to Flashdance, where I became conscious of the power of movement combined with music. I was uninhibited, inspired, and living lusciously as Wonder Woman at the young age of five. As a child, having fun was an easy, natural way of being.

As I got older, my relationship with my body changed. I internalized the subtle message that as a woman I should quietly take up as little space as possible. These thoughts changed how I moved, and dance became a self-conscious, self-critical experience, which was a bigger reflection on how I lived life and viewed myself within it.

It has been a lengthy process of reclaiming movement and dance. And, myself.

When I first started teaching dance fitness, I approached it with a more serious attitude, as I had found my strength studying martial arts. I taught my classes by mixing kickboxing with dance. There were bits of fun and silliness injected in here and there, but, overall, it was pretty serious business for me. Over time, I realized how much more enjoyable it was to 'have fun’ while ‘working out.’ I found myself dancing fully, expressing my heart through movement with as much humor, playfulness, and spirit as I could muster.

Heather with some of her students at Hipline

What I have noticed in this process is that the more that I allow myself permission to let go, to take up space, to be strong, to be authentically me; the more that others give themselves permission to do the same. I 'do good' by sharing this way of being with others. My dance classes have become a way for us to inspire each other by letting go of our inhibitions, enjoying our bodies for all the amazing things they do, and smiling and singing as we sweat and move.

It is my absolute honor to help people find pieces of peace within, while outwardly expressing this life process though dance with our bodies.  I invite you to find ways to reclaim being uninhibited, inspired, and to live fully and lusciously. Breathe. Smile. Sing. Dance. Repeat in a different order with other fun things sprinkled in, turning up your personal volume.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

• How to Find Your Have Fun, Do Good
• Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne Elliott, Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good
• Leonie Allan of Goddess Guidebook Shares How She Has Fun, Does Good 
• Amy Potthast, Idealist.org: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Amy Sample Ward, Community Builder and NPtechie: How I Have Fun and Do Good
• Jennifer Moore, Monaluna Designs: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Elisa Camahort Page, BlogHer: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Allison Jones, Millennial Leader: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Beth Terry, Fake Plastic Fish: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Katya Andresen, Network for Good: How I Have Fun, Do Good
• Kimberly Wilson, Tranquility du Jour: How I Have Fun, Do Good 
• Lisa Sonora Beam, The Creative Entrepreneur, How I Have Fun, Do Good

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