Category: Healthy Lifestyle Blog by Morgana

Sometimes people assume that because I am a personal trainer, yoga, pilates, meditation and barre instructor I am just inherently in good shape, eat healthfully and live life mindfully at all times. It would be wonderful if by teaching others to live healthfully I absorbed the benefits of a good diet, exercise and meditation routine by osmosis. But the truth is that I am just a person like anybody else, and I argue with myself about going to the gym, waking up early to meditate and whether or not to order dessert.

What hope is there if even a personal trainer has to struggle with living a healthy lifestyle? I am here to share with you what motivates me personally to live my life healthfully, and how I think it can help you too. It largely boils down to three key factors, education, community and being a role model.

Inspirational education: As a personal trainer I am constantly reading articles and studies about health and wellness so that I can be up to date on the latest research and be able to provide the best information to my clients and students. While my initial motivation for reading an article may be to educate my self as a professional, it also impacts the way I want to live my life. If I read the article How Exercise Could Lead to a Better Brain, I feel excited about my own workouts as well as my clients. While I often dig deeper and try to read the studies behind whatever the latest trend may be, much of my research comes from easily accessible and fun to read sources such as the New York Times Well section, Yoga Journal, and even magazines like Shape or Self. There are a lot of studies being done on food, exercise, meditation, and how a healthy lifestyle impacts our whole lives. By reading a few articles a week and maybe sharing them with friends or family you think would be interested, you may find yourself more motivated and excited about making healthy changes in your life.

Community: When I am exercising, and I get to that part where I want to quit, I think of my clients and students. It is my goal to help people exercise safely past their comfort zone and to the point where changes happen in the body on all levels. I would feel embarrassed if  I didn’t practice what I preach.

When my alarm wakes me up at 5:30 am for 30 minutes of Pilate’s stability exercises before my day starts, I think of all the other people in gyms, or on yoga mats throughout the city who got up well before the break of dawn to do something good for themselves. I admit that it was a shock to me when I first learned that people went to the gym at 5 am in this crazy city that never sleeps. But I have since then come to feel inspired by it. On the other side, plenty of my clients and students are not morning people and they share stories about getting home late, and doing their exercises at midnight before falling asleep. My clients and students have taught me that there is always time to prioritize you’re health and that the impacts of making changes in your life does result in real, tangible and lasting changes. Seeing those changes occur in the people who trust and follow my guidance has in turn inspired me to live what I teach every day.

How is this relevant to non fitness pros? I think the real key here is surrounding yourself with people who do the things you want to be doing. Every day I am talking to people who are dedicated to making at least a small commitment to their health and wellness, and this is something you can do without teaching exercise classes. How that looks for you could be very different from someone else. Try joining a walking group. Or start a walking group with some of your colleagues at work. Find a group fitness class where the teacher and students excite you. Hire a personal trainer who takes the time to work with your needs and goals. Take a healthy cooking class. Take a meditation class. The key is to find other like minded people who are working on living the lifestyle you are aspiring too. Social media can also be a great source of healthy-minded people. I love mynewroots.org, thechalkboardmag, ohsheglows, karlytreacy, and well.blog.nytimes. And of course you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and sign up to receive my email updates.

Be a Role Model: It is my job to lead by example and to practice what I preach, which of course is a big motivation. Why not make it a goal to be an inspiration and example to others? I often see when a client or student of mine makes a big change in their life that it encourages others. Seeing is believing. Maybe you could give someone else courage to show up and try? This doesn’t mean being perfect or having already achieved certain goals. People are encouraged by other people who struggle, persevere and try their best.

What I’m really saying is that as a fitness professional, I am constantly surrounding myself with resources and a community of people who are trying to live healthier lifestyles and it is my job to motivate, educate and inspire them. While health and wellness may not be your profession, I think that there is a lot that could be recreated by simply reading and sharing information, surrounding yourself with people who are trying to live a meaningful, joyful, and healthy lifestyle, and asking yourself to be the change you want to see.

Morgana Tessler is a Certified Orthopedic Personal Trainer, Yoga, Pilates, Meditation and Barre Instructor based in NYC. Morgana offers private and group fitness sessions. For more information visit www.morgana.nyc Facebook, Instagram