Fit-Twist Health: Create Community

I am so grateful for the yoga community. I didn't "fit in" at the gym or in other groups, but yoga taught me self-acceptance, love and compassion. I used to hate my body, but yoga helped me heal from body shame. Many of you know about my past struggle with weight. I was overweight. My family called me "fat" and I was bullied. I grew up thinking that I wasn't good enough (therefore I didn't feel loved or accepted). I became a people-pleaser to gain approval or love but often felt resentful because I put my needs last. I was afraid to express how I felt because my parents taught me to keep quiet it if I have "nothing nice to say". I was tired of being "fat" and told to lose weight, so I started an extreme diet and exercise regime. Joining my high school tennis club helped since we had to run 3 to 5 miles almost every day.

At first, I felt like I was dying because I hated running. I couldn't breathe, my heart pounded, my legs felt like dead weight. Normally, I would give up and quit, but something kept me going. I grew to love the runner's high: that feeling of being a the top of the world. I ate less, ran more and lost over 40 pounds. At one point, I weighed less than 100 at five-foot nine. My mom noticed how thin I was and grew worried. She made me go see a doctor who said I was anorexic. Either I start eating more or I had to see a therapist. I wanted to see a therapist, but my mom didn't believe in psychotherapy because she thinks that only crazy people needed therapy. As an adult, I suffered from low self-esteem and had a love-hate relationship with food. Yoga helped me make peace with my pain.

Everybody has past traumas, but many people seek to escape their pain with alcohol or medication. About 15,000 people die from drunk driving and more than 64,000 died from opioids overdoses in 2016. Less than 15,600 died from gun violence last year. Comparatively, opioids killed more people than guns. Yet, we still do not have any legislation to make prescription drugs that contain opioids illegal. Our "Sick Care" means that doctors do not help us be healthy. Most of them are now just "drug pushers" in a white coat that gives them authority, making opioids use normal and legitimate. Obesity rates in adults now exceed 35% in 5 States, 30% in 25 States and Childhood Obesity affects 12.7 million kids and teens (ages 2-19). What does that say about our government and society?