First Blog Post: Discussing My Goals for Studio Guerrein
Studio Guerrein is an idea I have been swirling around in my head for a while now. Dance, fitness, and health have been very strong passions of mine for a long time. My passion for dance has endured the longest, starting in the studio during my 2nd grade year. From then on I took more and more classes, aiming to be the best I possibly could. Not only in dancing myself, but learning to lead, teach, quickly absorb choreography, match those around me and dance as one team. These are all important ideals in life and feel very fulfilling to accomplish them through means such as dance.
My #1 top priority with Studio Guerrein is to make dance, fitness, health, and wellness available to all people. No matter their economic status, their geographical location, their culture, etc. Everyone should be able to access resources to improve their own health and well-being. I realized I have a lot of knowledge about work-outs and stretches to do with no equipment. A large part is all of the dance classes I took and taught. These experiences taught me how to build up from the ground up, starting with nothing but yourself.
During the pandemic, like probably many others, I found myself sitting quite often and my body being in a different shape than I was used to. I found it hard to participate in the physical activities I enjoy, such as hiking up a hill, doing a cardio routine, or doing some flow arts. I also felt I looked different in the mirror than I ever had before. I couldn’t even do a split anymore, something that had been easy for me for 10+ years. This realization spurred a change: I would start to exercise and stretch a few times a week. My personal goal was to move a little each day, do a quick stretch, and do my body weight work-outs maybe 3 times a week.
Purely spending roughly 5-10 minutes each day focused on exercising and stretching, I really started to see results.
It was not a complicated workout, just something small I could maintain on a regular basis. This proved to be key in starting a lifestyle change I desperately wanted and needed.
Once I started noticing a change, it then encouraged me to try and be more restraint with snacks and focus on healthy meals. I still would indulge, just try to do it in less volume and frequency. My food intolerances also continued to get worse, meaning I had no choice but to eat home-cooked meals (a blessing in disguise). I kept up this slow but steady trend over the course of a few years. Before I knew it I was starting to look and feel like myself again. And not only that, I actually looked BETTER than ever before. I also learned that enjoying food is so incredibly important. You need to actually like what you are eating and nourish your body with every bite. Do not force things upon your body, for not only will you be incredibly uncomfortable, but that is not a sustainable way to achieve the goals you have.
This focus on consistency and feeling good is really what I commend in getting me to where I wanted to get to. That, and the fact that my unique knowledge and creativity led to some really effective workouts. I spent a lot of time just in the hallway of my house, on a yoga mat or towel, trying different exercises and seeing which muscles were being worked. I quickly got my splits back from the stretches I did. Over time I perfected my personal regimen and continue to not only maintain, but improve my results. If anything happens where I need to get back on track I am sure it will not be hard to find my routine again, slow yet consistent.
After realizing the unique knowledge of exercising and leading a group class I have, I decided it was time to look into getting certified as a Group Fitness Instructor. ACE is the platform I used to study and test for my certification. After many hours of studying, I passed on the first try and received my certification in June 2024. The experience I gained from teaching dance proved invaluable when it comes to leading a class. The passion I have for helping others makes this career extremely rewarding. I currently teach group classes and hope to find more opportunities to serve the community with my skills.
With starting Studio Guerrein, I want there to be options for people at affordable prices. There should be access to dance and fitness classes to everyone in every community. You never know who is going to discover an immense passion for dance after taking a free ballet class. These passions deserve to be nutured for all, opportunities should be given to everyone. For this to happen, we as a community need to come together to create opportunities and access. Many people with disabilities are also excluded from traditionally athletic spaces. It is not fair for someone to be excluded due to their financial status, disability status, race, ethnicinty, gender, etc. My goal is to teach classes to people who never got the chance to try those classes before. Ballet especially can be a very exclusive sport and there is no reason it needs to be. This needs to change.