Philosophitness with Tina Tang

Meet Tina Tang - Jewelry Designer, Trainer, Instructor, Business Woman, Problem Solver, Friend. This woman can kick your butt in the gym and then design you some fabulous jewelry to commemorate the occasion. She is a woman of many talents and so much wisdom. I am happy that our paths crossed in New York and that we have become good friends.

I have personally worked with Tina as a trainer, taken her group fitness class AND done her remote training challenge. All of which have helped me achieve different goals at different times in my life. I appreciate her coaching, her knowledge and her life wisdom.

Lucky for everyone, she is sharing a bit of that wisdom and life experience in this interview. Enjoy!

• What is your philosophy around health and wellness? 

  No extremes.  As overly used as it sounds, I believe in moderation and "do-ability".  If you can't do it forever, it won't work.

• How has your workout routine evolved over the years?

  I was a treadmill and elliptical junkie.  I would spend an hour on the dreadmill in my 20's thinking that was the way to stay healthy.  It was also the only way I knew because I never had any education in how to use dumbbells, kettlebells nor even any of the machines in the gym.  When I was married, I turned to my husband, whom I figured just knew more than me.  He made me a routine that I printed out and did every day at the gym.  This included 30 minutes on the elliptical, 30 reps on the various nautilus machines; overhead press, chest press, thigh master, lat pull down.  I did that same routine for likely 3 years.

  When I started taking gym classes is when I started asking questions about what and why.  Only after taking a personal training course, simply for personal development, did I learn about the ranges of movement, how to use tools and why we use them. 

• I love your athleisure style! You used to train me in the best outfits - tennis skirts + adidas track tops, etc. Have you always had a strong sense of style? Where does it spring from?

  My sense of style comes my eccentric momma.  To give you a sense, her favorite store for years, was Forever 21.  She was shopping there in her 70's. Of course she wasn't wearing the hoochie momma crop tops, but she layers pieces that no one ever thinks of.  The pieces are always full body so no one would even imagine it came from Forever 21.

• I’m always interested in the relationship between culture and health. How has your upbringing influenced your perspective and habits around health?

  Chinese food is very balanced.  There are always vegetables and meat.  There is always fruit for dessert.  The way I was brought up was that a little of everything was ok.  In terms of exercise, I think the activity is very American.  Other cultures have exercise as fun or as a means to get somewhere.  It's only in the US where we "exercise" for the sake of exercise.  My mom swims and does tai chi.  She turns to those for health to keep her body moving.  She would never approach it the way we do at a HIIT or CrossFit gym. 

• Do you think your parents would understand you better if they worked out with you? 

  This is unimagineable!  I cannot see my Chinese parents working out with me!  HAHA!  It's two circles that will never overlap in a venn diagram.

• Outside of fitness, what other things do you do to manage stress?

  Fitness isn't so much an outlet for me for stress as it is a health necessity like brushing my teeth.  My partner is my stress manager simply for the fact that he is the opposite temperament.  I am high strung - no one would ever mistake me for a pothead.  He is so laid back that if I told you he was a pot-head you would nod and say "of course he is".  His comments when I stress out, puts things in perspective.  Such as, "nothing you do will matter once you're dead." Haha, he is quite blunt.

• What are your wellness essentials? 

  Recently, since reading the book, Why We sleep, I've been prioritizing sleep.  I used to think I could catch up or that it would be merely a day of tiredness.  When reading this book that scientifically explains the life long physical effects of lack of sleep, I have re-adjusted my prioritization of sleep.  I'm going to be 50 next year and I don't want to create more opportunity for Alzheimer's.  Lack of sleep effects on the brain is a common factor found in Alzheimer's patients.  Get sleep kids!

Instagram: @ironstrongfit

Website: https://www.ironstrongfitness.net

Philosophitness with Rachel Ricketts

Meet Rachel Ricketts - Activist, Speaker, Writer, Yogi, Connector, Healer, Friend. Rachel is one of the first people I really connected with when I moved to Vancouver. I heard her speak at an event and was drawn in by her unapologetic truth telling. 

She took the time to introduce me to some incredible humans and spaces in Vancouver. Which is priceless, because making friends as an adult can be even more daunting than the first day of kindergarten at times. 

Rachel has an incredible story. She has been through some unthinkable heart breaks that have given her empathy and passion to live boldly and to take on the work of spiritual activism and social justice. I hope you will take some time to read more about her work and her journey. For now, this interview is beautiful start.

Tell me what wellness means to you? How does fitness (or movement) fit into that?

Wellness means soul-care. It means connecting to and with yourself on a spiritual, emotional, mental and physical level. Acknowledging, honouring and prioritizing your needs and the internal and external things that help you be your best self in every possible way, so that, ultimately, you have the capacity to show up for the collective. For me, movement plays into that in a major way because it helps us get out of our heads and into our bodies. We live in a world that prioritizes operating from the neck up, but it leaves us disconnected from our hearts and spirits. Getting into the body is one of the best ways to ground ourselves so we can attune to what it is we are feeling and what we need to take care of ourselves on all levels.

From the outside looking in, it seems that the work you do is very draining and probably overwhelming at times. How do you take care of yourself day to day?

My work is undoubtedly draining and overwhelming (but it is also affirming and joyous). I constantly remind myself that I cannot be of service to anyone if I am pouring from an empty cup, so my soul-care is a top priority. I take care of myself through daily meditation, even if it’s just 5 minutes but I strive for 10-15 mins in the morning and/or before bed. I move my body as much as I can through yoga, HIIT or an impromptu dance party (usually solo in my living room to Solange). I give myself permission to rest which is HUGE (and really hard). I also rely on many of the spiritual modalities I teach (practice what you preach and all that). In addition to yoga and meditation, that looks like breath work, Reiki and intuitive channeling. Lastly, I call in my support team on a regular basis, I could not do what I do without the steady support of others - my husband, my friends, my therapists (yes I have two) and spiritual coaches.

What has been one of the biggest health (physical, mental or emotional) challenges you’ve worked to overcome or are in the process of addressing?

After my mother died I experienced a dark night of the soul unlike anything I could have known or imagined prior. My grief and situational depression was all-encompassing and all-consuming. It impacted my ability to think, to eat, to sleep, to work - there was not a single faction of my life that was not affected. It was the most demanding event of my entire life and it took every ounce of energy and attention I had to face my tough emotions, withstand the discomfort and move through it. There were moments I wanted to end my own life, and I had to get really clear and serious about taking care of myself and my mental health to ensure I survived. It was the single hardest experience of my life. I will never be the same because I learned a lot about how and why I need to prioritize myself and my wellbeing which has been a gift. Grief never "ends," it’s a process and it looks different day to day but I have learned how to better tune in to my needs so I can withstand the tough times better and equip myself with tools to support myself.

You’ve spent most of your life living in Canada and now you are living in Sweden; what have you observed about the way that different cultures influences wellness and health? How does that impact communities of color within these populations?

Some cultures certainly prioritize health and wellness in a way others do not. The Swedes are incredibly health conscious, more so in regards to fitness but also holistic wellbeing. Of course, it makes a huge difference when healthcare is a right and not a privilege and in that way Canada and Sweden are quite similar and offer a huge advantage over the US or developing nations. When health is a right, of course, it means there is more access for all but particularly communities of colour who are so often disenfranchised as a result of systemic racism and oppression. Globally, there is a huge push for wellness offerings that derive from communities of colour without honouring the roots of those practices or the communities from which they originate and I am seeing how this is harming POC around the world as we are often excluded from partaking in wellness offerings or practices that were originally made by and for us. 

If you had to pick only one type of physical activity to do for a whole year, what would it be and why?

Yoga. Always. It fills me up in so many ways and there are so many different variations. I love how intuitive it is and that I can do it home alone (my fave) or in a group with tons of people.

What are your wellness essentials?

1) Rose Essential Oil - I  have an edible one as well as one to wear on my chakra points/put in a diffuser that uplift my mood and protect my aura.

2) Natural Supplements - especially adaptogens to support my adrenals (I travel with what seems like a small suitcase of herbs and vitamins)

3) Ritual Botanicals Toner Spray - it smells divine, leaves your face with a glow (and is handmade by my baby sis)

4) Matcha Green Tea by Harmonic Arts - I make an oat milk matcha every morning as a ritual for energy and focus

5) Candle - I travel a lot so the candle becomes my altar. I love cedar or sweetgrass by Quw'utsun'made.

Do you think that wellness as a practice, a concept, a philosophy could have an impact on social justice on a local or global level? 

Absolutely! And it is the basis for all of my teachings. Spiritual, mental, emotional and physical wellness, and mindfulness particularly, as a practice and philosophy is the crux of my Spiritual Activism courses in support of radical racial justice. Hurt people hurt people. Period. White supremacy is a consequence of people in pain hurling their pain at people of colour and causing us to bear the consequence. It is very intentional and systematic, but at the end of the day it is a result of pain and trauma so white people need to address their shit and collect their people. If we cannot take care of our own shit, process our traumas, honour our experiences, then we have no ability to tolerate our own discomfort let alone the grand discomfort that comes when realizing the ways we impact and/or oppress others. When you oppress me, you oppress yourself. Social justice is a form of global healing - they are one and the same. So we need to commit to our healing like our lives depend on it (they do) so we can get to the bigger and larger task of healing the collective divide.

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Follow Rachel:

@iamrachelricketts

www.rachelricketts.com