We’re so excited to share BollyX Instructor, Mickel’s, story of finding health and wellness through dance fitness. Sometimes the people we love and love us back are the ones who push us to embrace life for what it is and take direction to move in the right direction. Read what Mickel has to say about Body Empowerment!

“I don’t dance,” was what I told my date in high school as we arrived to the school dance. She was disappointed but it turned out ok. When I said I didn’t dance, that also meant I didn’t exercise. In high school I didn’t need to, but I went to college and achieved a degree with 50 extra pounds. A few years later I went back to school and got another degree and another 50 pounds.

I continued through life focusing on everything except my body. Health was on the bottom of my list because I never found it fun or interesting. Six years ago my wife changed her focus on health and started eating better and going to exercise classes. I told her to have a good time and put a frozen pizza in the oven for my dinner. Repeat this every night for a few years.

One day, I was driving to work and realized: I feel like garbage! The biggest part for me to change is making that emotional decision that I want something else, so I decided to make that change. I was too embarrassed to join a gym or go to a class so I did yoga at home which built my confidence with some results but it wasn’t really fun. I kept looking for something that I could enjoy and decided to do something daring! I went to my wife’s dance fitness class. Nervous and intimidated I stuck to the back corner. Even after I tripped over my own feet, I was having fun and sweating like crazy.

I kept going to class but I was still looking for something that fit my personality. Something that I could feel comfortable being in my own skin and have a blast doing with others. To me, that’s what body empowerment is. Not only doing and feeling great, but sharing that moment with others. One day my wife wanted to watch a Bollywood movie and we absolutely loved it! In a short time we quickly collected a large library of movies which lead her to finding BollyX. I knew it was what I was looking for in the first class. BollyX has the music and dancing like nothing else out there and it’s a class that I didn’t feel like was just for ladies. There are powerful and fun moves that increased my energy and confidence. It doesn’t matter what type of day I have, by the end of the warm up I’m smiling and full of energy.

I’m also happy to say that it did turn out ok for my high school date too. It might have taken two decades but today, I dance with my high school sweetheart, inspiration and fellow BollyX instructor Joyce multiple times every week.