On making movement part of your lifestyle

Embracing an active lifestyle for your mental, emotional, and physical health

Dani Squires (@CravingHalifax) is an award-winning blogger, based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, who focuses on food, experiences and reviews. She stresses the importance of supporting local through her blog and through her extensive volunteer work. Dani is also a mental health advocate, and proponent of working on both physical and mental health. When a car accident derailed her active lifestyle, her life changed.

In a refreshing and relatable way, Dani hasn’t been shy in sharing how she feels mentally, emotionally, and physically with her Instagram following of over 30k. Here, Dani talks with Inspire Me Magazine about her relationship with movement, and shares her struggles after her accident, her motivation, and advice for making movement part of your lifestyle.

Dani Squires (@CravingHalifax) is an award-winning blogger, based out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, who focuses on food, experiences and reviews. Photo: Jessie Snair Photography.

What is your relationship with movement like?

An active lifestyle has always been part of my life. I think sometimes people forget that you can gain weight and still be physically fit. In the last few years, I did gain a bit of weight but actively still went hiking, kayaking and spent a ton of time outdoors.

Toward the end of 2020, I started to really be conscious of what I was eating and wanted to make a change but didn’t know how. In 2021, I knew I needed to spend more time on myself. Working on both my mental and physical health. It was time. From January to mid-April, I lost approximately 23 lbs and a HUGE portion of that was thanks to the Game Changer Challenge with Evolve Fitness in Halifax that focussed on incorporating things into your day that is possible.

How do you try to incorporate movement into your lifestyle?

Earlier this year, I incorporated movement in many ways to fit my lifestyle. I work 8-5 so I began to take a 30-45 minute walk at lunch time with a coworker, no matter what. This is something that was easy to incorporate because I found myself always skipping my lunches or working through. This helped break up my day. I would take the stairs instead of elevators.. small steps but they really do all add up more than you think! I went to the gym almost daily - never missing a workout on the weekends. Weight lifting felt great, especially when you went up to the next set of pounds.

In late April, my life changed when I was in a car accident. I was no longer able to go for walks or go to the gym and with summer approaching (and kayaking/ canoeing season) I was crushed. Constantly comparing myself to my pre-accident self has not been healthy mentally or physically.

How did incorporating movement at the beginning of the year help you?

Honestly, I felt the best I have felt in years. Mentally, Emotionally and Physically. Crushing your goals gives you such an incredible boost of motivation. It sounds cheesy but I bought a pair of jeans from Levi’s as my “goal” jeans - when I fit into them, it felt like pure magic. Feeling healthier and being part of a community like Evolve where you could celebrate EVERY win (no matter how big or small) was key for me.

What has been the biggest struggle incorporating movement into your life after your accident?

I think the biggest struggle is honestly not feeling well enough and trying to push through what I used to be able to do. A 45 minute walk around my neighbourhood before my accident was a breeze and now a 15 minute fast paced walk leaves me light headed and nauseous. I feel like I incorporate as much as I can but it never feels like enough. My mental health has suffered immensely and I’ve been incredibly hard on myself because my body could do so much more just a few months ago.. While my body and mind are healing, I still compare everything to pre-accident.. your healthy body is definitely something you unknowingly take for granted.

What motivates you?

What motivates me... haha! This is a tricky question and I feel like it changes CONSTANTLY… But I feel like that is very healthy. You should always be growing and changing. However, it always comes down to future me. I have never once regretted hiking Cape Split or “walking up” Jacob’s Ladder at Victoria Park or doing the Skyline trail in Cape Breton. I’ve never regretted any movement that I’ve done!

What advice do you have for others who want to make movement a part of their lifestyle?

Start today! Take that lunch break and explore downtown. Go to a winery and have a glass of wine and walk through the vineyards. Find a Zumba class you love with your friends and laugh and sweat and laugh some more. Don’t take your body or your mind for granted. You are magical and you can do this!