GIRL Date: Openness with Vivia

Vivia is a real life IG crush with #goals. She is 28 years old and a personal trainer/Coach in Los Angeles. She’s motivating and full of passion and inspiration and (as if her conversation wasn’t dope enough) her story is unreal to me.  She launched Viv moves last year and has been moving like a BOSS ever since. She grew up in China and struggled with her weight since she was 5.  She was the valedictorian, played piano and violin, however, she went to an IV school in a terrible school district.  She was forced to grow up faster because of the type of the environment she was exposed to in school and learned that the sheltered life was nothing compared to how the real world is. Everything changed when college started at Northwestern.  There was an extreme culture change, she got into a relationship, and found comfort in food.  She contracted a terrible case of the swine flu, and spent a lot of her time sleeping throughout the day.  Then she would stay up all night to be with her boyfriend, who she also felt trapped by in her own way and ended up gaining 25 pounds in 9 months.

“It got to a point where “enough was enough… I was so low in vibration”

Vivia also explained to me how she deals with PCOS and endometriosis. She had her annual appointment with her gynecologist and explained to the doctor how bad her period pains were.  At her worst, Vivia would have fainting spells and ended up in a bad fall in her bathroom. I personally believe we don’t understand enough about these conditions and their severity.  PCOS and endometriosis are believed to be the cause of one of the most common hormonal abnormalities in women and can be to blame for everything from weight gain to fertility issues. Her mother would always tell her that her struggles were normal and it was just written off just as that “normal”.  However, she was only getting a period only once a year, and had to dope up on drugs and sit in her room for days until the pain subsided every time. 

Viv also explained to me how PCOS gives the body more androgens which throws the body into a hormonal storm. One interesting thing she mentioned too, is how that contributes to our body types and fat distribution. When women have the “apple” look, they are more prone to having PCOS. Ultimately, the PCOS diagnosis was bittersweet for Vivia to find out because although she was upset to have this condition, she was happy to finally know that her pains were indeed abnormal and validated. Instead of taking the hormone therapy recommended by the doctor, Viv turned to the gym.  8 years later….she is a BOSS and inspiring everyone with her story through physical education.

“I didn’t like being in my body.  I would go to sleep so I didn’t have to feel like being in the body I was in”

So here’s what else Vivia had to say…..

What is your morning routine?

It differs from day to day but the primary principles are already intact. I like to do this before bed and in the morning…I try my best to list the three things that I am grateful for in the morning and then three things that I can do within my control for the next day to put those things to bed.  Also I have made the bed every single day for a year now. 

Vivia related making the bed to closing off a chapter and starting something new. I loved that because I can relate to how good it feels to just make the bed in the morning.

I also like to clean in the morning. Before anybody else gets their chance to influence your vibes or mood with theirs, I think if we set ours strong enough, we should be able to deter what goes on throughout the day.

If I didn’t have …. I would go insane.

I would have to say cannabis, marijuana, weed.  I am really passionate about changing the stigma of that and what it means to be a ‘stoner’.  In reality weed is the one thing that saved me before the birth control for the pains. The second I started smoking it went from active pain to ‘I can deal’

Vivia broke down the science of cannabinoids that our bodies naturally produce. With PCOS there’s an imbalance of those endocannabinoids.  THC/CBD helps open up your pain receptors so that its not as excruciating.   

I think that from a physical view…. I may not look like a stoner but without it I wouldn’t be able to function the way that I do and help people. Weed doesn’t make you do bad things…people make you do bad things.

What do you love most about yourself?

When you think about this you think aesthetic.  But I think it’s my willingness to figure things out despite what the process looks like.  I have to see something from beginning to end before I execute it…ideally in any situation my first instinct is to run through every combination….to figure it out. An ability to always figure out a solution.

What is a day of self-care for you?

Funny enough when I asked Viv this, I said no gym or nothing. But her response made me so happy because when you fucking love something, it really is a form of self-love to do that shit.

I count the gym as self-care.  If I have nothing else to do in a day I will go to the gym. Vivia told me how she used to spend so much time on pampering to compensate for the way she felt about herself on the outside. Now a day of self-care relies on none of that.  Now its more about finding out what’s more on the inside like reading….IN COMPLETE SILENCE…or listening to classical music that has no lyrics.  A day of self-care is more about finding peace…its how I need to work on myself.

DOPE

What advice would you give your 20 year old self?

The time that I would like to have over again was my early 20’s. I didn’t have any real responsibilities so I think the advice I would have had for myself was to appreciate that more. There is a such thing as destination chasing, and instead of enjoying the present moment more it was about chasing something.  If it’s something that you’re not happy with, then you have the power to change it.  The ability to leave the job you hate, or move across the country.  It’s very uncomfortable and it hurts but there’s no one who went through something and didn’t come out good on the other side.

Do you ever encounter issues being a woman in the gym industry?

I haven’t, but my thing was always being able to go into the gym and do an exercise better than a guy.  That feeling is what I am constantly chasing after.  In the gym, it actually works in a woman’s favor.

She explained how it’s easier for girls to reap the benefits of the fitness industry from a business perspective. She broke down how all of the “fake” fitness world is unfortunate and misleading. Specifically, the ‘hip hop abs’ workout or the flat tummy teas, and social media impact on the fitness industry.

What do you say to someone that wants to quit?

I think it’s a matter of how bad you want that thing.  It’s easier said than done. For me, it was wanting it as bad as I can breathe.  I think it’s thinking ultimately about the end result and then baby steps. If today I am not going to work out, then maybe I am not gonna eat pizza too.

If you had to leave the earth tomorrow what is the one thing that you would do?

I really want to jump out an airplane. I would love to do that.  If I know I gotta go tomorrow I am doing all the things that are gonna kill me anyway.  Maybe Ill go swim with the sharks!

What does LOVE mean to you?

If you asked me about 6 months ago, I probably would have given you a different answer but that just goes to show the growth.  Growing up love had a very superficial meaning but in reality I think that love in any regard is openness.  It is being 100% open to whatever…. whether that is by yourself or with someone else.

I think the true essence of love is openness

My family is Chinese and speaks mandarin. The term in Chinese for having a good time…it means open heart.  If you were to just crack your heart open to whatever pain…it means going from closing to opening that up despite potential pain.

It really was a pleasure talking to Vivia.  She was such a grounded spirit.  If you are in her area USE HER services…I damn sure will be.  Follow her on IG @ vivmoves.