How are you using the new year to become a better you? Most people start off with the intention to live well which is why gym memberships soar and meal plan subscriptions get a significant uptick. Once January passes, it might be easy to feel a wellness lull as February progresses. Bodypeace, an app created by Lizzie DeLacy, makes staying on track and focusing on your health not only manageable but inspiring.
Read on to hear about Lizzie’s inspiring launch, wellness tips, and business advice!
What led you to start DeLacy Wellness?
I’ve always had a passion for helping others, and after receiving my nutrition degree and yoga certification I decided to start my business with the hope I could inspire holistic health through movement and wellness. At that point in 2016, I hadn’t encountered too many brands that offered both fitness and nutrition guidance, so I felt DeLacy Wellness was pioneering a holistic approach to health that I know so many people seek.
Have you always been wellness conscious or was there a shift in your perspective?
I did ballet for a number of years when I was younger and had always been interested in movement and fitness. Unfortunately, I ate like most preteens and teenagers did: fast food, lots of sugar, lots of processed foods. In college, I started becoming more and more interested in food as fuel, and eventually changed my major from biology to nutrition. Since then I have been very health conscious and enjoy learning about new and emerging scientific studies in fitness and nutrition.
What does the DeLacy Discipline entail?
The DeLacy Discipline is my unique style of yoga-inspired fitness that combines functional movements, yoga, and calisthenics; it is meant to encourage accessibility, alignment, and progression. My hope in creating this discipline is to evolve the fitness training industry to a higher dimension, offering a more effective connection of the mind, body, and lasting results.
You have a lot of wonderful member stories on your website. Can you share a member’s story that has impacted you?
I think the person who most impacted and motivated me is Kathy, who at this point is 75 and still active and physically engaged. She had suffered a couple of injuries in the past, and wanted to find an exercise that strengthened her balance while alleviating the stiffness that comes with daily living. After working with her for several months, she was able to get stronger without pushing her body to injury, and she said she always felt relaxed after one of my sessions. Kathy works, is active with her friends and family, and exercises regularly now. She’s an incredible person and role model, and I aspire to be like her one day.
What’s your favorite way to workout?
My favorite exercises change every couple years or so, and right now I’m hooked on Barry’s Bootcamp! It’s so much fun to combine running with lifting and it’s hard every single class which means it’s challenging me. My body wasn’t used to this type of cross-training, so it took a LOT of extra stretching and Bodypeace sessions to help me work up to Barry’s. I think next I’m looking forward to getting into P.Volve. We’ll see!
Fitness is a huge part of your life. How can readers who have a job outside of the fitness world make it a big part of theirs?
This is such a relevant question because we see fitness trainers and influencers all the time taking mid-day workout classes, in super great shape, and that’s only representing about .01% of the fitness industry. In reality, most of us are working a lot as it is, and trying to find extra time to workout is definitely difficult. I would recommend trying to find shorter, more impactful workouts. Many online apps like Sweat, Bodypeace, and P.Volve have classes that are less than half an hour and can be done at home so you skip the traffic. If those are still inaccessible, think about fitness being small lifestyle choices like parking farther away, taking the stairs, and standing up every hour at your desk to at least get your blood flowing. These little acts add up over time.
When it comes to nutrition, what is the biggest misconception people have that you encounter?
This is a hard one, I feel that there are so many misconceptions about nutrition, we all have them! I would have to say that I’ve seen many people who spend lots of time working out, and then think they can “outrun their fork” so to speak. I once saw a trainer do a personal training session with their client and then pull out a Hostess pastry snack right after (not judging or naming names)! I think I was so surprised that someone who is so conscientious about their fitness might not have been concerned with their nutrition. Even if we can’t see the immediate effects food has on us because our metabolisms are high or because we workout a lot, over time bad nutrition equates to poor health.
There’s a lot of pressure to stick to New Year’s resolutions, but oftentimes these fizzle out. What tips do you have for people who want to keep their health top of mind in 2020?
I’ve already nixed some of my New Year’s resolutions, and I’m actually ok with that since the ones I stopped weren’t sustainable. The great thing about resolutions is you can reevaluate and start them back up at any time of the year. Being honest with yourself and deciding which ones are sustainable and which ones are a little bit extreme will prevent burnout or guilt. Small choices really add up over time, so adding in one little change each month can make a big difference by December. When it comes to health, I think we’re more likely to keep our resolutions if it’s something we’re excited about or inspired by. Journaling and affirming can be good tools to keep your motivation going throughout the year.
You have a great list of book recommendations on your website. What types of qualities of a book leads you to add it to your book club? Also, what’s your favorite book?
Thank you! I love reading and consider this a compliment! I enjoy a wide array of topics, though when it comes to my book club on my site, I try to suggest books that offer some form of personal development. Not self-help books per se, but books that prompt introspection and personal discovery, even if they’re works of fiction. Hmm, I think my favorite book is a tie between Start With Why by Simon Sinek (so inspiring in business and in life) and Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (I love all of his work, I devoured this book in a day). I hope to start reading more classics soon, I tend to lean towards nonfiction!
Let’s talk Bodypeace! What made you start the app?
Yes! So after starting DeLacy Wellness in 2016 and teaching some of the same private clients for a couple years, I realized it was time to impact more people with my discipline. In 2018 I had casually mentioned the idea of offering my discipline online to one of my yoga privates (now business partner), Jack Martin, and he had been so transformed by my sessions that he wanted to invest. After talking it through, we decided that most people use apps instead of desktop sites to workout with at home, and thus Bodypeace was born! He actually came up with the name for it, since he said his body finally felt at peace after my sessions rehabilitated him from several previous injuries. It combines yoga-inspired fitness sessions with free wellness content to unify movement and nutrition for a holistic approach to health.
Can you explain your belief that “fitness is about more than exercise; it’s a lifestyle”?
We’ve (myself included) had a tendency to think of fitness only in the sense of sweaty workouts and being in shape; everyone knows the phrase “no pain, no gain”. What I’ve learned through working with my private clients and what I now teach is that fitness doesn’t have to be extreme and only focus on breaking PR’s or getting a six-pack. In fact, if we only think of it in that way, fitness can seem incredibly daunting. Instead, small changes over time can be considered fitness and will lead to a better quality of life. Fitness can be doing a 5-minute “Desk Stretch” session during your workday, walking during your lunch break, or doing jumping jacks during commercial breaks. It doesn’t have to only be about exercising when incorporating more movement into your life, in general, will make a difference.
If you had to pitch your app to readers in just one sentence, why should they download it?
As a platform for everyone and every type of body, Bodypeace combines personalized fitness sessions with wellness tips, holistically enabling you to become the best version of yourself.
Favorite hobby outside of working out?
Suddenly I feel boring because I’m trying to think of what I do besides work and workout! I’d say I enjoy watching cooking shows, cooking food, and then eating that food that I cooked.
Do you have any advice for women looking to start their own business?
So much advice! Trust yourself and your decisions, even if other people disagree with you. I’ve learned from past experience I would much rather fail having made the choice myself than fail because I trusted someone else’s word. Seek out other entrepreneurial-minded people, especially other women in business. Read and learn as much as you can or have time to. If you know your craft/talent/business more than anyone else in the world, you’re going to find success and you know you can always rely on yourself. Lastly, be patient. Social media portrays success that seems almost instantaneous, and most times it’s not. Trust yourself and trust the process. You only fail if you give up.
