Reflections Video Series: When To Tell You're Off Balance

We continue with our new video series called Reflections, where we turn the question we ask guests coming to Canyon Ranch—What leads you here?—on our experts. In this series, you'll hear their personal wellness journeys and insights to help you navigate some of today's most pressing wellness concerns.

In the fifth of our Reflections Video Series, we sat down with two Canyon Ranch experts: Samuel Barthel, MS, CSCS, Performance Scientist and Sam Cooper, Director of Spa, Fitness & Beauty to discuss how they know when they are out of balance and how to manage it.

For Sam Barthel, it’s when he's feeling down and negative on things going on in his life; for Sam Cooper, it’s about not pushing past what her mind and body are telling her.

Watch the video above to hear their candid responses about the unconscious warning signs they recognized, and the steps they took to improve mindfulness, become more present, and stay grounded.

Or, read the transcript below.

Canyon Ranch: What are the signs that you are out of balance?

Samuel Barthel, MS, CSCS, Performance Scientist: A big one for me is how I treat my wife. That’s a real quick, easy check and she’s gonna let me know, too—that's one that’s probably the easiest for me. And then, the other one is really my mindset toward my day and my life. If I find myself really down and negative on things going on in my life, I have to take a reset moment both physically and mentally and make sure I adjust myself a little bit.

Sam Cooper, Director of Spa, Fitness & Beauty for Resorts: I think a lot of us have a tendency to ignore the signs of the way our body’s acting or how our mind might react to things. And I feel like, over time, I've learned to just really listen and quiet myself to pay attention to what those feelings are, whether it’s physical or mental, and address that. For years, I think I’ve put blinders on and just went through life and went through work, and kids, and school—whatever it might be without paying attention to what my body was telling me. So I’ve had a big shift in that, I’d say the last few years, and really paying attention to how I feel.