Embracing Movement: Teva Scarborough on Dance, Health, and Self-Love

Meet Teva Scarborough, a vibrant force in the world of health and fitness coaching, who draws on a rich tapestry of experiences from her three-decade journey in dance and education. After nearly a decade of teaching in high schools, Teva took a courageous leap to leave the traditional classroom behind and pursue her passion for movement and well-being through her own business, Teva Movement. With a deep understanding of the emotional connections we have to our bodies, she empowers women to embrace their unique journeys toward self-acceptance and health. Teva’s commitment to fostering a nurturing community reflects her belief in the power of support among women, reminding us that every step we take in our fitness journey is an act of self-love. Join us as we dive into her inspiring journey and the transformative role dance plays in her life and coaching practice.

1. What inspired you to create Teva Movement, and how does your background in dance influence your approach as a health and fitness coach?

I have been teaching full time in a high school for the last 9 years, but have had an extensive 3 decade career teaching both adults and youth in the spheres of fitness and education. I knew last year that I wanted to leave full time teaching and start my own business, as I wanted to create something that I could do until I am old that fulfills me but also doesn’t destroy my physical and mental health. ALthough I adore working with my teenagers, working in a school is incredibly challenging in many aspects and I feel in my soul there is more that I am meant to do. So, I left school and embarked on this new journey. It has been a huge learning curve as I am learning so much about business and marketing, about social media, creating and editing videos and more – but I also know that my years of experience, training and knowledge can be useful to help others. I have always been feisty and quite feminist and have also always felt that the most support I have received in my life have been from women – this is not to say I don’t like or respect men, but in my experience so many of the women I know are the ones who get things done, who support and nurture others, even when they have little support!

My dance background goes further back than my fitness background as I started dance at 5 years old and my mom was a dancer, dance teacher and choreographer, so I was exposed to the dance world from a young age. It is because of the dance world that I have many of my “hang-ups” about my body and weight but it is also dance that has been my “church” – where I release feelings and feel connected to myself, the music, to others.

Even though I discovered fitness in my early 20s and found that to be a huge help with my weight management, it doesn’t feed my soul. Dance, however, is creative (especially contemporary dance, which is my genre) and allows me to explore my own movement, my own reactions to music and to move in ways that feel good for my body (as all our bodies are different!)

My background in dance also affects my approach as a H&F coach in that I believe we need to find movement / exercise that we enjoy in order to be consistent! If we are forcing ourselves to go workout, doing something that feels like a chore, it is much harder to motivate ourselves. Dance has also given me discipline, something I try to educate clients about – you will never always be motivated so you need to have discipline!

2. Can you share your personal journey with body image and self-acceptance, and how it has shaped your work?

As a young dancer I did not have the perfect ballet body – I am short (5ft 1 inch) and have my dad’s stocky build. I do not have good turn out and (from my mom’s side of the family) can put on weight easily. I already noticed I was different from the other little ballet girls at 5 years old and remember thinking, “I wish I was skinny like her”. This continued throughout school and obviously became worse in puberty. I was never a sporty kid – I just wanted to dance – and I did multiple dance forms. I was ambitious and competitive but I never felt good enough because I wasn’t thin enough or had the right turn-out or flexibility to be a top performer. What I did have was musicality, a good ability to pick up and retain choreography and good performance skills. But overall I just LOVED dancing and being in shows! The thing is, you are surrounded by lots of thin girls and the aesthetic in dance (especially ballet ) is to be thin. It is a competitive world and I really struggled with not feeling “enough” and my love and desire to keep dancing. I ended up yoyo dieting throughout high school and at times engaged in really self-destructive behaviours in my battle with my body, my self esteem and my ego – from binging and purging, to starving myself, to drinking from a young age. It has taken me a lifetime to recognise where my insecurities stem from and to learn how to manage them, to learn to love and accept myself – and it is still an ongoing process!

When we go through things and find tools along the way that help us, I think most of us have a natural inclination to share those with others. I hate to see anyone suffer – whether its animals or humans – and although I cannot “fix” people, I can use my knowledge and skills to help them on their journey.

3. How has dance served as a refuge for you, and how do you incorporate this element into your coaching?

No matter how tired I am feeling – when I do a dance class I feel great afterwards! Not just because of the endorphins released from exercise, but because I am proud of myself for pushing through the desire to give up. This obviously feeds into my feelings of self-love, self acceptance – I have done this because I know I need it!

Dance has also offered a refuge emotionally – it allowed me the space to escape when everything else in my life was going wrong, whether it was a failed relationship, financial problems or a situation not working as planned. When I dance I can forget the real world for a while. When I dance and connect to the music, I am living in my body, in the moment – I am not thinking about all my worries of the future. When I dance, I remember how lucky I am that I can dance, that I have arms and legs that work! I use this with clients to remind them to be in the moment, to inhabit their bodies – it is not about what is outside you. You only have control over yourself – not anybody else – so, take control of your body and feel proud of what you encourage it to do.

4. What specific challenges did you face with weight and burnout, and how did you work through these struggles?

When I first discovered fitness, it became my “cure” for my struggle with my weight -BUT, I ended up training too much, teaching too many classes and burning my body out every couple of months. Part of the reason was my issues with weight and part of it was financial – I had to teach lots of classes to make enough money to survive as a single mom…but this was not sustainable. It has been a cycle I have struggled with most of my adult life and not just because of my weight. I tend to be a workaholic and to keep going until “the job is done”. I also tend to say yes to everything. It has only been in the last few years that I have started to learn that it is ok to say NO! It is OK to rest. That you are actually more productive if you are not overstretched – although I do still tend to work better under pressure. AT my age, however, I am tired of being a “Martyr” and will happily help others as long as it isn’t damaging my health, in which case, if it feels like its too much – I say NO!

5. How do you balance the need to prove yourself with maintaining your well-being and avoiding burnout?

This is a constant struggle. I do know this is based on EGO and my need to be liked! I have gotten to a point in the las year or two, however, where I have learnt to look at a situation and say to myself, “Why do you need their approval? Is getting their approval going to improve your life at all? What’s the worst that can happen if they don’t approve of or like you?” Again, I am still learning this and struggling to implement it consistently, but I know how awful burnout feels and don’t want to keep getting to that place.

6. Can you describe a turning point or pivotal moment in your journey towards self-acceptance and health?

I am not sure there is one pivotal point. I think it has been a process over time.

7. How do you support other women in finding a balance between a healthy body and self-love?

My approach has always been- whether in a dance class of adults or teenagers, or in a personal training session with a client- to encourage women to move freely, to find their own “voice” through movement and to not compare themselves to others. For me, dance (especially when used as a form of exercise or self expression) is not about being perfect or trying to attain some ideal stereotype. In fact, exercise should be something you do because our bodies are built to move and you want to keep your body in a good condition – as you would your car! You cannot replace your body – you have it for life. It is what makes you unique and it allows you to perform your daily activities but also to feel pleasure. You should be fueling your body with healthy food so that it can perform well and not get bogged down by illness. Eating healthily and engaging in some form of exercise on a daily basis is actually a vital form of self love. What is NOT self-loving is doing things to your body to try change it into an ideal of beauty you feel society expects. Beauty comes in so many forms but beauty is also fleeting. It is actually a complex topic but at the base of it is that I want to help others reach the same conclusions that I have – your body is unique and beautiful in its own way and it is a vessel that enables you to express your personality and your soul’s intention and to live a full and vibrant life!

I advocate for balance in that your diet should be mostly healthy (predominantly fruit and veg and natural foods) but not restrictive so that you can experience the pleasure of a range of foods – food is fuel and pleasure. in the same vein – exercise is not a punishment for over-eating, it is a way to feel empowered, energised, vibrant! When you change your perspective to diet and exercise, so many things begin to change.

8. What role does mental health play in your coaching practice, and how do you address it with your clients?

Mental health is as important as physical health. I am not a psychologist, but I do encourage mindfulness, examining mindset and beliefs around body, nutrition and exercise. I encourage clients to make use of tools like journaling, writing daily gratitude and using positive affirmations. These have helped me enormously over the last few years. especially as I have a tendency to get depressed. I have also used these with my own children when they have struggled with anxiety and depression.

9. How do you stay motivated and positive in the face of personal and professional challenges?

It is not always easy – I have to work at it. I write a daily gratitude journal, and often include other writing tools and prompts in this depending on what I feel I need to help me shift my mood – from positive affirmations to quotes or just unstructured free-writing. When I need to, I lean on friends or family for support – we all need community! I also try to “step away” when overwhelmed by a problem – I get busy with something else, like exercise, go for a walk on the beach or in the forest, or I do some art. Its good to have hobbies and ways to distract your mind. When things are really bad, I ask myself, “what is the worst that can happen – will this kill you?”…. the answer is always “no”. It is about finding perspective.

10. What advice would you give to women who are struggling with body image issues or burnout?

Number 1 – be kind to yourself! You are the only person you are guaranteed to have for your whole life. Others will come and go, so be your own best friend.

Number 2 – you are unique! You are beautiful for who you are and beauty comes from inside. It is in the way you move and the way you act towards others. If you want to “change” your body (e.g. lose weight), do it because you need to be healthier and prevent diseases like diabetes etc.

Number 3 – nobody is going to give you a medal for being the best “worker” and even if you get a medal, it is meaningless if you don’t have your health. Nobody ever said on their death bed, “I regret having spent so much of my life doing exercise and eating healthily.”

11. How has your experience with overtraining influenced your approach to health and fitness coaching?

Everybody is different and there is no one perfect formula. What works for one person may not work for another. I encourage clients to explore their intentions (are they exercising/dieting to get thin or for some instagram ideal or to become healthier?), to challenge their existing beliefs (you need to train HARD everyday to achieve results (this is pointless if it burns you out) and to examine their EXCUSES (“I don’t have time to train” – if you get ill you won’t be able to look after your family or do your job properly or enjoy your life, so you need to find a way to fit exercise into your life in a way that suits you.)

12. What are some common misconceptions about body image and fitness that you encounter, and how do you address them?

That fit and skinny are synonymous. People can be fit and have bigger bodies – as long as they are finding a balance between healthy food and exercise and rest, they are healthy. Again – it is about not comparing yourself to someone else. Your only comparison should be with yourself – am I a bit better than yesterday or last week? If not, why? But also to keep in mind that the journey to health is just that – A JOURNEY. There is no end point, no destination. It is always evolving. Our bodies DO change as we age and we also need to understand that – but it doesn’t mean giving up and accepting getting weaker or unhealthy. It just means listening to your body and adapting.

13. How do you maintain your own mental and physical health while helping others achieve their goals?

Exercise of some form is ALWAYS essential for me – I have to make time for it! I like variety and as I have gotten older I have become more kind to myself. I never used to meditate or enjoy yoga – I struggled to sit still or be quiet. But I now enjoy it and actually crave it – I crave the silence, the calmness. I also allow myself time to do art as this makes me happy. I read extensively – I love escaping into books. Basically – I make time for things that bring me joy.

14. Can you share a success story from your clients that particularly inspires or resonates with you?

This is a hard one because what I do is not as quantifiable as someone who just helps people lose weight. What I have seen is – improved confidence in clients who have not engaged in much exercise but have seen their own gradual progress in terms of fitness and feelings about exercise after working with me. I work with such a range of clients – I have a 14 year old client at the moment who is a rhythmic gymnast and has gone through multiple operations. I am rehabilitating her so she can go back into competition, and am using a combination of pilates, yoga and dance as part of our work. She is loving it so much because of the fun aspect and so it does not feel like a chore for her. I have had many clients who have attended my adult dance / movement classes who danced when they were younger but have struggled as adults to find a form of exercise that they enjoy. Dance class becomes their most favourite part of the week because of the music, the non-judgemental environment and the joy of dancing with others. I know for a fact that many of the high school students that I have trained over the years have an ingrained joy for movement because of dance and many come back to do class with me when they have an opportunity. For them, dance was a safe space, a place where they found family, a place where they found they fitted in, a place they could express – and it has instilled a life long love of movement.

15: What future goals or projects are you excited about for Teva Movement, and how do you plan to continue supporting women in their health and self-acceptance journeys?

I currently have a few courses on my website but what I am working on at the moment is developing a membership where women have access to weekly recorded sessions that combine dance, yoga and pilates and that they can do at home in their own time. I am a creator so, I will keep creating workshops, courses, classes and ebooks. The online side of it is only part of my journey as I still enjoy working physically with people – therefore I do run classes or teach at other gyms and studios. This is never static and I love how it changes, month by month, year by year – its exciting! I have never been one to sit still and stay in one place. The more people I can help or influence in a positive way, the better!

IG: @fit_over_50withtevs