Women In Wellness: Kat Ruiz On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Having a consistent meditation practice is life changing! When you can get out of your own head and observe life it helps to be a better human overall. When I tore my ACL and underwent surgery, I couldn’t walk without crutches. If physical exercise is what keeps you sane, what happens when your body fails you in some way? The human body gets sick, injured, if you can bring your wellness practice outside of relying on your body, you are setting yourself up for success into your old age.
As a part of my series about women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kat Ruiz, of Kat Ruiz Wellness.
Kat Ruiz is a Health and Wellness expert who has been teaching yoga, meditation and breath work for over 15 years in NYC and The Hamptons. Kat has worked with celebrities, corporate clients and a diverse group of individuals of all ages in the communities of New York City and Montauk.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
When I first moved to New York City, my first job was on wall street. I worked at an investment management firm in private wealth. I left finance to pursue my Master’s in Education at NYU and while I was there, I did my 200-hour teacher training in the summer at Yogaworks NYC because I wanted to deepen my own practice. I never imagined it would become my career!
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
When I first started teaching, I couldn’t get a job at a studio or gym because I didn’t have teaching experience! So I created my own class and started Rooftop Yoga with Kat in Tribeca. My friend Jen offered me her rooftop terrace overlooking the Hudson River and we practiced every Wednesday night watching the sunset. A beautiful community of women was built on that rooftop and I got my teaching experience! The main takeaway for me was if the opportunity is not there, create your own and make it happen!
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about a mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
A mistake I made teaching was pointing out to the class that I couldn’t get the music to work, I was having technical difficulties. What I realized is, they would have never known if I didn’t say anything because sometimes I play music and sometimes I don’t. What I learned is that you should never point out any issues. Your clients are there to escape and if you bring something to their attention, they will focus on that and think the class isn’t as good as it could be because “something is wrong”. If the temperature isn’t right, the playlist, volume, any other factors, just keep going and don’t draw attention to it.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
I’m helping people take better care of themselves and improve their longevity and quality of life, which are the most important things in life! People are programmed to run themselves into the ground without stopping to take care of themselves. I love educating my clients on simple, accessible ways to help them cope with stress, anxiety, anger, depression so they can function at an optimum level. Understanding that everything you need to make change is inside you is very powerful! We all need to be educated on how to find calm, inner peace, less stress and anxiety, to be more mindful and increase longevity. When I work with clients, they are exposed to these tools to live a more fulfilling life which trickles down to every relationship in their life, most importantly, the relationship they have with themselves.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.
- Having a consistent meditation practice is life changing! When you can get out of your own head and observe life it helps to be a better human overall. When I tore my ACL and underwent surgery, I couldn’t walk without crutches. If physical exercise is what keeps you sane, what happens when your body fails you in some way? The human body gets sick, injured, if you can bring your wellness practice outside of relying on your body, you are setting yourself up for success into your old age.
- I discovered breath work through yoga, but took a much deeper dive into it during Covid…If only I had found breath work sooner! Breath work can help everyone, people of all ages, I teach it to my children. Breath work not only helps to calm the mind, reduce stress and anxiety and help with depression but breath work can also help enhance athletic performance. In my sessions with clients, I teach them breathing techniques to help support them in the fast paced world we live in.
- Mindful walks. Getting outside for fresh air whether you are located in a city or suburban area is one of the best things you can do for yourself. A 15-minute walk outside will help your circulation, state of mind and give you some exercise! Try to stay connected to your environment as you walk, take in the sights and sounds. When clients tell me they don’t have time to meditate, I suggest a “walking meditation”.
- Daily movement. If I don’t move my body, my mind cannot settle. I am programmed this way and instead of fighting it, I always make time to move my body. Whether it’s yoga, pilates, tennis, peloton bike, running, walking, lifting weights, it completely changes the way I feel for the rest of the day. Exercise is hard because it’s not something you necessarily want to do everyday but once you do it, you feel so good. Make a schedule of your workouts on Sunday nights and calendar in the workouts you want to do to make sure they happen. When I travel, I always look up exercise opportunities around me the night before so I have my plan of what I’m going to do.
- My Oura Ring. This little smart health device has changed my life for the better. I pay attention to my nightly routine and also focus on what affects my sleep in a positive or negative way. I’m a lot more mindful about staying up late watching Netflix because it affects my sleep score and my overall performance the next day. I recommend a device like Oura, to help bring more awareness to your overall health.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Mindfulness for Everyone! Most people have no idea what Mindfulness is and therefore don’t go near it. I believe everyone can learn to practice mindfulness by using different tools that resonate with different people to live a more mindful life which will add to the quality of the life you are experiencing. This is my future TED Talk.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
People told me a lot of good things but I didn’t listen at that time and I wish I would have! 5 Things I wish someone told me are: 1) Don’t overthink it 2) Take action 3) Work with your fear 4) Done is better than perfect 5) Everyone has imposter syndrome
Sustainability, veganism, mental health, and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
Hands down mental health. My son is diagnosed ADHD and has suffered through a severe anxiety disorder and come out the other side of that. There’s still a stigma around mental health and taking medication. I’m so happy different celebrities have started speaking up about their own struggles to help make it more mainstream. I have watched my own child suffer and if I can help any mother not have to suffer through the same pain, I would do anything to help! When I started working in wellness, my focus was always about the physical benefits and staying fit. When my son was diagnosed with ADHD at the end of 2019 and then going through the stress, anxiety and uncertainty of Covid, my focus shifted to mental wellness. I tell my clients, it starts from the top down, if you’re not doing well in your head, the rest doesn’t matter.
What is the best way for our readers to further follow your work online?
You can find me at www.katruizwellness.com or on Instagram @katruizwellness
Thank you for these fantastic insights! We wish you continued success and good health.
Women In Wellness: Kat Ruiz On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.