Body Goals

Hello there, Whisper here! It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? I’m still here, but I have been somewhat wallowing in the winter blues. Let’s face it. The world feels uncertain and divided and it is easy to feel down about it all. Thanksgiving came and went. Winter Solstice already happened. Christmas is already history and 2021 swiftly came to a close. This is the time of year when many people start thinking about their goals for the new year and some new year resolutions. Let’s talk about “body goals.” What do you think about when you think about the term “body goals?”

What do you think about when you think about the term “body goals?”

What comes to mind when you think of “body goals?” For some reason, I think of those seductive pinterest pins that show off the gym bunnies and ripped men. Or those lovely little infographs that say, “if you take a cold shower, drink your coffee black, don’t eat until this hour, follow these macros, measure yourself every week, and do these exercises X amount of times then you can look like this.” Cue gym bunny.

I swear, I’m not hating on people who follow these protocols. I’m simply conjuring up the images that come to mind when I think of “body goals.” Basically, a beautiful body that is currently out of reach for me. Many of these guidelines work for people and I definitely got some results when I tried them, but in the end they weren’t sustainable.

Here are 5 tips for a healthier body:

I am learning from my own experience, that the best tips are small and sustainable. These are some of the habits that I am trying to create in my own life.

I got locked out and took it as a sign from the universe.

A funny thing happened about a month ago. I got locked out of my original pinterest account and haven’t been able to log back in. I had the same pinterest account for years. Probably since at least 2017 when I fed into all of the tutorials and body goals propaganda. I tried the diets and the programs and this last year I took it all more seriously than I ever have, but by the end of the summer I had to make some big and bold changes.

I found myself feeling discouraged and burned out because I was not getting the results that were promised and I started to feel like something was wrong with me. Sometimes I still feel this way. I almost wish that those promises were real because then I could follow a routine and not think too hard about it. I got some results, but in the end I felt exhausted and drained and that did not feel that great.

Why was it funny to get locked out? I have decided to take it as a sign from the universe to let the old account with those old ideals and body goals go. That’s a nice way to get some closure, isn’t it?

It’s time to begin anew.

If you have been following my journey; you probably know that I am healing from an eating disorder. A few days ago I made the “mistake” of weighing myself. Let’s just say that according to the number on the scale, I’ve gained some weight over the last few months.

My knee jerk reaction was to shame myself and to feel upset about “messing up.” I took a deep breath and told gently told myself to reflect on the reasons why I was feeling this way. I discovered that this reaction happened out of habit. When life gets stressful I used to blame myself or my weight, but those days are over. It’s time to begin anew.

When I feel stressed I still feel myself gravitating towards those old and obsolete habits and reactions, but I am trying to replace the old habits with new and healthy ones. I know that changing my thought patterns is going to take time, patience, and practice, but I am ready to put in the work.

My new body goals

I caught myself in that moment right before I took a nosedive and I made a commitment. From now on I am going to base my body goals on things that I would like to be able to do. What are some new skills that I want to acquire? What are fun ways that I can celebrate my body and it’s beautiful abilities? Most importantly, I am going to focus on feeling good about myself the way that I am. Right here. Right now.

My workout of choice doesn’t feel like work!

I have had to shift my mindset in every way and it is still a daily work in progress. The good news is that my workout doesn’t even feel like work. I am a hula hooper and my hula hoop has been my happy place that I look forward to spending time in every single day.

My teacher is Bee Varga the Hula hooper and her hula hooping courses have changed my life. In August, I subscribed to her Hooping studio which is a treasure trove of courses, tutorials, and fun flows.

The Complete Hula Hooping Learning Experience:

Here is a little tour through Bee’s Studio. She gives advice on where and how to start your hula hooping journey and suggests an order of courses to follow.

This is the amazing hula hooping flow that I am currently learning:

In November, Bee suggested that I do her Showgirl 2 course with a friend. It was on my wishlist, but at the time I didn’t think that I was ready. This course is full of twin hooping (hooping with 2 hula hoops) and at the time I couldn’t even spin two hoops around my waist. I took the leap of faith and it was the BEST decision I could have ever made. Working through this course has transformed my entire life and I am just getting started. My strength, stamina, balance, flexibility, and mobility has improved so much in a short span of time.

I’m signing off for now, but I will be back soon. I have a lot to tell you. Stay tuned!

❤ Whisper