The holidays are here and the countdown to the end of the year is near! Make the most of the end of this year. Here are 5 ways to spread holiday cheer.
5 Ways to spread holiday cheer:
5 ways to spread holiday cheer.
1. Count your blessings.
To me, Thanksgiving marks a shift in the seasons. I am personally not big on celebrating Thanksgiving now that we live far away from our families. I used to enjoy the opportunity to share a meal with loved ones and friends. Now I spend Thanksgiving counting my blessings. When we are in a state of feeling grateful, the stress and depression seems to lessen (at least for me it does.)
I also count my blessings in the morning as a way of practicing positive affirmations. This helps me get my day started on a positive note! Give it a try and if you start feeling sad or down think of one of the blessings that you wrote down.
2. Do something nice for someone.
Little acts of kindness count and go a long way. Compliment the first 2 people you see today. Send a good morning text to friends. Pay it backwards by paying for the coffee of the person behind you in line. Leave a positive comment on your favorite blog or YouTube channel. Do the dishes. Go out of your way to do something kind today!
3. Start a new family tradition.
Holidays are a wonderful time to start traditions. You don’t even have to have a traditional family to enjoy new traditions. By this, I mean that even if you live alone or don’t have family nearby; you can still enjoy the joy that comes from a new tradition. Go solo and make new friends or invite a friend to join you!
Volunteer at your local soup kitchen. Adopt a family in need and create a gift basket for them. Participate in your local toy drive. Go Christmas caroling. Growing up my cousins and I loved making ginger bread houses at Grandma’s the day after Thanksgiving.
Singing is uplifting and it encourages us to breathe deeply. Even if you believe that you “cannot” sing; you should still give it a try because it will raise your vibration. And if you don’t feel confident in your voice, turn up the tunes and rock out!
This time of year, it feels like Christmas music is playing everywhere. I was honestly a little shocked to see the Christmas decorations on shelves the day after Halloween. Also, I feel like they started playing the Christmas music earlier this year. I have been holding out at least until Black Friday.
5. Send out Christmas cards.
This one is my favorite because I am on a mission to keep the art of writing handwritten letters alive. So snag a set of Christmas cards or take out your pretty paper and stickers and have fun creating your own cards. This can even become a fun holiday tradition that you share with friends and family. You don’t have to write a novel. Just write something short and sweet from the heart.
Often times, people feel stressed around the holidays. Tensions are high as everyone is preparing meals and getting ready for gatherings and planning out their holiday shopping.
Remember to be kind to yourself throughout this season. Worrying will not make the stress go away. It will only amplify the things that could go wrong. Instead, try to stay present and focus on making happy memories.
I hope you will have happy, safe, and fun holidays this year!
We are starting to make this a regular thing, aren’t we? This is already our 4th post together. If you are new here, welcome! I’m so happy that you are here. Let me get you caught up! Our 1st post was: “Hula Hooping and Law Of Attraction.” The 2nd post was: “Get Off the Scale and Get In Alignment.” The 3rd post was: “Diets Don’t Work.” Today’s post is: Start a love affair with your body. Let’s dive right in!
Start a love affair with your body. You know you want to š
I consider myself to be a voracious reader. Lately, it has been easy for me to read 100 + pages a day, but this book is different. I have had to read it in tiny bite sized pieces, chew slowly, and digest it little by little. I think that it is okay to take our time with the things that are important to us. Getting healthy and having a sustainably healthy lifestyle is important to me so I will resist my urge to look for hacks and shortcuts. Trust me, I’ve thought about it (at least every 3 minutes.)
Accept and love your current body.
Ryder said that almost all the women she interviewed said that the first step to manifesting the body you desire is to love and accept your current body. Love and accept your current body? This sounds so simple and doable, but there are times (today was one of them) when it feels nearly impossible for me to accept my current body.
My personal challenge is that I have a tendency to be extreme and this recently manifested itself in the form of over-exercising. Not so long ago (May – July) I was running 5-6 days a week, hula hooping daily, lifting / doing hiit 6 days a week, trying to squeeze in yoga, and following a strict nutrition plan. I got some incredible results during the first month of this demanding routine, but when I started adding more intensity to my weightlifting; I noticed that my results were tapering off. Before long, I hit a plateau even though I was working my butt off and this was super discouraging.
Today I was struggling because when I watched my hula hoop recordings all I could see was my belly. I thought that my body looked more lean when I was killing myself with that draining routine. Sadly, being critical of myself and picking out my flaws detracted from the fact that I learned some challenging hula hoop tricks this week.
Hula Hoop Dance Choreography Class | Bee Varga the Hula Hooper:
This is one of the fun hula hoop routines that I am working on. I love hula hooping because it gives you permission to play and try new things. Have you ever thought of hula hooping for a workout? I highly recommend it! Here is an article that talks about 12 exciting hula hooping benefits.
“The best thing to do is begin where you are and move towards self-love and self-acceptance from there.”
Rhonda Ryder
It is time to start a love affair with your body.
How do you learn to love and accept your current body while focusing on the body you want to manifest?
Focus on your feelings. How do you feel when you are criticizing yourself? For me, self-criticism seems to be an unhealthy addiction. It is as if I think that if I criticize myself enough; I will change. With an addiction comes the habit. I was probably criticizing my appearance today out of habit. I usually create a hula hooping reel every Friday that is comprised of my hooping footage throughout the week. This week I decided to change my “reel day” to Wednesday (effective immediately.) Does it feel good when you think you are getting further and further away from your goals? Is it fun to add a side of guilt to everything you eat?
My answer is NO to all of the above questions.
Think about this for a minute (we are about to go into some “Law Of Attraction-style talking.”) If you are unhappy with your current body then that is the vibration that you are putting out to the universe: Unhappiness with your body. As a result, you will only attract more of the same: more unhappiness with your body.
Practice finding things that you appreciate about your body and they will attract more complimentary thoughts. These thoughts will rapidly multiply and bring you more of what you want rather than the things that you don’t want. These new and positive thoughts will set the stage for manifesting the body you truly desire.
Does this sound exciting or what?!?! I think so! Let’s go!!!
Abraham-Hicks and the law of attraction states that it doesn’t have to be a long process. You can soothe yourself with better feeling thoughts right now.
Be Happy With Where You Are And Eager For More.
The Law of Attraction is fairly simple. Positive thoughts create positive results in a person’s life and negative thoughts create negative outcomes. How you feel about a subject is your point of attraction. “Happy with where you are and eager for more” is considered a perfect point of attraction.
When I first read this, it was hard for me to wrap my mind around it. It all makes sense, when you read it and think about it, but for me, applying it all is going to take a lot of practice. I am going to have to break patterns and cycles and create new habits in place of old habits.
We’ve got work to do.
Let’s roll up our sleeves and crank up the music because there is work to be done!
This is a paradox because we think that we will be happy once we have the career, move into our dream house, get the body of our dreams, get the hot guy (or girl) who loves us quirks, flaws, & all, etc. However, getting happy first will attract the things that we want.
This all sounds fine and dandy, but it is so hard for me. How do I feel happy right here and now when I feel like I would be happier if I was thinner, taller, prettier, or someone else?
Do you see how ridiculous this sounds? I’m asking myself this aloud because I cannot be anyone else. I can only be me! I am getting into the habit of reminding myself that my life will keep improving if I put alignment first.
“When you begin to love and accept your current body as is, while making feeling emotionally good (alignment) your priority, you will eventually become inspired to take certain actions that will lead to the physical changes you desire. You won’t have to force it. It will become easy.”
Rhonda Ryder
This all sounds so good and almost too good to be true, but if it is true then it is worth giving it a shot! Who wants to try this with me? Leave me a comment below if you’re in.
How to break the cycle of criticizing yourself.
Have you ever caught yourself thinking negative thoughts? Why does my belly hang over my shorts? Look at my double chin. I don’t like the way my clothes fit. I wish I were taller. I want a tiny waist. If you partake in these kinds of thoughts frequently the way that I do you’re probably wondering how in the world do we stop? Two words: Soothe Yourself.
Start a love affair with your body.
Try another thought like “I accept myself exactly as I am.” Or try not to look at images that trigger you in the first place. I am trying to work on this myself and if I’m honest; my hooping videos probably trigger me. At the same time, I am using them as a learning tool and for me it is an exercise in self- acceptance. I used to post my videos on a Facebook group every single day. I stopped this daily ritual to focus on other areas in my life (like this blog) and polishing new skills. Stopping that pattern has freed up a lot of my time and energy. Different things work for different people. Take some time to figure out what works best for you. You are worth-it, my friend. I promise.
“Your words have so much power. Every day, if you tell yourself, “I love you,” if you give yourself one word of validation, it will change your mind.”
When I was overtraining, it left me feeling frantic, drained, and exhausted. Now that I am focusing on hula hooping, I feel happy, energized, and inspired. The only time that I feel bad is when I am negative and critical of myself. I often criticize myself out of guilt. This is a pattern that I am going to work on changing. The shame game is to blame for my bad feelings and I am ready to get off of that train.
What if you can’t find a better feeling thought?
Sometimes, I cannot stop bullying myself no matter how hard I try. I have tried soothing myself and thinking “better feeling thoughts,” but the negative emotions (whether it’s sadness, disappointment, anger, depression, shame, etc.) have gained too much momentum and I am too far down the rabbit hole. When this happens, it is good to have a Plan B.
Plan B: Change The Subject
Stop what you’re doing and thinking and change the subject. This is a technique that I have started practicing this week and I think that it helps when I remember to use it. Plan B is thinking of something that makes me feel immediately better. This week I was thinking of my cats and my chickens… That’s typical of me.
Climb out of the rabbit hole and start a love affair with your body!
Now it’s your turn:
You are caught in the middle of negative thoughts about your body, or your appearance, or feeling guilty about that ice cream cone. You have already tried soothing yourself, but realize that it is not going to work this time.
Ask yourself:
“What can I think about instead? What is something that always makes me feel good?”
NowThink about something different: Something that always brings a smile to your face.
What always brings a smile to your face? Think of that!
Distraction is your friend.
Distraction is your friend? Is this the upside down? This just sounds wrong, doesn’t it?
It can be hard to get your mind off of those negative thoughts. I used to spend time huddled in bed feeling awful about my body and wishing it were different. This often happened even on the sunniest most beautiful days and it felt awful knowing that I was wasting a perfectly good day feeling bad about myself. These negative feelings can be so draining and can ruin a perfectly good day.
I recently started seeking distractions. I change the subject. Go outside and play in the garden. Turn up the music and hula hoop. Pet my cat. And lately, reading and blogging have been my favorite new hobbies. I have found that when I am creating, I have less time to fixate and feel awful about the shape of my body. Everyone has different things that bother them. That just happens to be what bothers me if I allow it to.
What or who can you think about that would make you feel better?
It may not always be the same thing, but the whole point is to release pressure and lighten the mood -even just a little bit can make a big difference.
“Many people might say that this is failing to face reality. Abraham’s teachings do fly in the face of societal norms in certain ways. We’re dealing in a different realm here. We’re talking about energy and vibration. And if dwelling in a lower vibration keeps you perpetually at an arm’s length from what you want, why not raise your vibration by whatever means possible, as long as you’re not hurting anyone?”
“Delicious Alignment” by Rhonda Ryder
Take Food and Weight Off the Table.
Rhonda talks about how one of her coaches told her to take food and weight off the table. She said to stop thinking about releasing the pounds and what she was and wasn’t going to eat. She wanted Rhonda to take a vacation from the subject altogether and to focus on what made her feel good. Every time Rhonda felt inclined to think about her weight or food in terms of what she was eating, her coach suggested that she change the subject.
Rhonda said that when she took her coach’s advice and took food and weight off the table she started to enjoy food and her life so much more. The guilt and shame that she used to feel around food and her body just dissipated.
Your vibe attracts your tribe and it is so important for you to surround yourself with positive, uplifting, like-minded people. Your self-love journey will be even better if you have love and support in your life. If you do not have positive people in your life it is even more important to seek support and inspiration in the right places. There were times in my early twenties when I was constantly struggling and felt so alone. I started seeking inspiration and mentors through books and inspirational you tube channels. There are also lots of inspiring podcasts available too.
Rhonda says that if you don’t have access to a Law of Attraction coach or friend that there are online groups to join. I thankfully have a close friend who told me about Law of Attraction and inspired me to read this book and blog about it.
Animated Abraham is my favorite Law of Attraction YouTube Channel:
I will continue to share more resources with you as I learn about them myself! We are in this together! Find the support you deserve! You are a powerful creator who is capable of attracting the love and support you desire.
Love Your Body Exercise 2.2
Appreciation list for your body
Take our your journal and write a list of 10 things that you like or appreciate about your body.
You could include characteristics that you like about your body’s appearance, functionality, flexibility, or anything else that you can identify.
Only write what feels good to you. If a negative feeling creeps in, cross it out and write something positive in its place.
Here is the list that I wrote:
I like my body’s ability to balance.
I appreciate my body’s ability to heal itself.
I like my long and healthy hair.
I like my smile.
I am thankful for my mobility and flexibility.
I like my powerful legs.
I am thankful for the ability to learn fun hula hooping moves.
I like my hourglass shape.
I like my calves and small ankles.
I love how my body responds to movement and exercise.
The key is to find things that you like and appreciate about your body. If this is feeling challenging for you I recommend that you start small. Also, ask your friends and family what they believe your strengths are. When I was in a really low place I wrote emails to my parents and my grandma and I asked them what they thought my strengths and weaknesses were. I wanted to capitalize on my strengths and to make my weaknesses stronger. Their love letters and lists inspired me to stay strong and keep going. A little bit of kindness goes a long way and it is important for you to show yourself some kindness today.
If you are still here reading, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining me today. I feel like this was a really long post. I still have a lot more that I could say, but I will close for now.
Are you feeling inspired to start a love affair with your body? It still sounds a little daunting to me, but I’m still going to give it a shot. Let me know if you want to join me. We could cheer each other on and compare notes…
Whisper here! TRIGGER WARNING: I just want to remind you that I am not yet an expert in ANY of these fields. I am just a girl who very recently used to constantly yo-yo diet and over-train relentlessly. Lately, I have been going through an internal struggle and I need to get this off of my chest before I can fully embrace a new way of thinking and being. Diets don’t work and deliberately not dieting doesn’t work either. Please keep reading if you want to find out how I came to this conclusion.
I believe that our bodies are true miracles that should be celebrated. You are already enough right here right now. And you can do what you please with your vessel.
When I turned 30 I was worried that it would all be downhill from there, but it took me 2 more years to really take action. I decided to begin my fitness journey a little over a year ago because I was starting to develop health problems. I spent nearly a solid year trying to “do things right.”
August 2020: Let the games begin!
I kicked off my journey with a Fitness Challenge run by a personal trainer. She included a meal plan and a progressive workout plan. The nutrition plan was very restrictive and required us to eat the same food every day for an entire month with 1 cheat meal per week. I got results because before this program I wasn’t exercising or paying attention to what I was eating. At this point, the phrase “diets don’t work” was not a part of my vocabulary. My cravings were monstrous throughout this month, but I stayed the course. Sadly, the trainer stopped responding and eventually ghosted me. I was bummed and felt like I had been dumped.
I think what disturbed me the most was the fact that a virtual stranger could have this affect on me. Even though I was a grown adult, I still felt awful and like I had done something wrong. From here I wanted to build myself back up so that little things like this would not get me down in the future.
September – October 2020: We can work from home.
After the fitness challenge, I decided to follow an 8 week At-Home Training Guide by Stephanie Buttermore. I enjoyed the structure of her program and it gave me a strong foundation in strength training. Unfortunately, my nutrition wasn’t on point this month. I didn’t gain weight, but I also didn’t see great gains.
At the end of October I started slow jogging and this really helped my mental health. I enjoyed the fresh air and taking some quality time for myself. It felt like free therapy.
Body Positivity Didn’t Work For Me (What Worked and Tips):
November – December: Get Shredded 21 Day Challenge
Back in September, I was feeling so bummed by the fact that the other trainer had abandoned me that I reached out to a personal trainer who had trained me for my 1st triathlon a decade ago. He told me that he was creating an online fitness program that would be available in November. I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to get started!
This program included a custom meal plan, bodyweight workout program, and daily inspirational videos. I really liked the online format and overall structure of the program. Don’t be fooled by the fact that this program is bodyweight based. The workouts are super intense.
I repeated this program twice for good measure until it expired. It helped me to gain momentum, but my foot bothered me a lot. The program had a lot of jumping exercises and I think the impact hurt my foot. It got to the point where it was excruciating for me to stand in a lunge position or put pressure on my toes. At times I could barely walk and this became problematic for my running.
January: This is no time for an injury!
At the end of December I developed an overuse injury and by January I had to stop running completely. I was slightly devastated because running had become a part of my routine and I had learned to love it. A friend of mine suggested that I Hula hoop for 40 minutes and ride the stationary bike if I needed more of a workout. Back in September, I had started a weekly ritual of weighing myself and taking my measurements. I felt like it was a good way to hold myself accountable and stay on track.
February: Let’s Hula Hoop!
I missed running and was not thrilled about trying anything else, but I was terrified by the thought of getting out of shape. My partner ordered us fitness hula hoops and I decided to give it a spin.
30 Minute Weighted Hula Hoop Workout for Weight loss | Bee Varga the Hula Hooper:
After this workout I was hooked even though I could barely spin the hula hoop without dropping it.
By March I was able to run again and I was so thrilled. I started running for an hour or more every day and hula hooping for 40 minutes. I decided to watch Bee Varga’s Hula Hoop buying guide and buy myself a better dance hoop.
Hula Hoop Buying Guide for Beginners:
Remember that the size and material of your hoop makes a huge difference. The minute I thought about hula hooping I rushed to our local Target and picked up a toy shop hoop, but it kept falling down every 5 seconds. This was super discouraging and I learned that it was happening because it was too light and not the right size. Purchasing a proper fitting hula hoop made a huge difference and my workouts became a lot more enjoyable. My 1st hoop was a 38 inch dance hoop from The Spinsterz.
May: Summertime Fine 3.0
I was making decent progress with my weightloss and I wanted to amp up my progress and so I decided to do Sydney Cumming’s 90 day Summertime Fine program.
I continued to run in the mornings, hula hoop, and I added strength training to the mix. I really enjoy Sydney’s upbeat and inspiring spirit. She also has lots of fun workouts and outstanding programming.
June: I Commit to Hula Hooping, recording, and posting daily
In June I decided that I wanted to improve my hula hooping skills by hooping consistently. I committed to hula hooping every day for the month of June, recording myself, and posting it to a private facebook group. I was surprised that I was able to stick with it.
At the end of June I asked the members in the group if I should continue posting everyday and many of them asked me to continue. A few of them even said that my posts were inspiring them. I was touched and had to continue!
Here is a post my hula hooping teacher created. She decided to hula hoop every day and document the process.
I Hula Hoop Every Day | Hoop it off with Bee Varga:
July: I can only sustain this for one more month.
July was an intense month, workout wise. I was running 6 days a week, weightlifting 6 days a week, hula hooping daily, and trying to do some buti yoga too. Additionally, I was adjusting my macros every single week and doing my best to stay the course. My life seemed to revolve around my “fitness regime.”
I felt so accomplished when I reached Day #90 of Sydney’s Summertime Fine 3.0 Challenge. It felt like a huge accomplishment.
By the end of July, I was very tired. My body was definitely leaning out and I liked the way that I looked, but I was exhausted. I also felt discouraged because it seemed like I had plateaued. I talked about it in the hula hooping facebook group and finally decided to stop weighing myself every day.
In May, I had a tiny stint with the Noom weightloss app, but quickly deleted it after trying it out for 2 weeks because the app had issues and they did not deliver the services that I paid for. Luckily, I was able to get a refund, but I decided to continue weighing myself daily because they said that it was “scientifically the best way to lose weight.”
Bee Varga is the very best online hula hoop instructor that I could find and I spent a long time searching.
Here is Bee’s Description of her Hula Hottie Course:
The Hula Hottie is the best 30 workout program that guides you from a beginner to a proper awesome FITTIE! You get fit as well as learn fun tricks and moves and time flies so quick when you are having fun! Use your brain and body to evolve! Make hooping into a skill you are proud of! You do not need any ballet or gymnastics or circus background… I started off overweight and unfit… so if I could do it, you absolutely can! Spend a whole month hooping with me EVERY DAY!
-Bee Varga the Hula Hooper
I learned so much throughout Bee’s 30 day Hula Hottie Course. By the end of the course, I had an 8 minute choreographed dance that I was very proud of! And so much more! I highly recommend her courses!
September: I decided to heal from my eating disorder and started to improve my relationship with food.
Diets Don’t work.
By September, I was feeling very exhausted, drained, and discouraged. I was still dieting, running, hula hooping every day and trying to do some weightlifting, but everything was starting to feel like a chore. My hula hoop instructor suggested that I try becoming a specialist.
Diets don’t work! It’s more important to feel good.
Here is Bee’s Description of her Pure Core Course:
Pure Core is the place to be if you want to dance and play and feel amazing in your skin. Boost your confidence, feel IRRESISTIBLE & full of energy. This course is full of hoop moves around your core: hips, waist, chest & shoulders and it is full of dance and fun and hot showgirl secrets to make you feel like you are the most irresistible hula hooper ever! An entire month to reprogram your body & mind to feel like a hula hooping superhuman!
Bee Varga the Hula Hooper
Bee said that I could still reach my health and fitness goals with just hula hooping. She also started introducing me to “The Law Of Attraction.” Back then it honestly sounded too good to be true. I was worried that if I stopped doing everything that I was doing that I would gain weight and lose all of my progress. At the same time, I also knew that I could no longer do everything that I was doing. It was not sustainable and was taking a major toll on my mental and physical health. I also imagine that I wasn’t much fun to be around because I was so grumpy all the time. Dieting has a way of making people moody!
A friend in the Facebook group reached out to me and inspired me to start healing from the eating disorder that I had been struggling with since I was 10. I didn’t even realize that I still had the issue since I wasn’t rail thin, but after talking with her it became evident that it was time for me to heal.
Here are some of the books I read to learn about healing from eating disorders:
These books were very informative and introduced me to concepts I had never heard of before. I had never heard that diets don’t work. My whole life I had always been told that nutrition and diet were the keys to losing weight and getting healthy. I still do believe that proper nutrition is important for maintaining good health, but I have learned that it is damaging to be so restrictive.
I stopped restricting my food and ate until I was full. After about 3 weeks of only hula hooping and not dieting at all I decided to weigh myself purely out of curiosity. I made peace with it ahead of time and told myself that I would be neutral about the number.
I had expected to gain weight, but I stayed the same. This was so encouraging to me and felt like a victory. My only regret was that I had wasted so much time and energy dieting and over-training like a mad woman.
October: Deliberately not dieting doesn’t work either.
In October I decided to deliberately embrace not dieting. I ate everything that I could have ever wanted and more. I was actually going back and forth because my wrists / tendonitis were causing me excruciating pain. I was so thankful that I could still hula hoop, but I was in constant pain and could not sleep at night.
I started eating more plant based meals and it really seemed to help. This was a delicate balance because I noticed that the guidelines of avoiding meat and dairy were fairly restrictive and it was starting to interfere with my eating disorder recovery. Once I felt better I did go back to eating meat and dairy products again, but if I notice a flair up I back off from the animal products.
Here is Bee’s description of the Showgirl 1 Workshop:
Hooping can be just tricks… or it can be a dance, a show, a confidence boosting eyeball grabbing celebration of your beautiful curves no matter how many tricks you can do…
I am not anti-trick! I love them all! BUT as a professional stage performer I had to learn how to show off my body and my moves so that no attention escapes.
I also remember never having confidence or appreciating my body… but when a hula hoop touches & goes for your curves you just cannot help but feel irresistible! This workshop is to amplify all that is perfect and beautiful about you so you start moving like a Hula Hoop Goddess! Only the blind can resist You after this one!
The 4 full conditioning workouts will get you turn into a hot sweaty mess, shredded and satisfied! But they also help you feel super confident about your hoop skills because you will hammer them into your muscle memory so much that you can never get them wrong!
Bee Varga the Hula Hooper
This showgirl 1 workshop did wonders for my confidence. We learned so many fun confidence boosting poses that transferred to all areas of my life. I started walking through the grocery store like a starlit and my confidence was on fire! It’s amazing what a positive difference our body language can make.
Showgirl training improved my balance, flexibility, coordination, and mobility. If you are looking for a fun way to spice up your workouts and build confidence then you should definitely give Showgirl training a spin! The benefits are endless and I could go on and on!
I hula hooped and posted my recordings 150 days in a row!
The end of October was a major milestone for me because I had successfully hula hooped every single day for 150 days and I recorded myself and posted the recordings in the facebook group.
This is also a huge accomplishment for me because I am extremely shy and would have never recorded myself before. Doing this pushed me far outside of my comfort zone and it helped me grow in so many ways.
I have to say that there is a reason why my pen name is “Whisper” and I am writing this on an anonymous blog. I like my privacy š
Deliberately not dieting doesn’t work:
My heading for October says that deliberately not dieting doesn’t work because at the end of this month when the euphoria of my accomplishments wore off; I started to feel guilty about my food choices. I worried that eating whatever I wanted would have dire consequences and I would regret it. My whole being seemed to be overcome with fear and guilt and this is not healthy either.
November: Let’s make some changes!
Last week I felt yucky. I had this internal struggle of wanting to embrace the skin that I’m in, but also feeling guilty and full of shame. I’m learning about the Law Of Attraction and am currently reading a book called: “Delicious Alignment” which talks about women who applied the Law Of Attraction to their weight loss and health journeys.
In my last article, “Get off the Scale and Get In Alignment,” I highlighted the first chapter of this book where Rhonda talks about getting in alignment and breaking up with the scale. What did I do last Thursday? I was feeling awful about myself and I got on the scale and found out that I gained some weight.
I’m sharing this with you to show that sometimes, even though we know what we should do; we decide to do the exact opposite. The good news is that in the past I would have been crushed about the number, but this time around I accepted it and was able to move on.
From there I promised myself that I would embrace and love my body. I am going to find out if fitness can feel good. I hope that you will continue to follow me on my journey because I have a lot to share!
Welcome back to my exploration of Rhonda Ryder’s book: “Delicious Alignment.” I am on a journey of getting into the best shape of my life. My exercise of choice is hula hooping and I plan on applying the Law Of Attraction to my life to reach my goals. The first chapter in Rhonda’s book tells us to get off the scale and get in alignment.
This is the 1st official blog post in this series and I am super excited to share my ups and downs, wins and struggles with you. Since we are on the topic of struggle… I must admit that even as we speak, I am experiencing a huge amount of internal resistance. It it like my bad habits and destructive pattern of self-sabotage have teamed up and are plotting against me.
I already feel lighter just from getting that fun fact off my chest. This is so common. When we get ready to make big, bold, lifestyle changes we often find doubts and meet resistance. This could come in the form of your family or friends criticizing your decisions or you might feel physically exhausted from thinking about all the little steps that you will go through to reach your goals. Getting started really can be the hardest part and if you are on a (health) journey of your own; I commend and applaud you. You are no longer alone and we are in this together!
Create Your “Reasons Why”
Sometimes, the beginning of a journey can be a little lonely. You are treading on terra incognita (unknown and unexplored territory) and the uncertainty can be unnerving. Just remember that your destination is a healthier and happier place. Remind yourself often of the “reason why” you started this adventure to begin with. In fact, I recommend that you write out lots of reasons why it is a good idea for you to (insert your personal goal and vision here) get healthy.
Get excited about this dream-building process and make sure that you dream BIG. You can even create a vision board on Pinterest or a physical one if you have magazines laying around or some spare printer ink. Your “reasons why” will keep you on the path to your goals. Dream BIG and dream fearlessly because you cannot reach a target that does not exist!
“You become that which you believe you can become.”
Bhagavad Gita, Sanskrit Scripture
Who is Abraham-Hicks and What is the Law of Attraction?
The Law of Attraction is the ability to attract into our life the things that we focus on. The premise of the law of attraction is getting into alignment and according to the book; alignment seems to be the solution to everything. Do you want a successful career? Get into alignment. Do you want a healthy relationship? Get into alignment. Do you want a sexy body? Get into alignment.
On the other hand, focusing on the things that we don’t want will take us out of alignment. While we cannot be in full alignment 100% of the time, we can use our emotions as a guide to get us back in alignment. Our unhappy thoughts, disappointments and any thoughts that make us feel upset are forms of resistance.
How do I deal with resistance?
Believe it or not, resistance can be beneficial. When you are feeling very negative and upset the things that you don’t want become very obvious. Knowing what you don’t want can help you identify what you do want. Once you go through the process of using resistance to identify what you do and do not want it is best to get back into alignment (as soon as possible) by finding happier thoughts.
Thinking happier thoughts opens up your mind and heart to allowing what you really want. And this is how you attract and manifest the things that you really want like your dream body.
How Does Alignment Work?
Imagine a garden hose spraying water that represents all the things that you want to experience. When you are in alignment you have opened the faucet and well being can flow right into your life. You manifest and attract more when you are in alignment because you are an open vessel ready to receive.
When you are not in alignment because you feel bad or disappointed, it is like putting a kink in the hose that temporarily disallows the goodness to flow into your life. You can never fully cut off your access to good because it is all there just waiting for you to allow it into your experience. Being out of alignment creates distance between you and the things you want. This can interfere with your ability to manifest the transformation of your physical body. When you are in alignment you vibrate higher and this allows you to attract the experience that you want.
7 Alignment Boosters:
There are lots of different ways to get into alignment, but the trick is to figure out what works best for you. Everyone is different and different approaches will work for different people. Here are 7 alignment boosters to get you started.
In a pinch, it is good to have these in your toolbox to raise you vibration and get back into alignment!
What would make you feel better right now.
If you are feeling down and out of alignment the trick is to figure out what would make you feel better right now. Maybe you need some fresh air and should take a walk outside. Yesterday I had a busy day of work at my desk and when I was unable to concentrate I decided to step outside and garden. This was exactly what I needed. It could also be something like pausing to take some deep breaths. Brewing a cup of herbal tea. Turning on some music. Petting your cat. Etc. It is good to have a variety of ways to help you feel better in the moment.
Count Your Blessings
Appreciation is the quickest way to raise your vibration. The book suggests meditating for 15-20 minutes in the morning and then writing an appreciation list with 10-20 things that you are grateful for. I call this counting my blessings. I also count and write my blessings down as a way of practicing positive affirmations.
Appreciation is magical and if you start counting your blessings you will start seeing literal miracles happen in your life. I witnessed a few miracles of my own in the last few months and they started happening when I started counting my blessings.
Love your body Exercise 1.1
Make your alignment a priority
Be aware of your alignment throughout your day.
How do you know if you’re in alignment? It’s simple. If you’re feeling good then you are in alignment. If you’re feeling bad then you are out of alignment.
If you are feeling frustrated, disappointed, or any kind of negative emotion; ask yourself: what do I need to do to get back into alignment?
Try it out: Purchase a journal or notebook dedicated solely to the exercises in this book.
Questions for your journal:
Is there anything you are frustrated or stressed about right now?
What are a few things you can do right now that would help you feel better?
What thoughts can you think right now that feel better to you?
If you are still reading I want to thank you for sticking with it? What do you think? Are you interested or intrigued? When I first heard about Law Of Attraction a few years ago it almost seemed to good to be true. Could it really be that “easy” to manifest my dream life? When I looked online for YouTube videos I got a little overwhelmed and abandoned the whole notion. That was about 6 years ago and I recently tried to give it another chance. So I guess the answer to my question is that it doesn’t happen by doing nothing. The concepts may sound simple, but it takes practice to implement them into your life. Especially if you are like me. I have a tendency to be very skeptical and resistant, but I am trying to keep an open heart and open mind.
Of Course Hula Hooping:
Before we sign off, let’s talk a little bit about Hula Hooping. November will be my 2nd month of just hula hooping for exercise. When I first decided to give up my running, weightlifting, and yoga (in addition to hula hooping), I felt extremely resistant. I was so worried that I would go backwards and lose all of the progress I had worked so hard for. It was hard for me to imagine a reality where I could just have fun hula hooping and still reach my fitness goals.
If you have never tried hula hooping before you really are missing out and you should start today! The biggest barrier for most people is that they don’t have a hula hoop yet, but never fear; we have you covered!
No hula hoop?! No Problem!
See? Once you start thinking about the things that you do want the opportunities slip right into your fingertips!
Here is a hula hoop buying guide just in case you decide that you do want to take the plunge and join the party:
I highly recommend it. Hula hooping has transformed my entire life and I haven’t been doing it very long. Right now I am personally doing a Hula hooping program called Showgirl 2 today was my 2nd day of the program and I could feel every single muscle in my body working hard.
I am convinced that I have found the very best hula hoop instructor around. Please visit Bee Varga’s Hula hooping website for fun courses and a ton of tutorials:
Does hula hooping & law of attraction sound like an interesting combination? I’m excited to tell you about how I plan on blending these two together, but first it is time for a story. I would introduce myself, but this is “an anonymous blog of opinions” so you may call me “Whisper.”
It all started last summer. I decided that it was time for me to drop the baggage and to get into shape. After reuniting with a friend on Facebook, she told me that I was killing myself with my current lifestyle and that I needed to lose weight. She was concerned because she thought that my body type was showing signs of being a diabetic. The words stung, but instead of blocking her to save face; I decided to take her words to heart and take action!
This book inspired me to lace up my running shoes day after day.
Slow Jogging: science-based natural running for weigh-loss, health & performance benefits:
Amazon reviews helped me find good pair of running shoes and I took off running. By early December I was able to run my very first half-marathon without stopping. Sadly, in early January, I had an overuse injury and it was painful just to walk. The pain forced me to find an alternative form of exercise. My friend suggested the stationary bike and hula hooping or jump roping for 40 minutes. She said that the jump rope would be even better for me, but I didn’t have a proper surface for jumping. My only options were grass or gravel.
I discover Hula Hooping
A hula hoop is a beautiful thing. You can take it anywhere for a fun workout on the go!
Hula hooping it was! At first I rushed to the nearest Target hoping to find a fitness hoop, but the only option was a feather light toyshop hoop. It was a decent attempt, but I could not last more than 5 seconds before the hoop fell to the ground with a dramatic crash. My partner even politely asked me if there was any way that I could hoop more quietly ??. Every time I dropped the hoop it felt like the crash got louder so I decided that I needed to find a different hoop. My partner ordered us matching fitness hoops that night.
A few weeks later our fitness hoops arrived and I started looking online for hula hooping workouts. I had tried setting a timer for 40 minutes and turning on the tunes, but the time seemed to last forever. It was boring and unsustainable and I knew that I needed to find a more enjoyable way to hoop. When you are standing still and struggling to keep the hoop spinning around your waist; 40 minutes feels like an eternity. I quickly noticed that there were hardly any hula hooping workouts on YouTube. I found only 3 instructors who posted hula hooping videos that were longer than 30 minutes.
I will never forget the day that I discovered Bee Varga The Hula Hooper. It was my 2nd day and I was trying to figure out how I would pass the 40 minutes. At the time, I was still learning how to keep the hoop spinning around my waist. I gave this workout a shot because it fell just under my targeted time frame.
30 Min Weighted Hula Hoop Basics Workout For Weight Loss | Burn Fat, Get Lean and Dance:
This workout changed my life forever. I know that sounds dramatic, but it is completely true. This lady was so bubbly, fit, fun, and inspiring. I was so lost as I stumbled along throughout this workout, but I made it to the end and felt so happy.
Later that week, I was working through a coding tutorial on Udemy and decided to check and see if they offered a hula hooping course. To my surprise, Bee Varga had a course here too and I noticed that she had glowing reviews. I almost bought the course, but decided to check out her website directly. I promised myself that if I stuck with hula hooping long enough to enjoy it I would soon treat myself to one of her courses.
This buying guide was so helpful and helped me figure out where to begin my search for the perfect hoop. I promptly rushed over to her recommended site: The Spinsterz. It took me forever to choose my hoop, but once I placed my order I was so excited and couldn’t wait for it to arrive.
My sparkly hoop arrived and it was love at first sight! It was such a wonderful upgrade compared to my foam encased fitness hoop. I was so excited and thrilled about hula hooping that I messaged Bee on instagram to thank her for her wonderful classes. She suggested that I record myself hula hooping because it would be an amazing way to keep track of my progress. I took her words to heart, but I definitely felt intimidated because at that point I was super shy and hated taking videos of myself.
That Friday I took a clip of myself hula hooping (that day I hula hooped happily outside for 2 whole hours) and sent it to her. She was so supportive of my journey and it inspired me to keep going. After I had done most of her You Tube workouts, I treated myself to her 30 Day Hula Hottie Program. This lead me to what I believe is a life-long love for hula hooping and an appreciation for my body. I could go on and on with this story because there is a lot more, but I will save that for another post and shift gears from here.
It felt like an uphill battle until I hit a plateau
I had spent the entire year (from August of 2020) desperately trying to lose weight. I did a month long fitness challenge with a personal trainer and then jumped right into another program created by another trainer. I had a regimen of weighing myself daily (I learned this from my tiny stint with noom) and taking my measurements once a week.
After my foot recovered in March I started running again, hula hooped, did a 90 day weightlifting program, some buti yoga and was eating clean and tracking my macros religiously. I did get some great results by late spring, but by the end of summer I was exhausted and felt like I had plateaued. It was very discouraging and I felt like my hard work was no longer paying off.
In September I decided to do things differently. I talked with Bee about my struggles to get her expert opinion. In addition to being a world class hula hooper, Bee is also a Personal trainer, Olympic Weightlifting Instructor, Kettlebell Coach, Jump Rope Instructor, Holistic Massage Therapist, and Cupping therapist. I knew that she would be a good person to ask for advice.
Time to become a specialist
She suggested that I become a specialist and try just hula hooping because it would be enough for me to reach my goals. At first I didn’t want to believe her. How could I possibly sculpt a beautiful physique and get fit and healthy with just hula hooping? It took me awhile to adjust to this concept and I decided to give it a try.
That month I stopped running, weightlifting, yoga, intermittent fasting, and all forms of food restriction. I had also decided that I wanted to heal from an eating disorder that I didn’t realize was still an issue so the timing was perfect. After 3 weeks of just hula hooping I decided to weigh myself purely out of curiosity. To my surprise I had lost a few pounds and I felt fantastic!
It was so nice to meet you. Thank you for taking time to read about my hula hooping journey. Are you curious about hula hooping yet? Hopefully I will see you again soon!
