Welcome Back!

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!

What does it mean to start a love affair with your body? And why would you want to do a thing like that? I’m getting these bright ideas from a book called “Delicious Alignment: How 25 Women Learned to Love and Transform Their Bodies Using Abraham-Hicks and the Law of Attraction” by Rhonda Ryder. I am on a health and fitness journey of my own and am currently struggling with the principles I’m learning from the book.

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

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.

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.”

Ashley Graham, American Model

Ashley Graham is right. Our words have so much power. This reminds me of positive affirmations. If you are interested in learning more about affirmations check out this article: “Can Fitness Feel Good?”

Feel Good Hula Hooping Workout | Bee Varga:

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.

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?”

Now Think about something different: Something that always brings a smile to your face.

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.

I still struggle with this area in my life. When I woke up this morning, I noticed that the first thing I did was feel my belly and feel groggy and heavy. I think that this happened out of habit and it is going to take me some time and practice to change this bad habit. I am going to practice pivoting and playing the “What if” game. I will write another post on that for you soon so stay tuned!

Manifest love and support.

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…

Lots of Love,

❤ Whisper