Tuesday, June 4, 2013

I Love my Beautiful Body




Thank you for visiting ‘I Love My Beautiful Body’. I am inspired to share this Blog with all of you out there that have difficulty loving your body just the way it is, NOW.  Each week we will walk through a new dimension of your body and explore loving it, healing it and making changes in our day-to-day life so you may learn how to grow a new physical form. That’s right- you will grow yourself into a new body, I swear! You will be given weekly Homework. You will experiment with new eating and exercise routines. You will consider how your thoughts about your body influence how you feel about your body and affect how it appears to you. The most important part of growing a new body, lies in cultivating the ability to let go of pain from the past, and habits that keep you stuck in the rut of projecting negative thoughts about your body image.


Your body is a living entity. Your body goes with you everywhere you go. It can be your best friend if you let it. It hears every thought and word you speak about it. When you talk to your friends, or think about how much you hate your thighs or belly fat, your body shrinks in its ability to be powerful, and change itself into a new form. It feels bullied by your small talk about it and just like a child, thinks what you say is the truth. On the other hand, when you speak and think in positive ways about your body- it stands up a little straighter and has more energy to do things for it's self to make improvements.

Now lets get one thing straight, this Blog is not about obtaining the ‘perfect body’-it’s about helping us all, myself included, make the day-to-day changes required to truly shift out of the limited vision we have of ourselves so we can love our selves, and bodies more. Perhaps you love the weight you are at and do not wish to change a thing- That is great! There may still be some insight I can offer through this Blog that may help you heal other aspects of yourself. 

I will say this; If loosing weight is your only goal, this blog may not be for you. While I enjoy sharing workout routines and love exercising more than I ever did before, I know the secret to being beautiful is not how much make up you have on, how perfect your breasts are, how buff you are, or how much hair you have on our head  (this Blog is for Men too!)- It's how you feel about yourself on the inside. Once you begin to dismantle old negative 'body talk' and begin a new conversation with your body, you may find your weight changing, or inches dropping, or your overall appearance will begin to look different to you. But its ultimatley because you are learning to love yourself and your body more now than ever, not because you are battling the scales.


Maybe you have spent a lifetime, or many years seeing your body as unhealthy, ugly, fat or yes, even too thin.  Maybe you are afraid to be beautiful. I was trained from the age of five by my grandmother to be fearful. She told me over and over again; “Any time a man looks at you, he wants sex with you.” She used to say this in a manner that made it sound threatening to gain a man's attention. This totally confused me, as I had no idea what ‘sex’ was at that early age. I learned to basically ‘fear being a woman’ and think of sex as dirty. As I grew up,  I realized her words were burned into my mind. I believed them to be true. I allowed her words to make me very afraid to feel beautiful, or do anything to draw attention to myself in a way that would seem attractive to the opposite sex. When I did gain attention from men, I would freeze or fumble and become very anxious and uptight. Listen, I love my Nana, I now know she was only trying to keep me ‘safe’ in her own way. But I am also aware she was giving, or gifting to me, her personal beliefs about men. I don’t hold it against her. 

Thankfully I have cracked the code and realize those were her fearful thoughts I took on over my life, and they really had nothing to do with me, unless I believed they did. That’s what you will be doing. You will crack your inner-codes and learn to dismantle harmful, hurtful, fear-based, and limiting thought-patterns that were given, or gifted to you by family, friends, foes and society at large... Yes, when we learn to transform them, these burdens can become gifts of the highest order!

Okay, if you are still reading, then something here is resonating and maybe there could be some nuggets of gold in this rainbow of a Blog for you! 

Being beautiful is not about having a tiny waistline, zero flab, no cellulite, or never getting wrinkles, it’s about feeling beautiful as a day-to-day experience. When we feel beauty, that is; Experience a true appreciation and awe at the wonder of our bodies we so often take for granted, our bodies start to respond in amazing ways. So, we will learn to allow ourselves to feel beautiful. As we relax into feeling beautiful, our ability to see ourselves in beautiful ways will begin to take shape. You will naturally want to take better care of your skin and eating habits. Proper rest along with regular exercise will become a part of your regimen. But most of all, you will learn how to heal your body with the power of your thoughts about yourself. This is the most valuable part of the equation because its gift that keeps giving. It is the gift of greater self-love. Ahhhhh <3

When you start to let go of unconstructive habits, re-write the way you think about yourself, and begin to heal the stuff deep inside, the pounds will start to melt off, or your ability to gain weight (if the reverse is your woe) will start to happen in a balanced way. You will become lighter on the inside without all those heavy thoughts beating you up, and your natural weight will find you.

Picture- me at the age of seventeen. 
I am smiling on the outside but filled with negative self-talk on the inside. I weigh close to 190 lbs here.


Believe me, You can loose all the weight you want, but it doesn’t mean you will feel better, be happier, or even look different to yourself if you still see yourself as ‘fat’ and continue to have fat thoughts about yourself. Back in 2000, I weighed close to 200 pounds. After three months of backpacking around Australia I weighed 140 pounds. It didn’t matter because every time I looked in the mirror I still saw the overweight girl I was before I left staring back at me in the mirror. (You can read all about my personal adventures with weight gain, weight loss, and more in my upcoming book entitled Confessions of a Spiritual Apprentice © 
 I had ‘programmed’ so many hateful thoughts about myself into my body- that I literally could not see past them. They blinded me, and after some time I gained back enough weight to fit the image I had in my mind. 


Confessions of A Spiritual Apprentice book 
http://www.tuesdaymaythomas.com/#!books/c1xu8.

Picture Below- Me just a couple months ago. I am filled with more beautiful thoughts than I ever knew I could have! 
I am 160 lbs here, my steady weight. 

Yes, from an early age I was clinically obese and then I grew a few inches and everything evened out. And then I gained weight again, and then I lost it, and then I gained it back again, and then I lost it again... and the cycle went on and on. It all changed when the ‘ex’ I was planning to marry (and was with for five years), slept with another person a week before our marriage date was set. Ughhh....

I was thirty-eight years old and weighed 185 pounds. I hated who looked back at me in the mirror. All I could see was a tired, aging, overweight woman who had been betrayed, a woman who could never trust in love again. I felt so alone... But instead of cursing my body for all of its faults as I usually would, I began to feel compassion for all the hurt and pain I had gone through, not just with my ex, but over my whole life.

I saw the connection between who I thought I was, and how my body appeared to me, exactly as the person I thought I was. I hated myself and my body, but deep inside I knew the self-hate was bringing me down. I looked in the mirror at my sagging and emotionally exhausted body and told myself; “You’re gonna change for the better lady.” I felt so hurt and could have easily become bitter after the experience with my ex. But I didn't want to grow into a suspicious, mistrusting, scowling, lonely old woman. And believe me, even when young in years, constant thoughts of self-hate and loathing will wear you down from the inside out and cause you to look a lot older than you are.

I am now forty-one years of age and feel younger than when I was in my thirties. It is in part due to an exercise, beauty and nutrition routine, but mostly it is due to the cause of learning to love myself, one day at a time. That’s what I want to share with you- the gift of learning to love yourself more than you ever have before. May you and find beauty in who you get to know within yourself.

So, I’m not gonna leave you without something to work with, and I appreciate you reading thus far so we can get to know each other. I can’t promise each weekly post will be of a certain length, but I will promise to share new tools with you each week. Your tools will include tips on nutrition, digestion, products I love, recipes, suggestions on how to structure, plan and schedule your workouts, and videos on tightening, lifting and toning your beautiful body with my favorite ‘shape-shifter’ routines that you can do at home. We will also have fun with hair, skin and beauty routines while running through weekly guidelines for day-to-day ways you can raise your metabolism and ‘work’ your body while at the bus stop, at work and at home. 

Remember, most importantly- your homework will include ‘inner work’ too, so you can explore feeling beautiful from the inside out. After all, isn’t that what truly counts? We become more beautiful with each beautiful thought we have. We are cultivating ‘beauty consciousness’ from within each living cell in our beautiful, healthy bodies! This kind of beauty radiates out in all directions and returns multiplied! Mmmmm hmmmm.. 

So thats what our first program together will be in the next posting; working with our thoughts about our bodies. Once we get accustomed to this kind of 'body-talk work', the next blog will incorporate fun exercise routines for my fav areas to tone; the butt, triceps, legs and core. I will include guidelines to structure your own workouts too!

Thank You for visiting. Please come back later to begin this program, or go ahead and keep reading!-  Why not??


I am not a certified nutritionist, doctor or therapist. Please consult your healthcare professional before 
participating in any diet, exercise or lifestyle changes you may feel are questionable to your health.
 I resume no responsibility for your actions.
© Tuesday May Thomas 2013



6 comments:

  1. It's amazing how I look back at some pictures of when I was thin and think, man I used to think I was so fat back then. I'm not sure if I'm in that same head space now again. Like you I had the ups the downs the 165lbs to the 189lbs. I am now thinking about breast reduction surgery to bring my G cups to a D cup. I am going to do the homework and as you say "flip the script" and see if my feelings about my breast don't change. Thanks for sharing this, and it's so good to see that there is something else besides crash diets and exercise.

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  2. Blessings Erika, Thank You for reading and Thank You for sharing your personal journey. Yes, flipping the script is deep work, we have to be sooo on it- as the mind will continue spinning out old thought patterns. It can be a battle of sorts.. Its all about entertaining ONLY those thoughts that help us feel happy and uplifted, versus the ones that bring us down or keep us in a place of self limitation. Maybe your body is ready to grow 'anew' and if having smaller breasts makes you FEEL happier and fulfilled, then yes, sit with that and you will know for sure in time. Also, ask the intuitive nature of your body. It will tell you if it is ready for that kind of a change. With Love & Gratitude..

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  3. Thank you Tuesday! I do adore your class and your blog is very inspiring <3 People, especially women, need to treat themselves with love and kindness. We all come in different sizes and shapes, but we're all unique, beautiful and have the power to be better and better everyday!
    Thanks for the inspiration :)

    xoxo
    Giovanna

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    1. So Many Blessings Giovanna!- It is such a pleasure to share class (time and space) with you. The light you bring ripples out in all directions :) . Agreed, we are all so different and we all definitely have the power to be better every day. Often we feel alone when sitting with resistance due to complex issues of self-love or body images, yet we have so much in common. It is my hope to connect the dots of understanding so we may love ourselves more and more, together- and in the light of each other. Om & Lots of Love!

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  4. Wow, Tuesday! This is amazing! I resonated so much with your blog..I am a regular in your friday class and want to say that what i've read so far in your blog has already helped me so much! When i was growing up, because i was a dancer, lots of food was off limits to me. My mom was constantly watching my weight making sure i wasnt getting too big "for the stage". My obsession with food actually ended up costing me a few dance jobs and then i knew it was true: I was too fat to be in "the industry"...fast forward to today and my mother, although i understand her fears and i love her dearly, keeps telling me if i dont lose weight i won't find the kind of man i want :( how can i learn how to love myself the way i am?

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    1. Samara- Is it the man SHE wants or the kind of man YOU really want?!! Your words hit home deeply. Judgements cast over us by others belong to them, meaning THEY have decided to take them on as truth. As long as 'they' continue to speak those beliefs and words into 'truth' those words are true for them, but they do not have to be true for you. It's all too common that those who cast negativity unto us, have indeed experienced a similar negativity, or harsh judgement from others too. Along with all of the inner work we do with conjuring positive thoughts, and loving our bodies- we have outer work to do too, and often it involves others.
      It is a strange phenomena; I have noticed periods of life- where upon my physicality changing, both in gaining and loosing weight-(some) people around me had a hard time letting me either be heavier in my weight, or loose weight. They picked on me either way.- This may reflect (a) their own judgements of themselves and (b) belief patterns gifted to them from their loved ones. I remember having deep issues with my mother not being able to show me affection when I was little. Then I looked at how my grandmother never showed my mother affection- and Bingo! We all have a degree of 'learned' programming in our cells that literally reside in our body tissues. Thats why when we tackle these issues deep at their core, it can be so powerful, because we are changing the d.n.a. we were born with. Whoooop! Hope this isn't getting too cray-cray !lol- Though I truly believe we come into this life with with what our ancestors and family and society gives us. It is up to us if we want to go with it, or not.
      So- maybe an angle you can consider to help in loving yourself 'the way you are', lays in expressing love to those around you more too. Try it on, like a blouse or a skirt! See how that mindset feels and next time someone you love or even 'like' expresses something judgmental or negative towards you, your body image etc- remember you do not have to own it!- you can give it back to them in a powerfully graceful way and share love too by not reacting how you may have in the past. Let them know they are beautiful or tell them you love them- completely flip the script and raise the energy to a positive note. That will surely begin to create a new blueprint for you, your mom and all else involved. And it will begin to change the whole schematics of a learned called and response. I personally feel my mom used to hurt me with her words when I was little - and I would just cry. But now I see it as an opportunity to see her for her and hold my space steady in myself. It can be HARD WORK- especially when it is someone as close as a mom.. but over time, if you can share some of the love she wants to feel and experience in her life too, you may have quite amazing transformations occurring. Sometimes we have to be the adult, and treat our parents with the tender love they missed out on as a child. Be LOve! LOve Yourself and LOve the Mom too- show her how easy it is to be nice and loving. God Bless xo

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