Enjoy the Process

Ten weeks ago, my partner Drew and I began Tai Chi lessons. Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese form of exercise combining mindful movement, meditation, martial arts techniques and the study of Taoist philosophy.

We have found a terrific teacher in Rich Marantz with classes in nearby Manchester, VT. Rich studies with one of the master teachers of China’s Wudang Mountain. (Yes, that’s the same Wudang Mountain featured in the movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” for you movie buffs like me. Cool!)

Last week, this is what Rich shared with our class…

“If you wait until you “get” Tai Chi to enjoy it, you will never get it.”

It made me think of how true that was for many areas of our life. Whether it’s ballroom dancing, a new exercise class or a special project, if you wait until you totally “have it down” before you allow yourself to have fun, you’ll find the process much harder, experience fewer results and it will be impossible to stick to.

Here’s my version of Rich’s Tai Chi wisdom for Wild Woman Wellness:

If you wait to be that “perfect weight or perfect size” before you enjoy your body, you’ll never reach the “perfect weight or perfect size.” And if you do happen to reach that goal without a shred a joy in the process, you won’t be any happier when you get “there.”

How many times have you or someone you know said the following – “When I lose weight, I’ll ENTER FUN ACTIVITY HERE.” This way of thinking is completely backward and prevents you from reaching your health goals. Women are so used to beating themselves into health. No pain, no gain, right? Wrong. We only have to look at our health history to see that doesn’t work for very long.

I suggest another approach that puts an emphasis on enjoying the process of getting healthier combined with using your brain power for your benefit (and not your downfall). That’s right, this approach is for thinking women.

If you take pleasure in your self-care, you naturally become attracted to healthy living. If you find healthy living fun and attractive, then you naturally integrate it into your lifestyle and for good.

The challenge is women have mistaken body-bloating activities that are fun-on-the-way-down, like sugar binges, cocktails and carbo-loading, as true pleasure. While I’m all for a great glass of wine, making the wine the centerpiece of my enjoyment is not pleasure but self-abuse and a form of addiction.

You as an infinitely intelligent woman must learn to use your power for good. Use some of your brilliance and creativity to come up with fun ways of eating well and exercising.

Here are some examples of making health a Wild Woman Wellness experience:

Feeling frumpy in your old clothing but waiting to lose those last 5-10 lbs before you get a good fitting pair of pants? WWW SOLUTION: Get a pair of jeans that fits the booty you have now and one that makes you feel good about what you got. Chances are you’ll look 10 lbs lighter with proper fitting clothing anyways. (Have you seen the August issue of Oprah with the feature on how to find jeans for your body type? The best!) And when you feel good, you make more “feeling good” choices like eating lots of vegetables.

Been craving a girl’s night out of dancing but feel intimidated because you have more jiggle than you care to wiggle? WWW SOLUTION: Sign up for a belly dance class series and get moving now. The new moves will give you confidence, you’ll learn to love your curves (as the women with more curves look the best in belly dancing class) and you’ll even tone up an ab or two. Then get yourself a new sleek outfit and hit the dance club. No man can resist a woman who loves herself.

Trying to lose weight but can’t stop dreaming about baguettes, bagels and penne a la vodka? WWW SOLUTION: Be gentle with yourself and give yourself a few weeks to wean yourself off refined flours. The idea is to add in good foods before you take something out of your diet. This naturally crowds out what doesn’t work for your body with a lot less effort. So, before you take out the baked flour products experiment with having protein at every meal and snack. You’ll notice your craving for breads decline as your blood sugar stabilizes.

Try those ideas on and see what’s it’s like to work with what you got on your way to becoming who you want to be.