POSITIVITY BREEDS POSITIVITY - PART 1

If you know me, you know I believe strongly in the power of positive thinking for all aspects of your life!  I believe the more positive thoughts you are having about situations, events, and goals, the more positive results you will see! On the flip side, negative thoughts lead to more negative things including negative outcomes (if you keep saying "I'm so fat, I'm so fat" you are telling your brain and the universe that that is what you are so that is what you'll be!)  This is a magical theory and applies to every facet of your life, but today I'm gonna be talking about how it can help you pick yourself up out of a rut of bad health, bad eating, and feeling fat and out-of-shape.  This is a huge topic and I will try to cover it with some different ideas in a few blog posts here.

I know personally how you can know that you need to be positive about things, but when you're down in the dumps it's sometimes hard to really genuinely put out a positive feeling and really believe you are going to achieve all your goals, right?  When people gain weight or stop working out and eating healthy they also often stop doing all the things that go along with feeling beautiful and enriched... shopping for new clothes sucks if you don't fit in anything, I don't need a spray tan - no one's gonna see my unfit body, I'm not gonna take that sexy bellydance class until I lose 10 pounds, etc.  You have to think backwards here... Go do all the things that will make you feel beautiful and believe that you can do anything!  No matter where you're at in your fitness goals, don't you feel a bit more like superwoman after a great haircut and blow-out?  Then the magic happens in your brain... you feel great because of the hairstyle and that leads to other great things like enriching your body with whole healthy foods and working out and believing in yourself!  You need to keep that positivity flowing around you and love who you are at that very moment!  Loving yourself the way you are doesn't mean you don't want to make improvements, it just means you love every stage you go through and you learn from the different stages!  Perhaps you want more muscle, less fat, more energy, whatever it is - know that you WILL reach your goal with work, positive thoughts, and persistence! Every little step in the right direction is bringing you closer to your goal... and it's always better to be moving closer and closer rather than staying where you're at or going the other direction.  Celebrate progress with these ideas:

- Go for a spa day and get beautiful, or do one yourself at home alone or with a bunch of friends (mani/pedi, masks, scrubs, etc.)
- Shave/wax those legs!  Why not?
- get a new haircut, dye your hair a different colour, or just get a blow-out!
- Get a spray tan or apply some self-tanner  Everyone looks better with a little colour (my faves are Clarins and Biotherm self-tanners on the high end (around $50) or L'oreal Sublime Bronze Tinted Self-Tanner Gel for a little less ($17)
- Buy a new rockin' outfit or piece of clothing!  So many people who want to lose weight don't want to buy clothes until they lose the weight so they continue on negatively in old clothes they don't feel excited by forever - it's an endless cycle - you feel yucky so you don't take the steps to feel great.  You need to make yourself feel great first and the rest of the good stuff with follow!  So, buy a kick-ass pair of jeans that fit you NOW!  Don't worry - it's a pretty fun golden worry when you have to go shopping again soon for smaller-sized clothing!

- Try bellydancing! It is all about loving your body and showing off those curves and also helps you feel more of a connect to your femininity! If you're in Toronto area check out my classes www.mayada.ca
- Make a habit of not going out of the house without looking your best! Putting make-up, doing your hair, wearing awesome outfits, or whatever makes you feel great about yourself!  This was one of my new year's resolutions - I ask myself "would I love to bump into someone I hadn't seen for ages or have my picture taken looking like this?" before leaving! The answer needs to be YES!
- Get a workout in first-thing in the morning (even if it's mini!) I find it really sets the tone for the whole day and makes you feel unstoppable!

Try these tips, and let me know how it helps you on your journey.  Also, post any other ideasyou have here!

Coming soon: 
POSITIVITY BREEDS POSITIVITY PART 2!