The Tapping Solution for Weight Loss & Body Confidence (24 page)

Over time, these consistent responses made me realize that I had never really given exercise a chance. I was too busy judging myself to experience the emotional benefits that come from moving my body. I began to wonder … what if, like tapping, moving my body was a healing modality in itself? If I saw exercise as a spiritual experience, would moving my body feel different?

By that point in my journey, I was clear on the beliefs and patterns that had caused me to hold on to the weight. I was rebellious, courageous, and determined, but I also often suppressed my true self to please others. The bottom line was that I was scared to take up space in this world, so I played small in a large body that I hoped would protect me from the pain I was already feeling.

Once I began to tap on my resistance to exercise and could look at it in a new way, I realized that exercise was essential to my healing journey. Soon after, I took a kickboxing class that turned that belief into a very personal reality. During that class, for the first time ever, I experienced in my body what it feels like to discover my own power and voice. I realized that I could push energy out of my body instead of always absorbing other people’s energy. It was a huge turning point for me, and I left that class feeling more powerful than I had in years.

Kickboxing soon became a way for me to process anger, an emotion I had been too ashamed to feel. Yoga has since taught me how to listen to my body and “go with the flow.” I often leave a class feeling that it was even better for my soul than my body.

It’s important to realize that we cannot experience our own true power and essence if we don’t move. Movement, like tapping, helps us process emotions. Once we use tapping to peel back and release limiting beliefs about exercise, we can receive an even deeper form of healing through exercise itself. Exercise isn’t about achieving an end goal; it’s about having a present-moment experience that connects us with ourselves, our body, and our own power.

Practical Tips for Beginning to Exercise

After tapping through your resistance to exercise—the stress, emotional blocks, physical pain, and anything else that may be affecting how you think and feel about exercise—you may surprise yourself by feeling slightly excited about the idea of moving your body. To help you take advantage of that momentum, here are some practical tips that my clients and I have found helpful over the years.

Make exercise non-negotiable.
A friend once said to me, “People don’t struggle with exercise. They struggle with making the decision to exercise.” Often, we spend so much time thinking that we “should” exercise that it starts to feel like this incredibly overwhelming decision. If we stopped thinking about it and just went ahead and did it, we’d be done exercising before we knew it, and more important, we’d feel great! That’s why Nike’s “Just do it” slogan strikes a chord with so many people. When we stop overthinking exercise and make it non-negotiable, we get to experience how great it makes us feel.

Find an exercise buddy and/or some support.
Research has shown that people who work out with some kind of support group get better results. When you look for support, I encourage you to find someone who is in better shape than you. Sometimes when two people at the same fitness level try to support each other, they end up falling back into old patterns, finding comfort in the fact that they are falling together. The better bet is to find someone who’s been exercising regularly for a long time, someone who’s excited about you loving exercise as much as they do.

Why would someone who exercises consistently want to be your buddy? Even the most committed fitness enthusiasts have busy lives that occasionally interfere with their desire to stay consistent. They may really appreciate your support. It’s also fun! My friend Sarah is my fitness buddy. She has always used her family history of heart disease as motivation to stay in shape. She says she feels most like herself when she’s on her bike. We don’t work out together, but we do text each other most mornings with motivation that gets us up and going. Sometimes we set fun fitness challenges for ourselves. Other times, we encourage each other to get out in spite of bad weather. The reality is that there are some days (especially in the dark and cold of winter) when it takes a little more energy to get up and go. Having a fitness buddy makes that easier and more fun.

Make exercise fun.
When Autumn started going to yoga for the first time in three years, she let herself try different yoga classes until she found one she loved. Give yourself permission to experiment with how you can make movement more fun. Try a dance class, order a fun fitness DVD, or go for a walk in a local park. You can mix and match different exercise options depending on your mood on a given day.

Some days, adding in an enjoyable distraction may be what you need. When I texted my friend Natalie asking her how she gets herself motivated to exercise when she doesn’t feel like it, she replied with two words:
True Blood
. How does a show about vampires help her work out? She downloaded the episodes on her phone and only allows herself to watch them while she’s on the treadmill. This makes her workout fun and easy. “I get so into the show that before I know it, it’s over and I’ve been on the treadmill for an hour. I got to watch my favorite show and I feel great.”

I love to work out on the elliptical while reading historical fiction. I get so involved in the story that I don’t even want to get off. (If you own a Kindle or other reading device, you can make the text bigger, which makes it a lot easier to read when you’re moving.) And then there’s always my personal favorite … If walls could talk, my solo dance parties would be the talk of the town! From jumping off couches to attempting the moonwalk with my socks on a wooden floor, I love to dance by myself! I do not hold back. Sometimes I’m Shakira, and other times I’m Tina Turner. Whatever the case, I’m always having fun. If you haven’t done any physical activity for a while, begin by just dancing in your living room. Find your favorite song and let the music move you. Start discovering how silly and playful you can be when you move. Let’s stop making movement a serious burden; instead, let’s make it an expression of joy and gratitude for being alive.

Whatever kind of exercise you’re doing on any given day, make a point of asking yourself how you can make it even more pleasurable, whether that means watching your favorite show while exercising at a gym, dancing wildly, or working out outdoors so you can look at beautiful flowers.

Let yourself find comfort in discomfort.
I’ve always noticed that the first ten minutes of exercising is when I’m most tempted to quit. It’s when everything hurts and I feel short of breath. If I keep exercising, it gets easier. After years of noticing this, I finally did some research and learned that those first ten minutes feel harder for everyone, including elite athletes. It’s when your body is adjusting to exercise. The difficulty you feel is the lag time that happens as your body begins delivering adequate fuel to your muscles.

Keep this in mind when you start exercising, and don’t take that initial discomfort as a sign that you can’t do it. Instead of stopping, try focusing on positive thoughts that keep you going. With practice you’ll find that it’s easier to get comfortable with that short stretch of discomfort at the start.

Use affirmations when you move.
A woman in my program shared that she chanted, “I may be slow, but I go even when I could say no.” Saying this mantra over and over again helped her lose 110 pounds!

When I run and feel myself struggling during those first ten minutes, I say to myself, “Steady and smooth.” I don’t need to force the movement or go at top speed; I just find ways to make my running “smoother.” Because that sounds easy and effortless, it motivates me to keep going.

Erin Stutland’s workouts are another favorite of mine because they combine movement with positive affirmations. After becoming a fan of her work, I later had the honor of becoming close friends with her. Her approach to exercise makes movement an empowering and fun experience. If you haven’t yet tried the fun workout she and I created together, I encourage you to watch it at
www.TheTappingSolution.com/chapter9
.

At the end of the workout, we do some of the dance moves I’ve mastered through my solo dance parties. If seeing me look ridiculous helps relieve your fear of looking ridiculous when you exercise, I am happy to oblige!

Never underestimate the power of a walk.
Plato, Aristotle, Albert Einstein, and Steve Jobs—some of the most brilliant minds in our history were avid walkers. Walking is a great way to exercise, overcome fatigue, decrease stress, and increase brain function and creativity. Steve Jobs was famous for holding meetings during long walks. He even designed the new Apple campus specifically to accommodate walking meetings. In a similarly innovative spirit, one of my students began doing her tapping while taking a walk. Great idea!