The topic of discussion amongst women always seems to be around diet’s and fitness. Sure there are other things like kids, vacations, and other paraphernalia called life, but all women are seeking the holy grail to get it right. I have exercised my entire life. When I was kid I was active in all sports: volleyball, baseball, basketball, skiing and tag football. When I was in college I became a runner. After I got married I became a gym rat. When I got divorced I became addicted to Hot Yoga……but I never looked like a fitness model.
Last year I decided to get serious about it so I logged everything I ate, watched my calories, drank plenty of water and worked out four days a week, religiously. Nothing changed. And it seemed this was a hot topic amongst friends experiencing the same thing. In fact, Amy Wray of Mod City Mag has been tracking her fitness for nearly a year, with the same results. She cut back on all processed foods, eliminated most meat and got down to business eating things like tofu and sweet potatoes. And like me, rather than loosing weight, she gained five pounds! ACK!
I know her pain. Gaining weight is not for the faint of heart, especially if you are making a real effort and big sacrifices, with zero reward. Gaining weight can be associated with building muscle but I continued to gain in body fat. (If you’re so inclined, you can get the Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale, Black and it shows you your body fat) How on earth can I gain when I too am eating tofu, kale and vegetables? Then the answer hit me upside the head: the closet.
According to feng shui principles, our lives are heavily affected by our clutter. Items that we hang onto subconsciously wreck havoc on our physical worlds and it shows up in multiple forms. In this case, I was hanging onto things, and it was showing up as hanging onto weight. Now I know this seems weird, but I recently did a podcast with Feng Shui expert Anjie Cho, who spoke of this very thing. So if you’re willing to try every fad diet, or you feel like you’ve tried everything else, try these tips and see what happens!
Is your closet making you fat?
1) Get rid of all the clutter in your closet
We tend to store a lot of crap in our closets, and forget half of what’s in there. Go through everything and if you haven’t worn it in the last year, donate it. Throw away all the trash, take all the loose change to a coin machine and start to stir up the chi and get things moving.
2) Free up as much space as possible
It’s been said over and over again that everything in our lives should be approached with the 80/20 rule. And this goes without saying, your closet is top of that list. Most of us only wear 20% of what is stored in our closets, so get rid of the rest. According to feng shui principles, the universe is similar to a vacuum. In order to allow new opportunities to come into your life, you have to free up space. SO take a good look at your closet, is there any room for new opportunities?
3) Get rid of your past
Many people, especially women, hang onto that old wedding dress, the pair of jeans from high school or something that reminds them of when they were thinner. And they think that hanging onto them is a great reminder that “someday I will get back into them, someday. So I will keep them just in case.”
Problem is, ‘just in case‘ indicates a lack of trust in the future and holds you hostage to your past. SO throw away anything that might have been and focus on all that will be! This is especially true if you have changed career paths. If you used to be in the corporate world and have an entire closet of pant suits you never wear – get rid of them, and vice versus.
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So today marks the day that I will be opening up my closet. I am throwing away everything deemed trash, donating clothes to those who need it more, and opening myself up to infinite opportunity. I will be clear with my intentions, letting the universe know that I’m ready to let this weight go….. are you ready to take on the challenge? What do you have to lose…that’s right, those pesky pounds. Let’s do this!