The Bad Girl's Guide to Goddess Health by Karin Witzig

One of my least desirable feelings is being hung-over. I've been there so many times as a partying teenager and young adult that by the time I turned 21 I was sick of alcohol. I was sick of waking up and reaching for the Advil and making sure I had the right amount of water by my bedside every weekend. I had the perfect remedy and routine down for relieving the morning-after aches and pains. That's when I knew things could be much better.

I remember when my friend Lisa took me out for my 21st birthday and I ordered an obnoxiously large and strong cocktail: A Long Island Iced Tea, to be exact. This is a potent blend of ALL the white liquors with a splash of Coca-Cola and sour mix. I got so sick I spent the rest of the afternoon in the car while my friend continued to enjoy our shopping plans.

The point is: I didn't really want the drink. I just thought that's what you did on your 21st birthday to celebrate.

The standard repertoire of experiencing fun, pleasure and letting ourselves be "bad" is so limited. It usually includes drinking too much, eating in excess and putting our body through stress. There's got to be a better way.

You have an inner bad girl and she is chomping at the bit. In fact, she can't wait to party with you. You know there's nothing like a special occasion, such as the holidays, to give us an excuse to pull up a chair to the buffet.

Let's get one thing clear. If you don't train your inner bad girl she will school you. This can be fun at times. You get to relax and let it all hang out and let someone else run the show. In this day-and-age of doing so much, it can be a relief.

Just when you're feeling really great, she tries to sabotage your health efforts with large amounts of chocolate eating.
When you feel bored she likes to raid the fridge and look for something. And no matter what you eat or drink, you never feel satisfied.
When it comes to fun, the things she immediately goes for are cocktails, sugar, recreational drugs and anything that relieves the inner pressure,
She likes for you to stay out too late and eat/drink too much when you've got big plans the next day/the coming week
She's the one who say's "What the hell, I'm already off track, might as well..."

You know what I'm talking about. She likes to party, she likes to stir things up and her actions generally result in some sort of imbalance. However, I believe it's ALWAYS better to consciously binge than unconsciously binge, so acknowledge her. (By the way, she loves to be acknowledged.) My intention is to raise your awareness and give you some new options to experiment with.

Why do we look to food and drink as medicine and entertainment? Here are my two cents as to why we let our inner bad girl have her way with us:

It is usually way more fun than whatever is going on in our lives.
Our lives could be a bit juicier and for the moment, a binge looks more exciting than a current situation.
Something's botheringus and we may not want to feel it fully.
There's an unmet need in our primary food. Primary food is anything that feeds us, but doesn't come on a plate. Things like kisses, hugs, movement, hobbies, great conversation, intimacy, feeling connected, fulfilling sex, work we enjoy, a spiritual life, feeling accepted, etc...
Lack of awareness around our options to party, have fun, feel connected, and blow off steam without messing with our bodies.
We've waited too long to do something nice for ourselves. We've reached a point of exhaustion / overload / over-stimulation / over-stressed / burned out / etc... In this place it is nearly impossible to think clearly and come up with new ideas.
Like all women, we have a natural desire for expansion, lightness and bliss. However we do have choices on how we get ourselves to feel that way.

Anticipate your inner desires to be bad instead of waiting for them to bite you in the bum.

Giving your inner bad girl something to do and anticipating her desires is key to really enjoying getting healthy. Otherwise, how will your inner health goddess ever stand a chance against Miss Baddy Bad-ass who likes to be a little naughty and mess with your health efforts? There's only one way. Throw your inner bad girl some attention and give her something to chomp on.

When struggling to do something healthy, spice it up and invite your inner bad girl along. She can be really inspiring and can make the un-fun into a really good time. For example:

Been thinking about yoga? Get a yoga-for-couples video and do it naked with your partner.
Bored with exercise? Sign up for a class that feels like an edge to you: latin dancing, rock climbing, Argentine tango lessons, African dance classes, etc.
Hire a gorgeous personal trainer

Love your chocolate? Get yourself the best you can buy, melt it and paint your breasts and ask your partner to help you with your chocolate cravings
Serve aphrodisiac fruit smoothies at your next party by adding damiana herbal extract and chocolate syrup.

I've started taking Mondays off, and every week I get to feel like I'm being bad. Everyone else is working and I'm pretending it's Sunday.
Go ahead, take a day off from work when you feel GOOD vs. only when you feel like you absolutely need it.
Delete some emails for the hell of it.

We purchase reserves of computer paper, paper towels and toilet paper. Why not build a reserve of self-care? It's like credit in the Bank of You. When stressful times hit, you are far less reactive if you've been taking care of yourself. This stops the cycle of only taking great care of yourself when you're sick and run down. And that is an expensive way to live.

Take an inspiring relationship course with your partner because things are going well, instead of only when things start to crumble.
Throw a get-together for no reason and have everyone bring food and drinks and create activities or theme that doesn't revolve around boozing it up. Sure have some cocktails! Also use your creative thinking to create connection without (or with less) alcohol. If you need an idea, check out the book The Bad Girl's Guide to the Party Life. It's a laugh-out-loud guide to party themes.
Get sensual and remember you are a woman. Listen to music that puts you in your sensual, create a spa evening, take yourself on a date, do something! Go on a pleasure diet for the love of Goddess!
Have a fun and silly date with your partner or close friends.

I'll create fun and healthy activities to bypass Ms. Baddy Bad-Ass's attempts to get some attention from me. And it is a discipline. Pleasure, joy, fun and living a juicy life form a discipline. Women are used to suffering, struggling and giving ourselves a hard time. Let's give it up and find joy in our self-care, eating well and moving our bodies!

The more zany, fun and exciting you can make your health pursuits, the more likely you'll want to stick with them and the less likely you'll look to food and drink as entertainment and medication.

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The Bad Girl's Guide to Goddess Health by Karin Witzig One of my least desirable feelings is being hung-over. I've been there so many times as a partying teenager and young adult that by the time I turned 21 I was sick of alcohol. I was sick of waking up and reaching for the Advil and making sure I had the right amount of water by my bedside every weekend. I had the perfect remedy and routine down for relieving the morning-after aches and pains. That's when I knew things could be much better. I remember when my friend Lisa took me out for my 21st birthday and I ordered an obnoxiously large and strong cocktail: A Long Island Iced Tea, to be exact. This is a potent blend of ALL the white liquors with a splash of Coca-Cola and sour mix. I got so sick I spent the rest of the afternoon in the car while my friend continued to enjoy our shopping plans. The point is: I didn't really want the drink. I just thought that's what you did on your 21st birthday to celebrate. The standard repertoire of experiencing fun, pleasure and letting ourselves be "bad" is so limited. It usually includes drinking too much, eating in excess and putting our body through stress. There's got to be a better way. Training Your Inner Bad Girl You have an inner bad girl and she is chomping at the bit. In fact, she can't wait to party with you. You know there's nothing like a special occasion, such as the holidays, to give us an excuse to pull up a chair to the buffet. Let's get one thing clear. If you don't train your inner bad girl she will school you. This can be fun at times. You get to relax and let it all hang out and let someone else run the show. In this day-and-age of doing so much, it can be a relief. Here are common ways she likes to make herself known: Just when you're feeling really great, she tries to sabotage your health efforts with large amounts of chocolate eating. When you feel bored she likes to raid the fridge and look for something. And no matter what you eat or drink, you never feel satisfied. When it comes to fun, the things she immediately goes for are cocktails, sugar, recreational drugs and anything that relieves the inner pressure, She likes for you to stay out too late and eat/drink too much when you've got big plans the next day/the coming week She's the one who say's "What the hell, I'm already off track, might as well..." You know what I'm talking about. She likes to party, she likes to stir things up and her actions generally result in some sort of imbalance. However, I believe it's ALWAYS better to consciously binge than unconsciously binge, so acknowledge her. (By the way, she loves to be acknowledged.) My intention is to raise your awareness and give you some new options to experiment with. Why do we look to food and drink as medicine and entertainment? Here are my two cents as to why we let our inner bad girl have her way with us: It is usually way more fun than whatever is going on in our lives. Our lives could be a bit juicier and for the moment, a binge looks more exciting than a current situation. Something's botheringus and we may not want to feel it fully. There's an unmet need in our primary food. Primary food is anything that feeds us, but doesn't come on a plate. Things like kisses, hugs, movement, hobbies, great conversation, intimacy, feeling connected, fulfilling sex, work we enjoy, a spiritual life, feeling accepted, etc... Lack of awareness around our options to party, have fun, feel connected, and blow off steam without messing with our bodies. We've waited too long to do something nice for ourselves. We've reached a point of exhaustion / overload / over-stimulation / over-stressed / burned out / etc... In this place it is nearly impossible to think clearly and come up with new ideas. Like all women, we have a natural desire for expansion, lightness and bliss. However we do have choices on how we get ourselves to feel that way. Anticipate your inner desires to be bad instead of waiting for them to bite you in the bum. Giving your inner bad girl something to do and anticipating her desires is key to really enjoying getting healthy. Otherwise, how will your inner health goddess ever stand a chance against Miss Baddy Bad-ass who likes to be a little naughty and mess with your health efforts? There's only one way. Throw your inner bad girl some attention and give her something to chomp on. When struggling to do something healthy, spice it up and invite your inner bad girl along. She can be really inspiring and can make the un-fun into a really good time. For example: Can't seem to get off your couch to exercise? Find your movement edge. Been thinking about yoga? Get a yoga-for-couples video and do it naked with your partner. Bored with exercise? Sign up for a class that feels like an edge to you: latin dancing, rock climbing, Argentine tango lessons, African dance classes, etc. Hire a gorgeous personal trainer Don't get rid of your favorite party foods, upgrade! Love your chocolate? Get yourself the best you can buy, melt it and paint your breasts and ask your partner to help you with your chocolate cravings Serve aphrodisiac fruit smoothies at your next party by adding damiana herbal extract and chocolate syrup. Work stressing you out? Build reserves of self-care. I've started taking Mondays off, and every week I get to feel like I'm being bad. Everyone else is working and I'm pretending it's Sunday. Go ahead, take a day off from work when you feel GOOD vs. only when you feel like you absolutely need it. Delete some emails for the hell of it. We purchase reserves of computer paper, paper towels and toilet paper. Why not build a reserve of self-care? It's like credit in the Bank of You. When stressful times hit, you are far less reactive if you've been taking care of yourself. This stops the cycle of only taking great care of yourself when you're sick and run down. And that is an expensive way to live. Feeling pressured? Squeeze some life back into your Primary Food. Take an inspiring relationship course with your partner because things are going well, instead of only when things start to crumble. Throw a get-together for no reason and have everyone bring food and drinks and create activities or theme that doesn't revolve around boozing it up. Sure have some cocktails! Also use your creative thinking to create connection without (or with less) alcohol. If you need an idea, check out the book The Bad Girl's Guide to the Party Life. It's a laugh-out-loud guide to party themes. Get sensual and remember you are a woman. Listen to music that puts you in your sensual, create a spa evening, take yourself on a date, do something! Go on a pleasure diet for the love of Goddess! Have a fun and silly date with your partner or close friends. I'll create fun and healthy activities to bypass Ms. Baddy Bad-Ass's attempts to get some attention from me. And it is a discipline. Pleasure, joy, fun and living a juicy life form a discipline. Women are used to suffering, struggling and giving ourselves a hard time. Let's give it up and find joy in our self-care, eating well and moving our bodies! The more zany, fun and exciting you can make your health pursuits, the more likely you'll want to stick with them and the less likely you'll look to food and drink as entertainment and medication. Now doesn't that sound like fun? Graphics Credits drunk girl, courtesy of kat callard and stock.xchng chocolate lips, courtesy of Michael Crame and stock.xchng
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