by Tonya Williams…

100312_playI LOVE to play.

I know that you do too! If the thought of play does not excite you, I suspect it’s just because you are most likely disconnected from a part of yourself that craves laughter and joy.

Our desire to play is deep within us. My dogs remind me of this each night when, like clock work, they start their routine of grabbing each other by the collar, tugging on their stuffed bears and running around the house chasing after play.

Many of my weight clients lack recreation in their lives. They are running from obligation to obligation. Their family life and work leaves little time for active play, so I’m not surprised in the least when they call me after a binge. Their soul is crying for something more. However, food will never fill that deep desire to create, jump, laugh, and enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

I was saddened when I read that a recent UNICEF study showed that American children are the 2nd least happy children in the world. However, I’m not surprised. Look at who they have as role models. We’ve robbed them of recess time and we are showing that it’s more important to climb a ladder of success than stay on the ground and enjoy.

We have also stolen our own right to have play in our lives. You deserve down time. You deserve to act silly, laugh and be curious about your world. So, try some of the following techniques to give yourself the gift of play.

1 – Schedule Play Time

Just like kids have recess time (well, at least when they did), adults need to schedule play time into their schedule as well. When I am making my weekly calendar, play is at the top of my priority list.

If you currently have no play time in your life, then maybe you can start out with just thirty minutes a week, and then progress up to at least fifteen minutes a day, hopefully more.

2 – Host a game night

Remember when the adults in our life would break out a board game and that excitement that would arise within us. Board games are fun and a great way to connect with family and friends. My favorites are Monopoly and Taboo. What about yours?

3 – Drop the either/or attitude

Our puritanical roots has convinced us that we must work hard and play less, but I am a believer that our work can be our play. Our work in the world should be a reflection of who we are, and we are innately playful. So, even if you are in a job that you don’t necessarily enjoy, or even if you LOVE your job, find ways to add more play to your work environment.

Recently, one of my private clients confessed that she loved Zumba, a form of dance/exercise that is becoming quite popular these days, so I had her approach her boss to see if she would be willing to allow my client to organize a lunch time Zumba class, and voila, it worked. Now, my client looks forward to work because she figured out how to integrate play into her work life, not to mention that she’s lost twenty pounds.

4 – Pick a Sport

Sports are great! They get us outdoors, make us sweat, and they are loads of fun. I challenge you to choose a sport that sounds fun or that you have always wanted to try, and take a lesson, sign up for a class, or just go out and do it.

5 – Dance

My daughter and I both enjoy dancing, and I am one of those freaky moms who knows how to “pop it,” “grind it,” and all other kinds of “verbing its.” My daughter and I will throw on some Black Eyed Peas and just get busy, dancing, laughing, and often times, I end up in some kind of physical state that has me asking for help off the floor.

When I’m dancing, I feel so alive, so free, and so, so grateful for my body.

Try throwing on some music, and just let yourself really feel the music, and dance!

6 – Walk barefooted in the grass

I love having my clients do this exercise, especially my very sophisticated clients who HATE the thought of getting their feet dirty.

Take off your shoes and walk out in the early morning grass, and feel the blades between your toes. Feel the coolness on your feet. Feel what it feels like to connect with the earth. Sometimes this is the best catalyst to getting us back in touch with our playful selves.

7- Become a Stargazer

Do you remember studying the constellations in school? I found it to be so fascinating, trying to find the Little and Big Dipper.

Not too long ago, I realized that even though I would occasionally comment on the beautiful night sky, I had lost that wonder that I had as a kid, so I took a blanket, and I headed out to just stare at the sky with curiosity.

Make a date with yourself and the starry sky, and watch that curiosity reawaken in you.

8 – Go to a Park

Parks beg us to engage in the act of play.

When I step into a park, I feel as if I am stepping out of the real world for a while.

Plan a visit to the park. Take your dog, a frisbee or just a good book and enjoy detaching for a while.

Swing, skip, run or, if you’re brave, go head first down the slide.

9 – Bubbles

Bubbles equal play.

As kids, we loved bubbles, but when do lose that fascination? I am convinced that somewhere within us women is that same awe when we see a bubble floating through the air.

As my daughter has gotten older, our bubble supply has definitely declined, but we still use bubble baths, and occasionally, I will run across a party gift bag that has a bottle of mixture and the magic wand, and I will walk outside and with the same fascination as a five year old, I will witness how air and solution creates this magical thing that floats through the air, and then pops. Amazing!

10 – Turn off the world and Just Be

Sometimes the best play is disconnecting from all the chatter of the external world and tuning into the presence of our being. When you can do this, you begin to gain that child-like curiosity that will open up many modes of play, whether it’s studying the clouds in the sky and trying to name their shape or simply just walking through the woods and just noticing what’s around you.

You are never too old for play. In fact, the older we get, the more we need it.

When you learn to be more playful in your life, you will find that the world opens up like a big amusement park and invites you in, and there you will discover play like you have never known.

Tonya Leigh Williams is a coach, speaker, and writer. She is also the founder of Just B Living, a company dedicated to empowering women to create amazing lives and bodies without dieting, deprivation and drama. Her passion is helping women find freedom from body image, weight, and food issues. She teaches the secrets of naturally slender people, coaches women on normal eating without deprivation, and shows women how to simultaneously transform their bodies while also living at peace within them. She has helped women lose weight, gain clarity and purpose, and step into a new life free of struggle. If you are interested in learning more about coaching with Tonya, please email tonya@justbliving.com.

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