Julie Townsend turns 50 in July this year, but she’s quite rightly using the whole year to celebrate.
Every month the Shalom Christian College teacher is doing something she’s never done before. In January it was having her body painted by a three-time Australian Championship body painter in the theme ‘beautiful beast’; February it was learning to hula hoop on a stand-up paddleboard, March it was immersing herself in yoga, April was doing a series of cutting-edge fashion masterclass workshops, May is kitesurfing and June… who knows — the world is her oyster.
But the hula hooping didn’t stop in February, and now Julie is taking her waist whirling prowess to the next level — By December she wants to be hula hooping with fire.
“I first picked up a hula hoop at the Woodford Folk Festival in January and thought ‘if they can do it, I can do it’,” the charismatic blonde says. “I need to get pretty good before we add the flames, but I’m loving it so far! If I’ve had a bad week I just get on my paddleboard and hula hoop… just getting out and giving it a go breaks that negative cycle.”
Also on the agenda this year is learning the bongos, growing an edible garden and meeting her daughter in India for a yoga trip, which will be Julie’s first time overseas.
“I’m feeling like I can do anything,” says Julie. “Trying these new things is keeping me motivated, and I feel positive and alive. And when you get into that mindset, good things happen.”
Julie’s tips for hula hooping success:
- Have FUN — remember you could be doing sit ups
- Never give up, but you could ask a young child or Google for help if you are really struggling
- Laugh, if you’re not having fun to begin with you soon will be!
[…] Julie Townsend is turning 50 in July and she’s having a blast getting there. Here she is hula hooping on a stand-up paddleboard. She lives in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Photo courtesy of The Go Townsville. […]
[…] Julie Townsend is turning 50 in July and she’s having a blast getting there. Here she is hula hooping on a stand-up paddleboard. She lives in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Photo courtesy of The Go Townsville. […]