Fall in Love with Your Body!

Let’s play pretend…

Imagine you’ve had an
amazing day at work.  You completed your to-do list, put out a couple
of fires that could have destroyed your organization, assimilated new
information and created new products, all while keeping basic functions
moving.  Then, at some point in the day, your boss comes by to berate
you; something about a dirty coffeemaker.  She hasn’t even looked at any
of the work you completed all day long.

What do you feel?  Anger? Disappointment? Frustration?

And what if she did this everyday, no matter how well you performed that day?  What would you feel then?

Most of us are the berating boss to our bodies.

Our
bodies support us each day, they keep our blood pumping, keep the
foreign germs from making us ill, they help us move from place to place
and understand complex concepts.  Yet, most of us only see the “dirty
coffeemakers” of our bodies.  We pinch at the extra pound or 2 or 40 and
berate our hard working temples for not being slimmer.  Which, after
all the amazing things your body does to keep you alive, is really the
last thing your body is focusing on.

What if the exhaustion, ache and stiffness you feel isn’t just a result of the extra pounds?

Under
the watchful eye of a berating boss, even the best of us would lose our
strength, motivation and desire to move forward.  We may be overwhelmed
with anger, annoyance or frustration, all of which distract us from the
task of getting the work done.  Our bodies react the same way.  The
stress of your inner monologue of  “I am not enough.  I am not doing
enough, I am not slim enough.” works against even the best weight-loss
and fitness plans.  It makes the workout seem unmanageable, or never
ending.  You’re left feeling like a hamster on a wheel, running and
running towards a finish line that doesn’t exist.

Your body’s ultimate goal is not weight loss, it’s health.

Whether
you’re sitting on the couch all day long or running triathlons, your
body is working hard to keep you healthy.  Your body isn’t really out to
get you.  It isn’t holding onto those last 5lbs on purpose, hoping
you’ll one day have a heart attack.  Your body is on your side.  It
wants to live long enough for you to achieve your dreams and to fulfill
your life purpose.

Re-connect with your greatest ally.

Wherever you are in your journey with your body, it isn’t too late (or too early) to form a team with your greatest ally.

1. Breathe.  However
   you’ve treated your body in the past, each breath is a opportunity to
   reconnect.  To remind yourself that when you and your body focus on the
   goal of health, you can do amazing things together (the least of which
   is losing weight).
2. Offer compassion to the part
   of you that believed that without the constant reminder of your flaws,
   you would never be able to achieve the life of health and abundance that
   you crave.
3. Show gratitude.  Thank each part of your body for how it currently supports you.
4. Define your vision of health.  What does your
   body do when it’s healthy? Does it dance for hours with friends?  Does
   it laugh and play with your kids in the playground?  Does it go for long
   meditative, walks?  Whatever the vision, write it down.  Bring your
   measure of health away from the scale and towards your holistic goals.
5. Lather, Rinse, Repeat. Breathe,
   offer compassion, show gratitude and meditate on your new definition. 
   Then breathe, breathe and breathe again.  This, as with all things worth
   doing, is a practice.

Once your body knows you both are on the same page, you’ll find yourself naturally drifting towards abundant health.