Body Lovin’

So I was all set to write about something else today, since I figured it had been a hot minute since I posted an entry… (oops! Life’s been a little crazy!), but I came across a comment on one of my old posts that really got me thinking about a subject that I think is SO super important and usually super neglected: BODY LOVIN’!

This is such a hard thing for all of us to acheive, men and women alike. I know that I struggle with it all the time. But here is what I have figured out. This body is the only one I have, so I am going to love it and take care of it like it’s completely priceless. Because it is. Along my journey, I had to give up some serious vices in favor of loving my body and some I miss more than others. Smoking, cutting back on drinking, getting rid of a lot of unhealthy processed foods, just to name a few. And donuts. God, I love donuts. But if it comes to a choice between any of those and my working to be healthy body, I pick my body hands down. But even when I slip up and pick donuts instead, I refuse to beat myself up and go on a guilt trip.

Want to know why? Because I’m human. I mess up…. All the time. But I am trying every day and every day, I get better and steps closer to where I want to be. Not because I’m determined to fit society’s picture of how I should look or how skinny I need to be, but because I LOVE my body and I LOVE feeling like I’m getting healthier every day. It makes me feel confidant and powerful and strong to know that I can do things now that I couldn’t 6 months ago. It makes me fall in love with my body even more.

When I first started all of this, I was like pretty much everyone else. I had a goal weight in mind, I was desperate to reach it and to shed all of the extra pounds I was carrying around because I wanted to feel pretty and thin and all of those other things that we as women are told we should be in order to be attractive and lovable. Since I am pretty much a pain in the ass, I pretty quickly dropped all that BS (which turned out to be the BEST thing I could have done for myself!) and decided that I didn’t have a goal weight. I don’t have a specific size I want to be; I couldn’t begin to tell you someone famous that you know that I want to look like. Because I don’t have one. I want to look like me. A fit, healthy, happy me and since no one else looks quite like me, why would I use them to set my goals. Why would you? Love yourself and your body now, exactly where you’re at, because hating it isn’t going to make it happen any faster and will be a harder habit to break later on.

Not that any of those are bad things or bad goals to set. They’re great because they are really measureable. But you are more than that number on the scale or the size of your jeans. You’re more than a rockin’ set of abs or a really great ass. You’re BEAUTIFUL. Exactly where you’re at. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. And if working towards a specific weight or size helps you stay on track and keeps you motivated, awesome! Grab it with both hands and run with it!

When I really thought about it, I decided that I really wanted to TRULY love my body wherever it was at and that focusing on the number on a scale or what size my clothes were wasn’t going to be a way for me to do that. That being disappointed with where I might be at was too easy to shift into working out as a punishment for not doing better instead of being a way to love and reward my body. So I shifted my thinking. Now I get on a scale every couple of weeks and focus more on how my body feels. I love how amazing I feel after lifting heavy or a really energetic dance class, so I let loose and bust out on the floor, because it reminds me of how fantastic my body is. I still get excited when I have to go buy new clothes because my old ones don’t fit anymore and I still have a body fat percentage that I am trying to work my way down to, but I refuse to beat myself up over it.

Love yourself and your body now, exactly where you’re at, because hating it isn’t going to make it happen any faster and will be a harder habit to break later on. All you need to be beautiful is a smile on your face!