Love the Life You Have
It's the season of love, and yet we neglect to love the most important person we know- ourselves! When was the last time that you thought "man, I love my life (body, self, hips, hair, diet, etc...)?" For some reason it is easy to hold ourselves to this impossible ideal life that we make up in our head. Most of the time it isn't even based on reality. It's based on little pieces of what we take from around us.
Maybe we saw a picture in the checkout line of a beautiful actress seemingly having an easy life, perhaps we overheard a co-worker talk about her extreme nutrition choices that are creating "her perfect body," and then there are the stories we tell ourselves in our head without even knowing people! How many times have you looked in someone else's shopping cart and thought- well isn't she perfect? Or even wished that you could eat like that!
It's time to lighten up people! Give yourself a break! There is no prize to be won at the end of the line- I can't say it enough- each moment is your prize. Every experience is your prize. The finish line is today.
How can you love what you have now?
1- Stop comparing yourself to others. It's apples and cows people! You cannot compare yourself to someone else. Body comp is different for everyone, genetics, lifestyle, daily choices are all variables in the science experiment that is your body shape. So focus on YOU!
2- Let go of regret. Seriously. Let. That. Shit. Go.
3- Appreciate your body. How many amazing things have you done today? You woke up, walked across the room, maybe completed a workout, prepared and ate food. Maybe you have children- that is amazing! You made those! Maybe you ran a marathon once- YOU DID THAT! It really is the only body that you have, so appreciate it. If you aren't sure what to appreciate think about the last time you had the flu- how horrible was it to not be able to eat? Hang on to that the next time you take food choices for granted. Don't like your belly? What if you couldn't eat because you had to have your intestines removed and all of your food came through an IV solution. I can go on all day. Appreciate. Appreciate. Appreciate!
4- Accept your choices. So you had ice cream, or fast food, or bread- OH NO! It's over, learn from it. How do you feel? Bloated, overly full, maybe happy and satisfied. Learn from it. Make an informed choice next time. We learn by making mistakes. It is ok to be imperfect- that's called growth.
5- Suck it up Buttercup. Sometimes for the greater good we have to do things that suck- choose spinach over brownies, plan a workout instead of a trip to the wine bar, go to work. In the end you are almost always glad that you did. Well, maybe not work, but you like paying the mortgage so there's that. The next time you are at a crossroads just suck it up, you'll feel better after you do it.
Love what you have- challenges and all. The good news is that there is always something to change...and change can be good!
Then you can take it a step further and make food choices based on loving your life. You can love how you feel energized after following a sweaty workout with a nice nutrient dense smoothie. You can also love how a trip to the bakery with a close friend uplifts and energizes you after a rough week. It's your life, the only one you get- nourish it, love it, and live it!
