November 2020 Nutrition Blog
Relationship With Your Body
Chances are your physical body is not exactly where you would like it to be. Most people express some level of body dissatisfaction either in not feeling the way they want it to or appearing differently than they would like. No matter how young or old you may be, the amount of damage that may or may not have been done everyday we have the opportunity to change how well our body works and how it looks. It is all a matter of choice.
Let us start with the physical. Maybe you have aches and pains, or you just do not ever feel good. This could be due to lethargy, injury, illness, inflammation, lack of sleep, stress, etc. Regardless of why the discomfort has manifested a simple shift in your thinking can decrease it and over time release it entirely from your body. Start focusing on what does work well and be grateful for it. Appreciating your physical body and everything it does and focusing on that will allow you to see and feel improved functioning of your body. Write a list of everything that is working perfectly. Can you see and read this? Start with being grateful for your vision and a brain that can comprehend and process information. What about your other senses? Can you hear, taste, smell and feel sensation? If so, think about a world without one
or all of these and you will quickly be grateful for them. This just scratches the surface; you can easily come up with a long list of things to be grateful for within your body. Think of all the cells, issues, organs, and systems that carry out millions of functions daily to support you, their goal is to keep you alive- be grateful for them!
Okay, moving on to our appearance and how we perceive our appearance. Unfortunately, it is more than likely that you criticize some or all your body. This is a result of comparing yourself to others or comparing yourself to unreasonable standards and when you play the comparison game, you will never win. You were not made to be them or look like that. You were made to be you, perfectly created and it is time to stop criticizing yourself. Let us make another list maybe you include your beautiful eyes, thick healthy hair, beautiful complexion- start by affirming the positives that are there, but you do not typically focus on. Then tackle those parts that you have spent years criticizing and arm and picture what you would like to see. For example, be thankful for your strong, lean legs, your defined abdominal muscles, or your single chin. The goal is not to picture yourself as a model, but a vision that appears healthier to you.
Being grateful and focusing on all the good that your body currently possesses will automatically make you feel better about it. Over time this is an importance piece to changing your physical health and your emotional relationship with your body. Remember its is the only one you have got, and it loves you, it is time to start loving it back.