#104, How Do You See Your Body?

Whenever we are in a quest to become healthier and make lasting changes, it can feel like we are fighting against weak and flawed flesh. But how can we expect to win when we are divided against yourself? In today’s podcast I want you to harness some powerful gratitude and pride in the body God gave you in order to highly motivate your habit change and health choices. 

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For way too long, I looked at the woman in the mirror as if I were critiquing an English paper. The margins were all wrong, flesh hanging just a little over my waistline. There were countless errors such as cellulite around my thighs and stretch marks from pregnancies. My face was too full and my goodness, I definitely don’t have cute and defined ankles to go with my thick legs. I could go on, but you get the idea. However, unlike a stack of essays, there was no whipping out a red pen to mark things up so that it could all get edited proficiently in a matter of minutes. And yet, I liked to think that if I worked hard enough I could whip things into shape in no time at all. 

And, that is how I saw my body. A flawed object that I was responsible for perfecting. 

So so sad. And in no way did that ever make me feel confident or proficient. Instead I felt even more ashamed of binge eating and my imperfect body. Somehow, at some point, our culture fed us the idea that we were in charge of exactly how our body looked and anything short of magazine perfection meant we weren’t cutting it, we weren’t trying hard enough. Everything we do out of that attitude and space becomes almost punishing. Trying to force our bodies into a mold. And we often do things that are really hard and feel so terrible that we give up or go back to our old ways. 

When you are wanting to lose weight for the last time, your perspective and attitude toward your body is worth spending a little time thinking about, because when you value and respect your body, you will find extra love, extra motivation, and extra perseverance to do what brings you closer to a healthy life. 

There are three steps to this process. This is definitely a podcast where you’ll want to sit down somewhere and grab a pen and paper. 

1. Take some time to think about all the ways your body has shown up for you. What has it gotten you through and enabled you to do or be? For me, I am thankful for my body allowing me to be active. Over the years I have enjoyed being able to go for runs, do exercises, keep up with children, and enjoy outings with family and friends. This body of mine carried babies and even kept the twins inside against all odd when the pregnancy was rocky. This body of mine stayed strong and free of illness while I lived far from home with my husband in Argentina, Australia, and Russia. It has done so much for me. 
2. Next, recognize where you are now and the plans God has for you. Sometimes we might feel like God has placed us in obscurity, but often that is a big fat lie. You have friends that enjoy your companionship, family that you care for and love, people that you serve through your job, neighbors you check on, church members you worship with…the list goes on and on. Your life touches so many others. To break this down for you, I want to talk to you about my dad. He’s 66 and retired. He doesn’t have a job that pays him a salary or wage, but let me tell you, his life is important. He is very introverted so he probably doesn’t even know it, but his health actually affects so many things. When he isn’t feeling well he isn’t there to put my girls on the bus and they love spending that time with their grandpa. When he is sick, he can’t care for the farm or the sheep which provide income for our families as well as help feed people around the country. He also touches so many lives simply through his sweet patience, doing little things for our neighbors here and there and being kind to every person he meets along his way. I don’t know if he realizes it, but his life affects so many others and when he fights for his health, it isn’t selfish because so many others benefit from his strength and energy. That is true for all of us. So, write down all the things you do and all the people you come in contact with regularly. Then, next to each, note how your lack of health would affect that person or situation. Also, consider who you will be doing life with in the future. For example, both my husband and my daughters are with me for all the foreseeable future, especially our Micaela who will very likely need a caregiver all her life. My health affects their future as well. 
3. Lastly, I want you to write down all the ways you like to feel. Do like to have stamina? Energy? The ability to do certain activities? What would you like to do or try that your current health holds you back from or limits you in? How could you care for your body best in order to honor your health and longevity? 

Wanting to honor and care for our body will have you making the best choices naturally. You might turn down that extra serving of desert because you want to be kind to yourself. That is actually the same choice you might make while trying to restrict out of frustration or shame. However, those choices fueled by love are so much easier to carry out and keep on making. 

Know that I love you and I am praying for your journey. I am praying that you begin to love the masterpiece God made in you. 

Talk to you next week. Good bye for now. 

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