Your Body Is Never The Problem
Repeat after me: "I love everything about my body". Huh. What?
I love my curves, my shape, my extra weight. Or, I sometimes lovingly refer to that as "bloat".
OK, seriously, as if. Very few of us will ever say that. Not out loud, not even to ourselves. Why?
Our body is our permanent home as long as we're on this earth. It's our ship, our vessel and hopefully it can carry us in top shape so we can do the things we enjoy - like simply moving from point A to B - as happily and for as long as possible. The weaker our bodies are, the more difficult or painful tasks can become.
When you think about the body this way, loving it and taking care of it really is a simple concept. Isn't it?
It begs the question, "Why would you not want your body to be as healthy and strong as it possibly can be"?
Instead, we can tend to get caught up with how our bodies LOOK, not how they FEEL.
In a 2007 focus group study, consisting of 2000 respondents, 72 % said they would not hesitate to change a part of their appearance they were not happy about.
I have friends who have pumped and primed, and even gone under the knife. I truthfully believe, "each to their own", not as 'right' vs. 'wrong'. But, when I really think about it deeply, I can't help but wonder, what is it that we are striving for? What is our perception of the 'perfect' beauty? The 'face of all faces'? What does perfect mean or look like to you? Is it all in appearance? Thin-ness? Strength?
Or are you perfect the way you are?
I once took a belly dancing class and I was in awe of our instructor. She was a full-bodied woman, with ... a belly. She wasn't drop-dead beautiful nor was she unattractive. It wasn't until she moved and danced using her body that I REALLY noticed her. It wasn't anything on the outside that drew me to her. Rather it was her energy, her complete confidence in her movement. Her <belly> wasn't covered and she wasn't embarrased or shy about that. She owned it. And, she was absolutely sexy, without a doubt. I'll never forget that experience because it reminded me - our bodies are never the problem. It's our perceptions of self and how that is conveyed outwards to others that can really skew things for us - whether positive or negative.
It's our choice to love our bodies, as they are.
Or not.
What do you choose?