Body Ownership

Good morning! I hope your Monday morning has brought a bright, positive start to your week! Mine has been great so far, with a delicious breakfast, too!

I had a half of a fried egg sandwich, with a sunny side up egg, spinach, hummus, a few crumbles of goat cheese and a piece of whole grain toast. On the side I had some cantaloupe that, despite just cutting it up, feels like it’s already on its last leg. :/ Still tasty though, and perfectly filling!

I wanted to do a quick housekeeping note and let you all know that I’ve put the weekly P90X recaps on Monday mornings on hold. The reasons are two-fold. Yes, I’m still doing it, but it’s at the point in the  program where there are no more new workouts, and there’s not much left to be said that hasn’t already been said. Additionally, I am tired of the incessant tweets, comments and emails from beachbody independent coaches trying to recruit me to be a coach on their team, or leaving comments trying to get you all to sign up as a coach or member under them. There are some who are truly good coaches who desire to form a relationship with you and honestly want to help people, but the majority are just looking at their ability to increase profit/ coach status down the line. Honestly, it’s begun to turn me off from the company. It’s like walking into a store and having every sales associate bombard you all at the same time, each fighting over you for the commission of your sale.

I will, however, still do an overall recap on my thoughts of the program when I finish, and of course answer any questions that you may have.

Now, on to a happier, more inspiring topic!

Body Ownership.

As I was reviewing for a test in my Nutrition course over the past weekend, I came upon something that I loved, and immediately wanted to share with you. (This comes from the Second Edition of Nutrition: An Applied Approach textbook by Janice Thompson and Melinda Manore, published by Pearson & Benjamin Cummings).

Body Ownership:

• Body image is not an issue for me.
• My body is beautiful to me.
• My feelings about my body are not influenced by society’s concept of an ideal body shape.
• I know that the significant others in my life will always find me attractive.
• I trust my body to find the weight it needs to be at so I can move and feel confidence of my physical body.

I love this! Can you say with confidence that you subscribe to each of those statements above? I know there are certainly things that I can work on, and some of those things are a great reminder. I’ve certainly had moments where I’m feeling bloated and gross, and it boggles my mind that my husband still finds me attractive. But it’s true! We are our own worst critic. Lighten up on yourself a bit! For me, the last one is key: trust yourself and your body. I’ve been discussing this with Ryan, Ross and some others lately, but we put so much pressure and stress on ourselves, especially if we’re trying to lose weight or something of the such. I’m really starting to believe that we truly need to let go of the rules, become comfortable in our own skin and love ourselves as we are now. Not only is this a beautiful mindset, but more often than not it seems as though the changes we’re seeking often happens when we just let go and let our bodies do their own thing.

Do you own your body? If so, how? If not, which of those bullets hit closest to home with you?

Here’s to body ownership, freeing ourselves, and honoring ourselves!