Are You Friends With Your Body?

A Look at HEALTH.

Not to Readers: Thank you for leaving a comment and like on this post! If you enjoy what I do, will you consider being a paid subscriber? Basically, buy my a coffee each month. ;) I do appreciate you!

Are you friends with your body? Or do you constantly fight and criticize it?

What is Body Satisfaction to you?

How is your health? How do you know that?

A Bit of An Update

I’m working on my Wellness brand right now. I have a course on Self Care. I’m redesigning my website and considering a lot of options. I’m also writing like I haven’t done in years and years. Plus, I’m hosting plenty of gatherings and events locally!

You can see I’ve been busy. How is your summer going? 

We’re going to do a series which focuses on the Wheel Of Life Satisfaction. This short quiz is a tool I use when beginning coaching with a new client. You can CLICK HERE to take it yourself, if you’re curious about the results! 

Each post upcoming will give you reflection questions and thoughts on one component of the wheel. These will be in conjunction to my newsletters, so sign up here if you would like more! 

The first element of the wheel is HEALTH. 

• Are you friends with your body? Or do you constantly fight and criticize it?

• What is Body Satisfaction to you?

• How is your health? How do you know that?

Physical health has many components. Nutrition, fitness, sleep, internal workings such as immunity and the endocrine system. But health is a major concern in America. There are so many ways we don’t work for optimal health. Constantly trying to change your body. Ignoring your body and living disconnected from your health needs. Pretending like you don’t need a checkup because you feel fine. All of these are common ways we neglect our health.

Why do we do that?

A few reasons. And, yes, I am about to generalize like crazy. It’s on you to ponder why YOU may choose to ignore your health and vitality. 

Endurance

The human ability to endure is phenomenal. We’ve seen so many examples throughout history. People surviving unspeakable conditions. Finding a way despite all the odds. Rebounding from what was surely their last moment. Living and loving under oppression. 

But what about what you are enduring? 

We endure all the time. Thankfully, for most of us, that doesn’t look like the conditions I just described. It tends to look like daily stress. An unsatisfying job. An unsatisfying marriage/partnership. Worry about loved ones. Duties to home, family, job, etc. 

We endure a lot. 

Does that mean we cry and feel sorry for ourselves? No. But it is worth acknowledging. Also worth attention is how you manage those daily trials. Do you keep your head down and power through each day? Do you live for the weekends and vacation only to spend them in a semi-conscious haze (alcohol, TV, staring into space)? 

Then it’s no wonder you’re not attuned to your physical health. You’re battling yourself to get out of bed daily. Your body isn’t what you want it to be, so you swing between fighting it and ignoring it. 

Effort

Endurance isn’t for everyone. Some want mastery. Winning is important. Jobs, relationships, routines. They want optimization. They want success. They want to feel in control. 

For this personality, health is another thing to conquer. If they aren’t pleased with their shape, they will battle and bootcamp in order to achieve a goal. If they are satisfied with basic performance, then it’s easy to say that box is checked. “I’m not overweight. I’m fine!” “I feel good. No need to worry!”

To admit that there may be things unseen that need attention adds a layer of worry. And that worry is uncomfortable if you need to be the champion at everything. Health can, tragically quickly, spiral out of our control. (I totally typed this and then went and scheduled my mammogram, by the way.)

Something that can get away from us like that is scary. It just IS. But ignoring it doesn’t make that untrue. In fact, it increases the odds of issues arising. With routine maintenance and screenings, early detection is far more likely. This includes everything from major illness to nutrient deficiencies. 

Where do you land on this?

There are many reasons we’re not friends with our bodies. There are many triggering factors that could cause you to neglect your health.

Or maybe you don’t neglect it. Maybe you’ve embraced a cycle of fitness, nutrition, sleep, and checkups that makes you feel great. Good for you! 

My Personal Journey

Oh, lord. This will be part of the book I’m planning. For now, let me just say that I am very good about checkups and health screenings. And I am friends with my body. But I have lived about 3 years of my adult life where I was satisfied with my weight and shape. 

This is not that year. 

The positive thing I will give myself is this: I don’t hate my body anymore. Not at all. I love her. I just… know when I feel my best, most confident self. I get very, very dismayed when I’m “doing all the things” and cannot maintain that place. But I don’t get angry at my body anymore. I’m not ashamed of this constant journey–and a journey it is. It’s not a punishment or a consequence. It’s just how my body works. 

I want to tell you not to worry about your size/shape. I will tell you that. But I must admit that I do not practice that mantra.

However, I will not abuse my body in order to achieve an “ideal weight.” I will not starve myself. I will not work out beyond what is reasonable and part of my daily routine. I will not eat only one food or eliminate entire food groups. Not anymore. I certainly have in the past.

My focus is on balance, nutrition, and enjoying life. I enjoy an active life. Those are the priorities of health for me. 

What about you? 

What role does health play in your daily life? Drop a comment! 

Why do you stay healthy?