Do you appreciate your body?

Have you stopped to appreciate your body lately?  I was training this morning in front of a mirror, deep in concentration of what I was doing and watching my body move.  You can't hide from yourself in the gym and I think that's a good thing.  If bits are wobbling as you move it's great motivation to stick at it until they don't wobble anymore!  But I think sometimes as women we don't appreciate our bodies for the amazing things they have done and are capable of doing.  We often only see the bits that we don't like and we beat ourselves up and get lost in the negatives.

We have all been insecure teens and the majority of us have been on some crazy diet or had some kind of food obsession at some point, if not at many points, during our lives but now we are women and we are mothers.  Mothers who's bodies have grown and carried beautiful babies, they had been through pregnancy, labour and birth and then continued to nurture and care for these tiny people whether it be through breastfeeding or settling through longs and sleepless nights.  And now we have sons and daughters, especially daughters who will look to us as they grow for guidance in the way to view their own body.  They will watch and observe and learn both positives and negatives from us no matter how hard we try to hide them.

As women, I believe we are lucky to have been given the opportunity to become so in tune with our bodies.  After childbirth we are then given the opportunity to rebuild our bodies, fix up any weaker bits and become strong.  Take the time to work on the inside both physically and emotionally and the rest will follow.  You learned to listen to your body through nine months of pregnancy and through the birth of your baby and you must take the time to do that now.

Be amazed at what you can achieve and be thankful for what your body does for you everyday.  Nurture the body that nurtured your baby and always respect yourself.  Give yourself time out daily to be present and to really tune into what your body needs to be the best body it can be for you.  You must look out for each other.  If you look after your body your body will look after you.

I am thankful for the strong and capable body that I have, I will exercise regularly and eat well daily and give my body the respect that it deserves.  Who is with me?