Happy New Year from The Body Positive!
The new year is here, and with it comes the expectation to better your life, change what you didn't like about yourself last year, and create an "all new you." I am happy to share my New Year's resolutions with you, and I hope you'll do the same in the comments section of my blog (resolutions that are not about weight loss).
I will love my body this year!
I will work to quiet the critical voice that creeps into my head that says I am not supposed to be exactly as I am!
I dedicate this year to loving ALL OF ME!
I welcome you to join me in resisting the commercials, the buzz of the chaotic messages, the pressure to change your body for cosmetic reasons. You are beautiful right here, right now, and this year (if not ever before) is when you get to learn to truly love yourself.
Here are my suggestions for 2011:
Tell yourself that you are beautiful as often as possible. Admire yourself, and remember you're not conceited if you do! Clothe your body in what makes you feel good, what makes you feel beautiful, in the body you have right now. Ignore size tags in clothing, and don't weigh yourself! How do you feel?
2. Enjoy your food! Try going to the grocery store or market and walk around and see how you are drawn to different foods. Experiment with different recipes for the food you choose. Taste and try new things, and find what foods delight your senses. Enjoy food with others! Feed and nurture your body.
Explore movement based on what you want to do, not what you "should" do to lose weight or burn calories. Try going for a walk in a beautiful place and let your mind wander. Find a beautiful setting and sit in wonder. Dance in your kitchen while you cook, or dance with your friends. Laugh and play with your children. Wrestle with someone you love. Go outside, seek the type of movement that renews your energy and spirit, and makes you feel strong. Play!
What if you could give yourself everything you need-support, praise, adoration, kindness. How would your life be different? Face your struggles and think about what it would be like to live differently, what it would be like to not blame your body for your problems. Leave the pain behind and choose love for yourself.
5. Resist all messages that suggest you should look any different than you do now! Challenge the status quo! Dare to live differently! Speak your mind and speak up for yourself! Change the channel on your television if what you see makes you feel badly about your body! Join together with other people who are seeking to live with more joy by being kind and loving towards their bodies. Appreciate your body exactly as it is in this very moment. Take a moment to give thanks to your body for all it does for you every day of your life. Cultivate the life that you want right now, at this weight, and with your body exactly as it is.
2011 is the year to love your body and live your life!
The revolution starts with you!
