Make choices today that your future self will thank you for
In our diet obsessed culture we’re perpetually labeling foods as either “good” or “bad.” When we’re actively dieting, we avoid “bad foods” in an effort to obtain the elusive perfect body. But who gets to decide what perfect is? If you listen to society and social media the perfect body has no extra fat, just the right amount of muscle tone and is essentially flawless. This image of perfection leaves the vast majority of us feeling like we’re just not pretty/thin/fit enough and wreaks havoc on our self confidence and body image. It also leads to a lot of negative self-talk that only compromises our self-perception more.
Even at my thinnest and fittest I still felt fat. And I had no problem looking in the mirror and telling that girl in the reflection that she was imperfect and lazy and needed to workout more and eat less. I said cruel and hurtful things to myself I’d never say to anyone else. The truth is I was trying to diet and exercise my body to a place it didn’t really want to go. We aren’t all meant to be waif thin with ridiculously low body fat. When I look back at those pictures of myself now all I see is a fit and healthy person, and I can’t find a single reason to be critical of her. Now at 50, I can see my past self more objectively and I realize I looked far better than I ever gave myself credit for. It’s said that with age comes wisdom, which is good because now I have a new perspective on what I want from my body. Sure I want to look good, but I also want to feel good too. I want to be able to enjoy life pain free. I want to be physically active. I want to enjoy eating without constant guilt. I want to have a rocking libido.
What if we shift our idea of a perfect body to reflect the unique individuals that we are. Every one of us has a genetic code that makes us different and that code is responsible for everything from our smallest cells to our largest organs. Why would we ever look at another body and decide that we should look like that too? Our bodies are made to work perfectly and will carry out all their functions flawlessly as long as we nurture them properly. My perfect is different from your perfect but they’re both built on the same foundation of health and wellness principles.
This Valentine’s Day I challenge you to start loving yourself enough to work toward your own version of perfect and let go of the images in your head holding you back:
Stop dieting and start eating for optimum health. Fuel your body with whole foods like meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, and healthy fats. Avoid refined sugar, gluten, alcohol and especially processed “Franken foods.” Once you are in the habit of feeding your body the right foods, it will naturally move to its desired weight. A weight that may not be what you pictured as your ideal weight, but something realistic and sustainable. Plus, when you feel good you look good: your skin will be radiant, your energy levels will soar and you’ll feel frisky (and trust me, your spouse/partner would much rather have you “in the mood” than skinny).
Move your body on a daily basis. What exercise is best? The one you enjoy and will do consistently. Walk, run, swim, ski, hike, bike, lift weights, do yoga, go to a boot camp or CrossFit, play a sport, dance in your living room…the options are endless. As Nike so aptly said: “just do it!”
Put an end to the negative self-talk in your head. Stop telling yourself that you are not enough and shift your mindset to focus on positives. A good rule of thumb is if you wouldn’t say it to a friend then don’t say it to yourself. The more you practice this the easier it will become. Put sticky notes on your mirror with quotes or sayings that build you up and make you feel good.
The reality is that time will pass no matter what you do. You need to decide who you want your future self to be and how you want your future self to feel. Make choices today that your future self will thank you for. I’m here to help if you need some guidance.