Love Your Body

I'd like to think this is {Part 2} to my post about Sophia Bush in response to Urban Outfitter's "scandalous" tee shirt. Hopefully this post won't cause the same uproar as that post did. This is a topic I've thought about quite a bit lately: Love Your Body.

 

Oh boy, have I had plenty of times where I look in the mirror and think "ugh- my legs could be more toned" or "sheesh my arms used to not look like this" or "the pants I wore on my honeymoon don't fit... at ALL"         ...and I'm ready to let that go.

 

That does not mean I'm going to let my body and eating habits go to crap, that means I'm ready to change my mindset. I'm trying more to think that regardless of whether my arms, legs, abs or butt could be more toned... I've got a beautiful body.
 
This goes for you too!!

 

I've been trying to read "Love Your Body" by Cameron Diaz in my spare time, which I have very little of. But I read something in this book that I had never really thought about, and it makes perfect sense! Cameron talks about how we are born with our bodies. We grow up, we have friends and family come and go, we often have new and old possessions, we may move houses and change cars- but the ONE THING that is OURS throughout our whole life.. the ONE THING that we have, is our bodies. They will certainly change and look different along the way, but they are OURS.

 

I LOVED THAT!

How often do we take our bodies for granted? I've thought about this a lot since I read that chapter in Love Your Body. And I know I certainly take it for granted every single day. When was the last time I was thankful for my body allowing me to walk? When was the last time I thanked my body for rejuvenating during my sleep? Or was thankful I could run and skip and play? This is the same body that will allow me to play with my children in the yard, and swing on the swing set and throw a football back and forth.

Take the time to be genuinely thankful for all your body does for you!

{Please, please do not mistake this post as me telling you that I do not have insecurities, and I've got this loving-my-body thing figured out. Because I don't.} But, I am most certainly trying. I can come up with an endless list of things I'm insecure about. But the point is, to change your mindset. For every negative thing you catch yourself thinking about yourself throughout the day, try to come up with two positive things.

Start a revolution! Change. your. mindset!

 

Why on earth would we not want to love the ONLY thing we have as OURS for the rest of our lives? This body is the thing protecting our minds, our hearts, our emotions, exactly what we are feeling inside. No matter how much we may dislike parts of it, we can't get rid of it, we can't change it, why not love it? As women, we've got enough to worry about already. Please don't let your body be one of them!

 

Change is inevitable. We will age, we will start to see more and more wrinkles on our faces and neck, and when we look down one day we will not recognize our old, worked hands. My grandmother covers her old wrinkled hands, and when they aren't covered I like to hold them. To me, they are the hands of a hard working woman. The wrinkles around my mom's mouth are from smiling.. and that to me, is so beautiful..

 

I don't have the cheerleading, toned body I had in high school, and that's okay! That was 7 years ago (holy crap..) and my body is about to change more than ever with this tiny little babe that's growing so rapidly. I cannot wait to have a big belly! Our bodies are incredible and the fact that they just know how to make and develop a child is certainly the most miraculous thing I, and my body, will ever experience. This is how I personally know there's a God. And a God that loves me, and knows who I am knows exactly what I'm going through.

 

I'm okay with my hips getting wider, and having to buy bigger clothes. I'm okay with not being able to fit into my jeans one of these days. I'm okay if I get stretch marks and weird dimples. Because ya know what? Those stretch marks are going to be a reminder of how miraculous a body is for being able to nurture and birth a child.
Sure I'll try to use the best creams and "miracle remedies" on the market to help them out along the way, but if those stretch marks are there & inevitable, I'm choosing now to embrace them.

Today, when you look in the mirror, I challenge you to say OUT LOUD, "You are enough" ..and try to truly believe it. As I have grown up in an LDS culture I was taught at a young age to love everyone around us no matter what. But how often do we think about loving ourselves? I promise, loving yourself (& yes, your body) will be one of the most important things you can do for yourself.

Empower other women around you, but start by empowering yourself!
You, are enough!

XOXO

{I would also like to thank everyone for their comments on my post about my thoughts on the  Sophia Bush story. I loved reading your comments and I appreciated hearing all sides and opinions! Whether it was on my facebook page or my blog.. I have the best readers.. thank you!!}