Is loving your body a key to losing weight?
I am sharing my thoughts about an article I recently came across by one of the Healthy Eating coaches, Jill, who I greatly respect. Although we both have the same mission and destination for our coaching journeys, we differ in the paths that can lead our clients to create Healthy and Fit Bodies.
Now, I am not following and reading Jill’s posts to prove my path is better than hers. I always learn something new from her and others’ teachings, because I live and breathe a life of Faith & Fitness. I can’t get enough of Faith, which uplifts my Spirit and brings me closer to God. And also, I can’t get enough of the rewarding post-workout and balanced nutrition feelings that keep my Spirit joyful (and youthful). Therefore, I continue to educate myself by reading up on new trends and new research on nutrition, exercise, health, and human physiology. I also like to follow and read through the posts of people whose practices are similar to mine: coaches, therapists, counselors, nutritionists, and inspirational speakers.
As you can see, it seems like it takes a village to transform your body into a Heavenly Body. But I will get back to the “village” later.
Jill’s post, which I want to write about, was basically saying, “You don’t have to love your body in order to lose weight or get into healthy shape.” Hmmm, I really had to pause on that one. I was wondering (and still wonder) how do you treat your body with respect if you don’t love your body? How do you avoid self-sabotage if you don’t love your body? And how do you stay away from self-punishing food consumption if you hate your body?
I wrote an article about ‘‘the bottom line’’ of eating unhealthy food without control. I explained that the root cause of over-eating and excessive drinking is our reaction to one of two feelings: fear or hate. (Please note, I am not talking about clinical mental issues). I am talking about our daily struggles with eating junk food, consuming sugary snacks and drinks, slacking on exercise, and not getting enough sleep every time “something bad happens.”
So how can you overcome or overpower the fear or hate? Is it even possible to keep up with healthy eating and taking care of your body (balancing work, exercise, and rest) for your whole life with no “start-overs” if you don’t love and respect your body?
See, when you run a Marathon on a very challenging forest trail (sometimes life feels like that), it’s not the beautiful and clear road that stops you or slows you down from running; it is the puddles, roadblocks, falls, and getting lost on the off-roads. Those endless conflicts at work, disagreements or fights with family, disappointments, and detours from our lifelong dreams get us off our healthy eating and exercise plans and programs. So, WHAT can overcome our exhaustion, frustration, fear, and pain? Some people who possess great self-control or discipline might say, “Willpower of Steel.” Well, I used to be one of those with super self-discipline and willpower (remember, I grew up in communism). However, I have learned the hard way that human willpower is LIMITED power.
What drives the mother to persevere through sleepless nights with zero energy and depleted willpower to get up, again and again, to take care of her sick child? It is the LOVE for her child—it is the UNCONDITIONAL Love. It is a POWER that drives her, not just when she feels strong and rested and things are going well, but mostly when things become unbearable.
So, can you overcome your life’s challenges to persevere with your health and fitness plan—without loving your body? Well, it truly depends on your “forest trail” conditions. If your life feels like you’re running through the scenery of a beautiful fall picture, then your Willpower might be sufficient to stick with your plan. But if your “trail” is predestined to run along the most challenging path and pass through the biggest storms, your willpower might run very low and, like mine, eventually it might run out. Eventually, you will have to shift to your backup source: your own LOVE, a love for yourself and for your body.
As I write this, I am smiling because I have a picture of my journey always at the front of my mind. I see myself “working my butt off” while using my Willpower. I have to laugh at the scene: I am sweaty, dirty, and exhausted, and pulling a car while running on sheer Willpower. The movie continues with my complete collapse and then eventually I shift to an alternative source of Power: my own self-Love. I am no longer stubbornly trying to control the “car” (my life) using only my self-discipline. I have changed my position: now I sit in the car, smiling and enjoying the ride. I’m now running on self-Love. My car will never run out of gas unless I stop loving my body.
Please know that this process of learning to Love my body, and my clients’ weight-loss journeys of getting into good shape through Faith (which also includes loving their bodies) doesn’t happen overnight; as I always say, it is a process! BUT, to address the aforementioned “village” idea, it does NOT take a village to create your Heavenly Body; it takes only ONE thing --> YOUR LOVE and respect for YOUR BODY and YOURSELF… Period!
I am not talking about the type of Pollyanna Love that requires you to eat broccoli even if you hate it and pretend you are part of the trendy “Health Nuts” group. I don’t teach or coach my clients to pretend. Fake love is as limited as willpower. The love for your body I talk about, teach, and coach is REAL, just like your Heavenly Body.
If your willpower is running low, if your last 20 years’ worth of New Year's resolutions have been the same (losing weight), maybe it is time to shift your source. Email me or schedule your Discovery Call if you are ready to get your body healthy and in shape. You don’t have to wait for the next New Year. Why not make it different this year and hit the New Year already on the path toward your Heavenly Body?
That sounds like a plan for a Heavenly Year!
