Celebrate Every Little Thing

 

No matter how small it is, celebrate it!

No matter how insignificant you think it may be, celebrate it!

No matter what else in your life may be going on at the time, celebrate everything that moves you in the direction of your desires.

If you ate half an ice cream sundae when you would normally eat the whole thing, celebrate your brilliance!

If you only ate a few almonds when normally you might choose to eat the whole can, celebrate your wisdom!

If you took a walk around the block when you might otherwise sit on the couch and watch TV, celebrate the walk!

If you chose to eat an apple rather than a candy bar, celebrate that you made a choice that aligns you with what your body really wants!

If you sat down and really paid attention to what you were eating, celebrate that you have five senses that allow you to experience food fully!

If you noticed something that made you smile, celebrate laughter, joy, and fun!

If you are alive, celebrate your precious humanness!

Sometimes we think we have to wait for a big event to have a party.  Sometimes we think we have to wait to achieve a significant milestone to celebrate.  Sometimes we think we have to wait for a holiday, or birthday, or graduation, or anniversary, or promotion to celebrate our lives.  But I say, “Don’t wait! Celebrate now!”

What can you celebrate right now?

Up Next:  How to Treat Your Body as the Precious Gift It Is

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Gratitude for Cellulite

 

As we learn to love our bodies, we learn to embrace and accept and be grateful for every aspect of our physical presence.  And cellulite is certainly one aspect of our bodies that many women find difficult to appreciate.  I’d like to share a slightly different perspective.

Here are ten reasons to be celebrate cellulite.

1. 1.Cellulite is truth.  It exists, whether you like it or not.
   

2. 2.Cellulite gives us information.  It gives us great feedback about what we’ve been eating, and how much we’ve been moving.  
   

3. 3.Cellulite is objective.  It doesn’t judge us.  It doesn’t complain.  It simply is what it is.  Nothing more, nothing less.
   

4. 4.Cellulite is an efficient manifestation of body fat.  Body fat is stored energy.  And that’s a good thing, because it means that, if need be, we could survive a famine.  
   

5. 5.Cellulite is a great teacher.  It gives us the amazing opportunity to learn to embrace all of ourselves.  If we can accept even parts of our bodies that are not traditionally considered beautiful, then we can move in the direction of complete and total self-acceptance.   And the more we can love and respect our bodies, the more we can allow that love and respect to inform our choices about food and activity.
   

6. 6.Cellulite is a reminder of our mortality.  According to the website www.bodyandfitness.com, a correlation exists between between aging and cellulite.  And as we are reminded that we, in fact, will not live forever, we can take pleasure and appreciate and be grateful for the life we have right now.  
   

7. 7.Cellulite cushions and protects our bodies.  Who doesn’t appreciate the comfort of a cushion?
   

8. 8.Cellulite gives us shape and enhances our luscious,  feminine curves.   
   

9. 9.Cellulite (and body fat) helps regulate our body’s temperature.
   

10. 10. Cellulite gives us permission to not be perfect.  
    

Up Next:  Celebrate Every Little Thing

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"But What Did You Do?"

 

A few days ago, I found myself in a conversation about my weight release of 45 pounds. 

“What did you do?” someone asked.

“I worked on my thinking,” I responded.

“But what did you do?” she repeated.  She wanted something more concrete than just “thinking.”

“Well, I’ve been running. . .”

“So that’s what you did.  You started running,” she said.  

And yes, I started running.  Yes, I started eating well.  Yes, I started writing everything down that went in my mouth. Yes, I started celebrating each thing I did that moved me toward the body I wanted.

But in reality, in addition to running and eating well, the biggest thing I did was that I worked on my thinking. I worked on my view of myself.  I worked on my view of my body.  And I believe the process of changing our thinking, our view of our bodies, our view of ourselves and our lives, is fundamental.  

Sure, if you want to lose weight, you need to eat less and move more.  But the biggest, most important, most profound transformation was the one that went on inside my head many months before my body ever started to change.  My internal view of myself changed way before I released the weight. 

How did I change my view of myself?

I began to really pay attention to my thoughts about myself and my body and my life.  “My butt is so huge” became “My body’s so curvy.”

I began to look for things about my body to celebrate and enjoy and appreciate and love.  “I have the thighs of an elephant” became “I love how strong my muscles are.”

I began to find beauty where previously all I saw was ugliness.  “I have bad hair” became “Look at how much hair I have!”

And this was a continual effort.  Some of the things I did are silly.  Some of the things I said to myself would seem absurd to most of the world.  And some of the thoughts I created initially felt like lies.  “I’m so fat” felt more real than “I’m pretty darn cute.”  But the more I saw my body as “strong” or “cute” or “curvy,” the stronger, cuter, and curvier I became.

Margaret Sanger said, “No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her own body.”  I say, “No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her thoughts about her own body.”

If you are thinking about transforming your relationship with your body, begin today to pay exquisite attention to your thoughts.  And lavish your body with verbal praise, acknowledgements, and love.  It will love you back.

Up Next:  Gratitude for Cellulite

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"Do You Ever Binge?"

 

“Do you ever still binge?” a friend asked me recently.  

After some thought, I answered, “No.”

Please keep in mind that I have 45 years of experience in the binge department.  If you have any doubt, just take a little peak at my “Before” picture.  Rest assured that, indeed, I know a great deal about bingeing.

It’s not that I don’t ever have the urge to eat everything in sight.  It’s not that I never feel frustrated, angry, bored, or stressed.  It’s not that I never want to medicate myself with food.  It’s not that I never feel so empty inside that I could devour a whole pizza, a family-size bag of potato chips, and a gallon of rocky road ice cream.  

I’m human.  

I have bad days.

But in the past two years, I’ve learned some strategies to help me deal with the urge to eat everything in sight.  

Strategy One:  Eat small meals frequently throughout the day.  I have learned, and continue to learn, to listen to my body.  I don’t allow her to go hours and hours on end with no fuel.  I rarely allow her to become famished, for I know that when I become really, really, really hungry, I may end up eating everything in sight.  And when you add emotional stress and physical exhaustion to hunger, you’ve got yourself a recipe for a high-quality binge.

Strategy Two:  I love to run.  And this running thing I’ve got going on is a big motivator to eat small, frequent meals.  If I know I have a long run scheduled for Saturday morning, I’m probably going to pay attention to how I fuel myself on Friday night.

Strategy Three:  This brings us to the issue of food being fuel.  Food can’t hug me.  Food can’t laugh with me.  Food can’t listen to me.  Food can’t cry with me.  Food is fuel, not love.  People are love, not fuel.

It’s not that I never have a bad day and want to eat.  But during those bad days, I ask, “What will bring me the most pleasure?”  And in many cases, food is not the answer to that question.  

I also ask myself, “What do I really, really, really, really want?”  

For me, I really, really, really, really want to maintain my current weight.  

I really, really, really, really want to continue to run long distances.  

I really, really, really, really want to sleep well at night.  

And I really, really, really, really want to continue to be in a super-loving, super-supportive relationship with my body.

What do you really, really, really, really want?

Up Next:  “But What Did You Do?”

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The Scale Goes Up! You Want It to Go Down!

 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in this situation.  It would seem that this would be the story of my entire adult life.  I would work at my weight, work at eating the right foods, work at getting enough exercise, work at watching my portions, work at everything about weight loss.  And I wouldn’t lose anything.  Instead, I’d gain.

And then I’d feel frustrated.  The scale would definitely not reflect my efforts.  No matter how hard I tried, it wouldn’t budge.  Or worse, it would go up.

And this was a drag.  If the scale didn’t mirror back to me the results of my effort, what would I want to do?  You have one guess.

I’d eat.  A lot.  I’d feel frustrated at this road block.  I’d feel angry at myself.  I’d feel disappointed.  I’d feel upset that no matter how hard I would work at it, the weight wouldn’t come off.  And this went on for years.

And then instead of working at losing weight, I began to work at changing my thinking, and I began to work at changing my view of myself.  

As I consciously and intentionally shifted my thoughts about my body and my effort, my behavior changed, and I released weight. If you’re anything like me, here are a few suggestions that might help you as you begin to learn how to love the body you have and release weight in the process.

1. 1. Pay attention to what you say to yourself in the mirror.  It’s easy to find our flaws, and not always easy to find our beauty.  Look for it.  It’s there.  It wants you to recognize it.  If you have 5 pounds to release or 105 pounds to release, look for and recognize and embrace your physical beauty.  It’s there.  And when when recognize it, you’ll be recognize the truth about who you are.
   

2. 2.As you’re paying attention to your beauty, acknowledge it verbally.  “I really like the way my eyes look today,” or “My hair looks awesome,” or “Look at how shapely my calves are!”  Say these things out loud to yourself as you look in the mirror.  Enjoy the way you look, and heighten that enjoyment by complementing yourself out loud.
   

3. 3.Celebrate everything.  Not just the big things.  Every step you take that is in the direction of your desires for your body, or that is in the direction of loving and appreciating your body--celebrate it!  Some of my favorite ways to celebrate are with things that aren’t food--like luxury lotions, gorgeous writing utensils, exquisite notecards and paper, books, and inspirational DVDs.  This is important, because as you celebrate everything you do that moves you in the direction you want to go, you’ll be more likely to keep moving in the direction you want to go.
   

But the bottom line, when the scale goes up and you want it to go down, is to really pay attention to what you say to yourself in that moment.  And be kind and gentle with yourself.   Compassion begins at home.

Up Next:  “Do You Ever Binge?”

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If Your Body Could Talk to You, What Would It Say?

 

Today’s blog is about you. It’s one question, and one question only.  And I can’t wait to hear your answers to this question:

If your body could talk to you, what would it say?

Please let me know!  E-mail me at nannerl123@yahoo.com, or phone me at 402-438-0108, or leave me a comment here!  I'll respond in future blogs!

And be sure to check out my FREE offer at my website:  http://www.fallinlovewithyourbody.com!

Up Next:  The Scale Goes Up!  You Want It to Go Down!

 

 

When Women Start Loving Their Bodies

A couple of days ago, I had the privilege of participating in a workshop called “Befriending Our Bodies After Cancer.”  I came away filled with inspiration, passion, and desire.  I also came away with a strong belief that when women start loving their bodies. . . 

. . . their health will improve and health care costs will go down.

. . . they will be happier.

. . . they will need less medication.

. . . they will be in touch with their deepest, truest parts of themselves.

. . . they will approve and enjoy and connect with every part of their physical presence.

. . . they will not seek to change their bodies by drastic means, for they will see the beauty and joy in their bodies as they are.

. . . the will know that the only approval that really matters is the approve that comes from inside of them.

. . . they will ease up on the judgments the make about their bodies.

. . . they will treat themselves kindly and compassionately.

. . . they will approve of the image they see in the mirror.

. . . they will approve of other women’s bodies.

. . . they will approve of their daughter’s bodies.

. . . they will listen closely to what their bodies are telling them.

. . . they will pay attention to what their bodies really want.

. . . they will enjoy the sensory pleasures their bodies give them.

. . . they will not rely solely on the sense of taste to give them pleasure, and instead know that they can experience pleasure through their eyes, ears, nose, and skin.

. . . they will see beauty in freckles, wrinkles, gray hair, and flesh.

. . . they will know what makes them happy, and take responsibility for their own happiness.

. . . they will feel better about themselves more often.

. . . they will feel no desire to read fashion magazines.

. . . they will know that their bodies love them.

. . . they will know that their bodies want to support them during their time on this planet.

Up Next:  If Your Body Could Talk to You, What Would It Say?

Leave me your comments here!

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