If I had my way I would banish all scales from homes! How many of us get discouraged when we work and work and don’t see the number budge? How many of us focus so much on that number we don’t see the non scale victories? How many focus on the size of our pants, wishing we had smaller thighs, a bigger butt, that we don’t notice that we have more energy, confidence, and feel better since we started taking care of ourselves. We focus so much on the number that we miss the PROGRESS! Life is about Progress NOT Perfection. Our BODIES are about Progress NOT Perfection. My Body is never going to be perfect, it has birthed 4 children, it has run Marathons, been broken, stitched up, and stretched out! My Body is not PERFECT, it is not a number, IT IS A GIFT!
We only get 1 body in this life, we need to take care of it. We need to treat it like a GIFT and not a Garbage can. We need to eat healthy because we love our bodies, not because we hate them. We need to eat to fuel our bodies. We need to exercise to keep our bodies strong and healthy, not because we don’t like the way we look, but because we love and appreciate our gift. We need to be Thankful for our bodies. Thankful for those stretch marks, it means we were able to grow a precious miracle. We need to be grateful for our sore muscles, it means we were able to move and be active. LOVE your Body and treat it like a gift.
As a woman it is so easy to compare ourselves to others! I catch myself on a daily basis comparing myself to others. I see other moms with spotless houses, moms who don’t wear yoga pants all day, their kids do what they say, they have had 6 kids and a 6 pack, they are a size zero and their makeup is always done and perfect. Well guess what? Comparison is the thief of Joy. The only person you should compare yourself to is who you were yesterday.
“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”
-Dr. Suess
One of the most important things I want to teach my children, is that they have so much to offer by being themselves. There is no one else that can take their place. We are all one of a kind. It is so important to me that my children love themselves, that bullies won’t have an impact on them. That they will know they are important. I feel it is important as mothers to teach our daughters to love themselves for who they are and whatever size they are. Mothers need to teach their daughters to have a healthy relationship with their bodies. If they see us skipping meals, becoming depressed, shaming or bodies, our daughters will feel inadequate and ashamed of their bodies. This can increase the risk of low self-esteem, depression and eating disorders. We need to be an example of healthy eating and that we eat healthy because we love our bodies, no matter what size they are. We need to show them we workout to be healthy and strong, not to be a size 0.
There is no perfect body! There are only bodies in progress. Love yourself for who you are now, while working on who you want to become. We all have goals and we need to push ourselves, but we need to love and be grateful for what we have now! We are all bodies in progress!
