Simply Amazing…

Before I pop into my own blog to write, I take a moment on the WordPress Reader to discover others out there who write as well.  Lately I’ve found several others on this weigh-loss journey, all taking different approaches, all at different stages, all inspiring to me.  The other day I stumbled upon a particularly good blog, well written, from a fitness coach who calls herself Coach Rhonda T.  Her writing is authentic and each time I come across it, I am left pondering.  Yesterdays blog post was especially powerful to me in that it has caused me to keep thinking over the 24 hours.  All day yesterday I would catch myself thinking about what she wrote.

Her post was about how sad it is when people pick at their body parts.  “I hate my thick thighs” or “My butt is too big, too flat, too {fill in the blank}.  Instead she encouraged us to explore what our bodies can do, what they do for us, in what way is our body amazing.  So my post today is in response.

I stand amazed that after nearly 48 years of relative abuse my body is and can do the following things:

• My body is pretty darned flexible.  I can still do the splits!  Now that I’ve lost 70 pounds I can nearly fold down and stretch in a pike position.  It’s nice to bend over and touch the floor with the palms of my hands.  I’d say that’s pretty impressive at close to 50 years old.
• I can run.  Old knees and all, and they have really been through the ringer.  I have severe arthritis in my right knee and my left is fighting to catch up.  I’ve had my right ACL replaced back when I was 18 years old and a few surgeries on my left knee and still, they can run.  I know one day I’ll need to replace them, but until then, they are carrying me through — and have carried me through a few good races.  And I think they still have a few left in them.
• Along with the running, I can do more simple tasks like climb and go down stairs.  I know that seems simple, but between the arthritis and the extra 70 pounds I was carrying that was a real trial at one point.  Now I can do that with relative ease.
• My heart is strong.  Like seriously strong.  I have a resting heart rate that hovers around 42.  That’s pretty dang impressive.  I am thankful for my strong heart.
• I have a ridiculous lung capacity.  In conjunction with my strong heart it makes my endurance in aerobic activities like running or cycling endless.  My body tires long before my lungs do.  Once I’m in a pattern I could go and go for miles and miles.
• I love my shoulders.  My shoulders are broad, which I didn’t love as a kid, but as an adult I love that they give me a strong frame.  I love how they look in certain clothes.  That they help define my waist.
• I love my thighs.  They are strong and muscular.  They have a great shape to them and they don’t quit easily.  They make me feel powerful.

I am coming to love my body.  There are still days and moments and times where I am hard on myself.  It’s a work in progress to destroy the tapes I’ve been playing to myself all these years.  Even with losing so much weight, I still see how far I have to go and the damage I have done to this body of mine, and it’s hard not to be judgy.  But, there is truth to the fact that I would NEVER talk about or to anyone I cared for in that way.  I would never point out flaws to a friend.  My first instinct would always be to lift them up and celebrate the good and amazing things about them or their bodies.  I need to have the same care and love for myself.

I think this year I will try something new.  I think this year I will remark on one amazing thing I discovered about my body, or about what my body achieved that day.  A little self-love goes a long way.  I’m thinking that through this practice I will eventually erase that negative tapes I’ve been playing and replace them with good vibes, and the good vibes will help me stand confident and proud of what I have been given.  Because, really, it’s a pretty amazing instrument, the body…and I am learning to love mine more every day.