An Invitation to Know and Love Your Body
Date: Any day
Time: Anytime
Place: Anywhere
Directions: Gratitude
Thank you for coming to my blog! I’m dedicating it to getting to know your body and loving your body. Of course, I’ll be talking about body composition—muscle mass and belly fat, body fat percentages and distribution, hydration and basal metabolic rates etc. I’ll also be talking about the heart and lungs, liver and kidneys, skin and nails. In addition, I’ll be chatting about things that affect our bodies such as movement and exercise, stress and our environment, hormones and aging, nutrition and supplements, mindset and beliefs, culture and body image…sex, meds, and rhythm and blues!
What’s love got to do with it? (Tina Turner, 1984)
The more we know about our bodies, the more we can care for them, nurture them, challenge them, build them, optimize them and LOVE them!
Just the way you are. (Billy Joel, 1977)
I feel a deep conviction to emphasize that my practice focus is on health and well-being, and not any particular aesthetic or physical appearance “standard” perpetuated by societal and cultural norms and mass media conditioning. I do not, at least not consciously, subscribe to any of these “standards”. I stand firm in my conviction that happy, healthy bodies come in various shapes and sizes—they come in various weights, body fat percentages, lean mass amounts, etc. These indices vary according to our individual make up, needs and goals. I do, however, subscribe to certain references of HEALTH, but it is always in the context of the individual—their needs, goals, genetics, lifestyle, environment, etc. When it comes to beauty and handsomeness, YOU are the standard—period! And lastly, none of this has anything to do with our value as human beings.
Beautiful. (Christina Aguilera, 2002)
This is an invitation to get to know and love your body; however, loving our bodies can sometimes be difficult. I acknowledge and understand that the lines between body image and self-image can appear blurry for many of us at times. We are all in different stages and phases of loving our bodies. I understand that everybody has their own pace for getting ready and in the mood for this kind of party. An excellent place to start, no matter where you are, is with “body gratitude”, a phrase I first read about in an article by psychologist, J. Rollin. In the article, she recommends using body gratitude as a bridge to body love. I like that!
How many ways. (Toni Braxton, 1993)
If you ever feel like you want to ignite or rekindle the love for your body, an ideal place to start—no matter where you are on that journey—is by learning about your body and shifting the focus to the gratitude you have for your body. I encourage you to write a list, a poem, or even a song about some of the reasons you are grateful for your body.
All we need is love. (The Beatles, 1967)
The body gratitude party bus is here—jump on, invite friends! See you there (here)! Know your body, thank your body, love your body.
Let’s get it started! (The Black Eyed Peas, 2004)…
Your doctor friend,
Reena
