Valentine’s Day brings thoughts of hearts, dinner out, roses, chocolates, and love. Or, it tends to make us grumble about Hallmark Holidays. I often fall into the latter category. To this day my favorite Valentine’s Day involved a viewing of Fatal Attraction.
We often associate the day with lovers or friends. But do you ever stop and think about your love for yourself and your body? Think of the majority of thoughts you have about your body. Are they positive or negative? Do you think more about how your body looks or what your body can do?
Here are a couple of exercises to help give your body a little TLC on this day of LOVE:
Treat Yourself
Pick an activity that feels like a real treat. Maybe that’s getting a massage or going for reflexology.Perhaps all you need is a moment alone for a hot bath and a cup of tea. Maybe a glass of wine and a good book or movie is your thing. Put some time on the calendar for you.
Sweet Nothings
When you catch yourself thinking a negative thought about your body, reverse your thinking. Maybe you don’t like some physical aspect of your body. Or maybe you live with pain and your body frustrates you a lot. Either way, turn those words around. Think of what you’d say to a friend if they told you what they really thought about their body. Remind yourself about something you are grateful for that your body can do. Maybe you don’t love your arms right now. Tell yourself why your arms are superb (even if you feel like you are lying at first). Just give your body some positive feedback.
Take a Walk
Exercise is good for our bodies in so many ways. It boosts our confidence and helps us stay mobile and active for a full and healthy life. Take a walk. Move your body and at some point along the way just relish in the fact that you can move—a fact we often take for granted.
Make a List
Write down at least 10 things about your body you are grateful for. If you are feeling really brave do this with a friend and share your lists. Someone might point out something you never considered that gives you a whole new aspect of your body to love. Maybe this seems cheesy. Do it anyway.
Prove it to Yourself
Is there something you’ve always wanted to do? A handstand. Go kayaking. Balance on one leg. Learn a
magic trick (that takes a lot of dexterity and impressive hand coordination). Anything grand or small is a good choice. Make a plan to get there. Because you are worth any goal you want to achieve. Just make sure you pick one you’ll enjoy or get a benefit from working on so the process is as pleasurable as the success at the end.
My hair is going grey, but my 95-year-old grandma sees blonde. The reality is I’m going grey, and my grandma is blind in one eye and losing her sight in the other. But she still sees blonde because her love for me isn’t about what she literally sees. The message here isn’t that the grey hair is bad or that I need to retain my youth for my grandma’s love. It’s that her love doesn’t see the greys because they don’t matter when it comes to how she thinks of me. Give yourself and your body some of that unconditional love of a grandma looking at her granddaughter and seeing blonde in the greys.
Keep Reading
Looking for beautiful places to walk? Check out Maggie’s favorite places!
Interested in the in learning how to handstand? Read the Handstand Helper.
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