Friday posts I like to dedicate to information and inspiration. The reason for this is because the more informed you are the better your decisions tend to be. The same goes for inspiration, we all need it at times and it often comes right when we need it the most. Fit At Home Mom is a fitness program to help participants become healthy, strong, meet fitness goals and hopefully gain confidence in themselves. I have said before this is not just about weight loss, this program means more to me then that and I hope it does for you as well. Last Friday I posted about body image and touched briefly on loving yourself and the importance of this, click HERE to read The Perfect Body - the facts about the fiction. This Friday I want to dig a little deeper into the subject of balancing your body and spirit and to do this I have a guest blogger. Megan Fields is joining us today with a post regarding that balance and how important it is to have in life. I should disclose that our guest blogger is my sister, specifically the sister I mentioned in my previous post who struggled most of her life with her body image and battled an eating disorder. I tell you this because she has been there, she knows what it's like to be so unhappy with your body that it consumes you. But more importantly she has found what works to pull herself from that dark side and come out on top. So thank you to my amazing sister Megan for doing the guest post, I admire her on so many levels and in so many ways, this is a woman who does what she says, practices what she preaches and I have rarely come across a more sincere, compassionate and selfless person such as her. So enjoy the post and I hope everyone has a super weekend!
Don’t Forget to Feed Your Soul
Most of us are equipped with at least the awareness of what is healthy for us to eat and, that activity trumps inactivity. What we do with this awareness varies from person to person, and day to day. Essentially stated, we know what is best for us but we may or may not act on that knowledge. When we wake up one day and decide we do not appreciate the truth that our jeans no longer button or we are just unhappy with what we see in the mirror we typically make the decision to join a gym, jump on the newest fab diet bandwagon, or maybe we go get a surgical consult. While neither of these things are the wrong thing to do, I challenge you first to establish an exercise plan for your soul.
My struggles with a positive self-image began very early in my childhood; it seemed innate because for as long as I can remember I have always felt physically inadequate. Sadly, the image I set as a standard for myself was not organically who I was, but also not obtainable by any healthy standard. My struggles manifested themselves in behavior to change my physical self when what I really needed was a recipe to enrich and strengthen my core, my soul.
I will never tell someone what to believe but I urge you to believe in something greater than yourself. I spent the greater amount of my childhood and early adulthood chasing a superficial image, created by an unhealthy mind; that constant feeling of imperfection is now being healed by my faith. If you find yourself with a void, stop trying to fill that emptiness with things of this world, you will never be satisfied and you will be impaired to succeed. Rather, dive into your faith and let your spiritual self call the shots.
So how do we create an exercise plan for our soul?
Begin with affirming yourself and who you were created to be. We were all born with gifts which will go undelivered if we don’t learn how to nurture ourselves with positivity. Recognize your negative thoughts and fears and then make the choice to reject them. Did you know it has been proven the average person speaks 150 words per minute but we think at 500-600 words per minute? If we are not choosing the right words to listen to we are drowning in negativity, you cannot live a positive life with negative thoughts.
Gain some perspective; help someone less fortunate than yourself. As we know there are always those who seem to have it all, well there are plenty on the opposite end of the spectrum. There are so many who go without, and you have something to offer; time, donations, knowledge, a smile. When we extend ourselves our reward is that our character is supplemented. When we take the focus off ourselves we realize there are greater issues to be concerned with than the 5 extra pounds we have been carrying around since vacation.
Be a student of your faith. Read the literature and resources available to you and work to align your life with principals of faith. Also, get connected with a community of like minded individuals, this will help expand your knowledge and your support system. If you are having a hard time, let those around you lift you up and encourage you. Sometimes we can't see in ourselves what others value and cherish in us.
I am certainly not negating the importance of a healthy diet and regular exercise, doing those two things in a healthy manner will do miraculous things for your mentality and spirituality. You will be your best self if you incorporate exercises for your mind, body and soul. I am simply encouraging you to put more emphasis on your spiritual growth because that will deliver the largest return.
When your soul is rich and your character strong, your reflection in the mirror is more appealing even when your physical has not changed. So next time you look in the mirror and you don’t like something, before you try to kill yourself on the treadmill focus on what you are grateful for, affirm yourself and be confident in who you were created to be; He does not make mistakes.
