Today, Mandie from Women are Hungry talks to us about the importance of self-love to our overall fitness.
Learning to love is not so hard. Learning to love ourselves, however, seems to be more of a challenge. We are taught at a young age (whether consciously or subconsciously) to critique our bodies. We are taught to stand in the mirror and loathe our less flattering areas. I think that as we try to get healthier bodies we must also work on healthier minds.
I’ve been there.
* Trying to homeschool the kids
* Mountains of laundry I could lose my kids under
* Cleaning a house – well attempting to clean house
* Breastfeeding AKA nipple torture
* Social activities (for the kids of course)
* Church
* Maintaining a marriage
* Attempting to maintain relationships with family and friends.
I was not too bad at juggling all of that. However, when I looked into the mirror… I would cry. I had let go of all the things that made me happy. Even who I was. I had let my body turn into a mess of mush, fashioning together my bones. I had let my health regime become no more than the occasional glass of water. Let’s not even talk about the clothes I was calling my wardrobe… hello sweats and baby puke stained t-shirts. My vitamin of choice was Prozac (ah..sweet prozac) and even that wasn’t bringing me the world of light I had hoped for.
I loved my life. I loved my husband. I loved and adored my kids. But loving ME…. that was another story. I actually loathed myself, and the choices I made showed that.
I spent so much time being wonderful in the world to other people and building fantastic relationships that I never stopped to understand that I needed to maintain a relationship with myself too.
I remember those glimpses in the mirror. I saw a mother . I saw a wife. I saw a friend. I saw a person that I knew was good at her life. However, she was actually somebody I didn’t want to take the time to get to know ……..or to love. How could I spend so much time with this woman and never stop to give her a helping hand? Oh sure I thought about her. I thought she was fat. I thought she was really out of shape. I thought somebody else could probably do her life better. The fleeting negative attention I gave her was just enough to reassure me that I was definitely giving her the attention she deserved… none.
Ladies, we cannot uncover (or remedy) our health if we secretly hate ourselves. Can we please let go of hateful self-talk? You know what I mean…
“I’m fat!”
“I could never do that!”
“I can’t accomplish that!”
Change that negativity and change it to words of positivity and encouragement. Be kind to yourself! You are an amazing, powerful being that can do ALL things. Let us give ourselves the attention and forgiveness we would give an old friend that needs us.
Before we can “take on” this new life of fitness… we must get “self love” fit before the physical fitness can take hold!
Exercise for Today: Turkish Get Up
You can hold nothing in your hand. You can hold a gallon of milk, a kettle bell, a dumbbell, a can of corn… you get the point.
Meet Mandie
Mandie Hall is an ACE (American Council on Exercise) certified instructor who owns and operates a garage gym called “Women Are Strong” in the small, rural town of Judsonia, Arkansas. She runs a community on Facebook called Women Are Hungry to help empower women. She has been featured in blogs such as Feed Me I’m Cranky and Miss Fit Blogger .
