Get Naked Friday – Why I Love My Body

This past week was Spring Break for my kids.  It is tradition in our house that every Spring Break we head to San Diego, CA for the week.  It is, by far, the week I look forward to the most every year. It is my favorite place on earth to be. I feel very blessed that I get to soak up the San Diego sun and breathe in the salty sea air every Spring.

This year we were blessed enough to have rented a house on the boardwalk.  Every morning, I would wake up and look out my window to see the sun shining on the water.  I would sit and have my breakfast on the patio and watch the sailboats.

But it wasn’t just the sailboats I would spend time watching.  When you are staying on the boardwalk, it is impossible not to waste away some hours people watching.   At this beach you see every kind of person.  Truly.  It is a fascinating and wonderfully entertaining way to pass the time.

Here is the downfall.  At least half of the people who I was watching were young, tan, and had incredible bodies.  It only took a little bit of time before I started to feel bad about myself.

With each beautiful body that passed by I thought of one more thing that I didn’t like about myself.

Thoughts like, “Why doesn’t my stomach look like hers?” and “Wow, she has the perfect butt.  I would love to have her butt.”  and “Why can’t I be thin like her?”  The cycle of negative thoughts was endless.

Even my husband got in on it.  He started to show his insecurities too.

I guess it can be hard on anyone’s ego to spend the day watching beach bodies.

But after a couple of days of letting negative thoughts weigh me down, I started to get mad at myself.  Why was I putting myself thru that?  Why am I so hard on myself?  Why do I have such a hard time showing some love for my own body?

I think we all have our own insecurities and certain situations will shine those insecurities right into your eyes until you can’t see past them.

For the rest of the trip, I decided to give myself a break.

I decided it was time to remember some things about my body that I do love. 

It was time to spend a little energy showing my body some love a gratitude.  I came up with a list of some things that I love about my body.   Gratitude always gives me some much-needed perspective.

Here are some reasons why I love my body:

I love my body because, as I near 40, I find myself in better shape than I ever was before.

I love my biceps for showing a muscle. (I’ve never had visible muscles before) 🙂

I love my body for being able to bring these two beautiful souls into this world.

I love my legs for being strong enough to carry me thru each day.

I love my arms for being able to wrap the ones I love in a tight embrace.

I love my body for being able to breathe in and out every day all on its own.

I love my body for finding the balance and courage to try new things.

I love my eyes for being able to witness small miracles every day.

I love my back for being able to still carry my children piggy back despite how heavy they are getting.

I love my body for being free of disease or illness.

I love my feet for being firmly grounded on this beautiful planet.

I love my heart for overflowing with love.

Let’s give ourselves a break and remember what a gift our bodies are.

What do you love about your body?

Tammy