Is your weight keeping you down?
When I ask that question, most people think that it's a question for women who are overweight. The truth is: it's a question for ALL people. There is one common factor that I see in men and women, girls and boys, people of ALL ages: limiting life because of limiting beliefs about the physical body.
Your body is a temple. It's the temporary home of your soul. While it shelters it, it does not confine it. And, yet, so many of us decide what we can and can't do in our lives based on what we feel our physical bodies represent. Whether it's the ultra-thin woman who never wears a mini-skirt or a low cut blouse because she's too thin or the ultra heavy guy who never wears a v-neck sweater because of the way his stomach looks in it or the mom or dad who never rides a rollercoaster with his or her child because of the fear that he or she might exceed the weight limits for the ride. Whatever it is, you've given too much power to your weight because you now live lies that keep you from being who you really are.
How do you overcome that?
You recognize the lie for what it is. When a person says, "I can't rock climb because I'm too heavy" or "I can't build muscle because I'm too thin", understand that you are letting a lie lead your life. You are keeping yourself from enjoying every moment, from participating in life's adventures because of one side of you that's really just a temporal holding place.
We give our weight far too much power in our lives and it's time that we do three things:
1) Love and approve of your body EXACTLY AS IT IS. You want to be fit? Would you like to have the body of your dreams? You already do. The moment you embrace that and can really be at home with that idea is the same moment that you will no longer cling to extra weight for protection or hide your body from the world in shame. Criticizing and self-negating may provide some forced jumpstart into getting into better shape but it can never keep you in ideal form. Your body's ideal form requires a reverence and an appreciation that comes only through self-love. Do the self-love first; the renewed body will come AND stay thereafter.
2) Get over the outside and operate from the inside. Your weight isn't what's holding you back. You are. Understand that you can enjoy your life at ANY weight and you can be miserable in your life at ANY weight. If fitness were the key to happiness, than every fit person in America would love their lives... and that isn't the case. Trust the fact that your best shape is already deeply embedded within you. Live life as if you were already at that weight, shape, and look. Enjoy activities that you now think only a "fit" person can do. Challenge your mind and then challenge your body. Your body will always deliver to you what the mind expects. As I once heard a fitness pro say, "Where I am today is where my mind brought me. Where I'll be tomorrow is where my mind brought me." Mind first, body second.
3) Treat your body with care and love through what you feed it, how you exercise it, and the pace at which you live your life. The body doesn't like to be rushed, stressed, and always in a state of panic. As good as junk food and high fat things may taste, the body is naturally inclined to clog arteries and shorten lifespan. As ideal as watching Direct TV all day may seem, the body needs sunshine, air, and movement. You don't have to go overboard on these things but you can put your body in harmony by treating it like the temple it is. Moderation, small changes and a commitment to consistent action is all it takes to treat your body with care and reap the rewards of a treasured temple.
Isn't it time you took care of you?
Get to it!
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