How to Love the Skin You’re In
The following article was written by Heinen’s Chief Dietitian, Melanie Jatsek RD, LD. Click here to learn more about Mel’s personalized nutrition coaching services.
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If you’ve ever taken care of a baby, you know that when they’re hungry they either smack their lips or put their hands to their mouth, and if you miss these early hunger cues, they remind you with a loud cry.
As you look around to find the closest source of food, you spot the cookie jar on the kitchen counter. Do you feed them a chocolate chip cookie? Of course not! Although it’s the most convenient option, it’s not what their precious little body needs. Moreover, you wouldn’t dream of feeding a baby something that isn’t good for them. Why? Because you love, honor, and respect them.
Now let’s talk about us.
Feeding our body healthfully is more than eating vegetables. It’s a process that begins by developing a deep respect for our body, which gives rise to a loving desire to care for it like we would a tiny baby.
Loving and respecting your body doesn’t mean disregarding the areas of your health that need improving. That would be irresponsible. But understand this very important point: you can’t begin to successfully tackle weight, cholesterol, blood sugar, or any other problem without respecting and honoring your body first… as it is right now.
It sounds easy enough, doesn’t it? Easy until you try applying it to real life.
I’m here to show you how. But first, you must be willing to take a little trip beneath your skin.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Find Out What It Means
Aretha Franklin wrote a song about respect in the 1960s, and although her message was different, the definition is the same:
respect (verb) to consider worthy of high regard
To begin the practice of honoring your body, simply place your hand over your heart and feel it thumping ever so gently. Contemplate the fact that this small but mighty organ is tasked with the job of beating around 100,000 times in 24-hours to keep you alive without stopping for a lunch break!
Now slide your hand over to your right ribcage and just above your stomach. That’s where your liver is located. Living up to its name, it filters more than 250 gallons of blood in 24-hours. Without this filtration system, we as humans could not survive.
These are just two examples of your body showing you how much it loves you. We need not do anything but breathe and we are taken care of. I guess the question we should really be asking ourselves is, how could we not love and honor something that loves us this much?
The Healing Power of Forgiveness
Ending this article without mentioning the freeing power of forgiveness would be, well, unforgivable. And I’m not talking about forgiving others, though that’s always a wise thing to do for your own mental and physical health. I’m talking about forgiving yourself. In fact, I find it’s often easier to forgive others than it is to forgive myself. Can you relate?
For example, are you still holding a self-grudge for:
- Gaining those ten (or 20, 30, or 40) pounds?
- Giving up on your daily exercise commitment?
- Polishing off that bag of potato chips when no one was looking?
If you answered yes, understand that you’ll never be able to improve until you forgive yourself.
Every time you engage in negative self-talk or self-pity, it doesn’t just end there. Instead, you plant a seed in your brain and slowly become that person! You didn’t start that way; you talked yourself into it.
Leave the past in the past, let go, and forgive yourself so that you can move on. Even better, laugh at your imperfections—like your secret love of kid’s cereal (that’s one of mine). It just proves you are human!
With a clean slate you are now ready to begin the journey towards self-improvement, but this time with results you can feel deep down inside.
Key Takeaway
I don’t think you realize just how amazing you are, both inside and out. In the words of poet and writer Shane Koyczan: “If you can’t see anything beautiful about yourself, get a better mirror, look a little closer, stare a little longer.”
So go ahead and love, honor, and respect the skin you’re in, because it only gets better.
