If you read yesterday's post I mentioned lunges and squats. Those wonderful/dreadful exercises that currently have my legs as sore as they can be. I've admittedly had my fair share of health posts on the blog over the past few years. I've had seasons of learning to be comfortable in my own skin where admittedly, trying to conquer a healthy balance of food and exercise felt like too much and so I let it sit on the back burner completely. I've also had seasons of obsession, cautiously eyeing any food that wasn't on my list of things to eat/not eat. I've had seasons where I cut all sugar, dairy, carbs, and processed food.
So where am I today? Does it even matter to share?
I think so. This is a topic I talk about with my best friend and a conversation I think we as women, should be having. These days, as a 35-year old, I find myself concentrating less on the scale and fitting back into my size sixes. Instead, I do a body scan to measure my health.
Here's what I mean.
I read a journal entry of mine from the past year where those pesky "lose weight" or "you should be smaller, exercise more, eat less cheese" voices simply wouldn't shut up. This particular day I wrote down the exact fight back method I used and guess what? It worked!
After these thoughts came attacking, I asked myself how I felt from head to toe. Did I have a headache or belly ache? (no) Did my body feel rested and exercised? (yes) Did I feel deep breaths, calm shoulders, a relaxed smile? (yes)
My answers to this "scan" of sorts felt like a true thermometer of my overall health, instead of letting a number on the scale gauge my success.
These days I find myself concentrating on these attributes instead of the scale, which we as women have been so conditioned to praise. I guess it goes without saying (although I'll say it anyway) that my mental and emotional health matters to me, just as much as my physical state. And really I see them going hand in hand.
Yet when I find myself engaging in soul-care I often hesitate to post, thinking others will view me as selfish or frivolous for taking a moment to myself instead of attending to others around me. The truth is I do often engage in something fun or silly or soul-care"ish" and I feel like I'm a better, more engaged wife, mom, and teacher because of it.
Today, this is your permission to do the same.
If you have ideas on how to best nourish your soul and body, I'd love for you to share!
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