Love Your Body Challenge – Day 9 14

Posted In Body Image

(Psssst! If you’re “late” to the challenge and just getting started, that’s OK too! Just go at your own pace! Start with this blog post and scroll to the bottom, and make sure you have what you need to complete the challenge and fill out the 10 questions you need to fill out before you get started. Then you can take it day by day at your own pace!)

Recap

Yesterday was Day 8 of the Love Your Body Challenge, and the reason to love your body was,

“Because it can move.”

I discussed how grateful we should be for the movement we have, because it’s a privilege and we never know when we might lose it. It sounds simple enough, but I think the kicker is when we picture what it would be like if we couldn’t move. That’s what hit home for Dawn. Here is her story:

“Visualizing not being able to move my body freely instantly made me cry. I care for my 65 year old Mother who is paralyzed and wheelchair bound due to a stroke. I was so angry with her situation, but it only made me a bitter person. I have learned to show her compassion and empathy and be grateful for my healthy state. I still get down at times, but I think about how she must feel and my anger disappears. I feel such a loss at times, but I know that I am a stronger person because of my experiences.”

I know that I’ve taken movement for granted in the past, and it’s definitely not something I take for granted anymore, and I hope you don’t either.

And here we are with Day 9!

Reason #9 To Love Your Body

9. Because it’s awesome.

Yes, this reason sounds extremely vague, and possibly hard to connect with, but my good friend Nia Shanks was my inspiration for this. Her entire philosophy revolves around “training to be awesome,” and hopefully once you read Nia’s story, you’ll see what I mean.

Ann Razonski Photog - Copy

Read her story here:

“There was a time when I chased the ever elusive “perfect” body. Lean, strong, curves in all the right places, and free from flaws and blemishes.However, over the recent years I’ve come to realize, thankfully, that trying to achieve a body that “they” say is perfect is a journey filled with disappoint, frustration, and at its worst, shame.Sure, there are parts about my body that “they” may call flaws, but I refuse to accept their opinion anymore.I love my body. Not just for how it looks, but for what it can do. I love my body because it allows me to do dang near anything I want. I love my body because it’s healthy. I love my body because it’s mine. And the only other person’s opinion that means anything when it comes to my body is my spouse’s.

So, “they” can set all of the standards they want and label me with “flaws” and “imperfections” all they want. I just choose not to listen to that noise.

This is why my goal with working out is to simply become even more awesome.

You can find out more about Nia and her “Train to be Awesome” philosophy by visiting her website. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.Keep in mind, awesome can be defined how you’d like.For some of you, it’s achieving a feat of strength like a 225 lb. squat or a weighted chin-up. For others, it’s achieving a certain physique, like a figure or bikini athlete. For others, it’s being completely free in your body to do whatever you’d like whenever you’d like whether it’s hike, bike, kayak, or base jump. For some, it’s as simple as feeling comfortable in their own skin.

Mantra: “My body is awesome, and every day, with everything I do, I will treat it as such.”

Action step: Define what “training to be awesome” means for you, and set a really specific goal that allows you to train to be awesome, and make sure that your current program aligns with that.

**If you have any questions about programs that can help you reach your goals, leave a comment on my Facebook page, and I’ll do my best to answer.

Checklist:

1. Make sure you’ve signed up for my newsletter so you can get links to the new challenge every morning!
2. Make sure you’ve filled out the 10 questions at the bottom of this page (DO THIS BEFORE DAY 1) so you have your “starting point.”
3. Say your mantra 10 times immediately, during your action step, and before bed.
4. Complete your action step.
5. Check in with your accountability partner if you have one.
6. Check back tomorrow for more.

OH! 3 more things —

1. PLEASE post about what you’re doing on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtags #LoveYourBodyChallenge or #LYBC. This will allow you to connect with others doing the challenge, offer support and encouragement, and get ideas for your mantras and action steps.

2. PLEASE comment below and let us know what your mantra and your action steps are each day. Again, this helps build support and community as well as offers ideas to those who might need them.

3. If you’re so inclined, feel free to send me pictures of your amazingly beautiful selves and I’ll post them in my Facebook album. It’s essentially an album of pictures similar to what my fitness professional friends and I did on Day 1. It’s a picture that you might normally not want to post, but you post it anyway along with a short blurb about your journey. You can see the album here, and you can send pictures and your blurb to: 28DayLoveYourBodyChallenge@gmail.com It’s such a supportive community of women (and men) over there. It’s awesome!

That’s all for now.

See you tomorrow!

FIND DAY 8 HERE

FIND DAY 10 HERE