(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!)

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My goodness.  I almost can’t believe that Day 28 of the Love Your Body Challenge is here.  This month has absolutely flown by for me, and it feels like just yesterday we were kicking off Day 1.

Thank you to everyone who has followed along on this journey.  I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed hearing your from all of you — crying with you, laughing with you, having epiphanies with you… it’s been incredible.  You all have changed my life, and I hope I have impacted yours as well.

Before we move on to recapping yesterday, I have a small favor to ask you.  If this challenge has at all impacted your life, touched your heart, or made you think… would you please let me know?  I’d like to add a “testimonials” page that other women who are considering doing the challenge can read to convince them that it’s worth their time.

It would be so helpful to me, and you’d be helping to convince other women to do the challenge and change their lives as well.

You can put it in the comments section below.  If you’re not comfortable with that, you can send it to me at: 28DayLoveYourBodyChallenge@gmail.com.

Finally, do NOT forget to fill out the questionnaire again at the bottom and compare your scores from before Day 1!  That would be an amazing thing to put in your testimonial (how much your score went up).

Let’s get started!

Recap

Yesterday was Day 27 and the reason to love your body was:

“Because it allows you to love and be loved.”

I discussed all of the different ways that we give and receive love to others, whether it’s our spouse, our children, our friends, our parents, or even a stranger.

We give and receive love through all kinds of physical touch, a warm smile, kind words, and much more.

When you think about it, there is love all around you, and your body allows you to participate in it in so many ways.  That’s something to be grateful for!

So here we are.  Day 28.

No pressure, right?

Continue reading →

(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

Hi everyone!  Holy moly, it’s Day 27 of the Love Your Body Challenge, and we only have one day left after today!  That makes me sad! (OK, and only slightly elated because I’ll get to hear about all of your all’s progress, annnnnd I’ll get my life back a little bit! Writing every day is hard!)

The best part about today and tomorrow is that they are two of my absolute favorite reasons, which is why I wanted to save them for last.  So exciting!

OK, so yesterday was Day 26 and the reason to love your body was:

“Because it’s healthy.”

This one was actually a little hard for me because off-and-on for the last several years I’ve thought of myself as a “sick” person or a “delicate” person.  In 2009 I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s (autoimmune hypothyroidism), PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), and Adrenal Dysfunction.  Basically a trifecta of issues that make you feel like garbage.

Luckily, I’ve been able to change my mindset and start giving my body more love and feeling more thankful for the wonderful parts of my body and things in my life, and whaddya know?  My most recent tests and bloodwork have come back better than ever.  I can’t think that this is a coincidence.

I love what Giselle had to share about yesterday’s reason:

“I can really identify with this reason. Sometimes I’m under the weather & suddenly it hits me: I AM HEALTHY!

My body allows me so much, no matter what I’m going through, I’ve got a reason to feel like I can go on & do it indeed.

Haven’t gotten sick in more than a year! & I can’t stop saying it to every person that may ask, because I feel so proud of my body, because I feel great knowing that this has taken me a lot of hard work, letdowns & struggles, yet has taken me a lot of learning & experiences that have been worthwhile.

I’m not just healthy & my body is strong on the inside, but it is also on the outside. I’ve become stronger & my endurance is way better than many years ago.

I’m more tolerant, strong, recover faster, learn things faster, more independent, more brave & more bold, take much more risks that keep me in the path I want; I’m better at talking with people & socializing (which is very hard for me); I’ve even gotten better at letting go & being resilient.

It does not mean that I’m a super person, but I know I’m way more closer to the things I want & the people I want, it is not easy, but it is worth it.”

So many fantastic interpretations of being healthy!

Now here’s to Day 27!

Reason #27 To Love Your Body

27. Because it allows you to love and be loved.

This is seriously one of my absolute favorite reasons.  My boyfriend and I were discussing it last night and we kept thinking of all of the ways our bodies allow us to express and received love.

A kiss on the forehead from our Grandpa.

Rocking a child to sleep in our arms.

Holding our Dad’s big, strong hand.

Sitting in our Mom’s lap crying while she strokes our hair.

A hug from a long-lost friend.

A passionate kiss from our significant other.

Nursing a newborn baby.

High fiving our cousin who just scored their dream job.

Smiling at a stranger who’s having a bad day.

Sometimes you just get wrapped up in the moment and need to express your love.

There are so many ways that our bodies allow us to give and receive love, these are just a few examples.

Mantra:  “I love my body because it allows me to express and receive love freely.”

FIND DAY 26 HERE

(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

Hi everyone!  Welcome to Day 26 of the Love Your Body Challenge.  Can you believe we only have a couple of days left after this?

Crazy, right?

As you know, yesterday was Day 25, and it was awesome.  The reason to love your body was:

“Because it’s a composite of your parents.” (Or it’s part of your children, or siblings, or other amazing family members).

This one seemed to sneak up on people kiss them right on the mouth! 🙂

In other words, out of nowhere, many women started recognizing how much they liked this reason.  Here’s what a couple of them had to say:

“Good timing on this one. I turn 50 today. My parents are gone and I miss them everyday. I hope they’re proud of who I am, and what I’m currently doing to lose fat, gain health. From them, I’ve learned humor, compassion, stubbornness (a good thing), loyalty, hard work and love.” – Karen

“I love this. I have my fathers sense of responsibility and his hair, my mothers light hearted joy for life and her freckles. My daughter has the perfect combination of my eyes and her fathers, looks like me as a child, and is inheritingy love of learning. My body itself inherited my beloved curves, my wild hair, and my changeable eye color.” – Heather

Hopefully this encouraged everyone to spend a little time thinking about positive memories with their loved ones yesterday.

Now Day 26!

Reason #26 To Love Your Body

26. Because it’s healthy.

This one is a little hard for me to swallow, considering that 5 years ago I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s (autoimmune hypothyroidism), PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), and Adrenal Dysfunction.

For a while, I thought of myself as someone who wasn’t well.  I realized that the more I thought of myself as someone who wasn’t “well,” the worse I felt.  The more I worried about feeling sick, the more I felt sick.

These days, I try to focus a ton on what I can control, and how good I feel.  Yes, I have some medical issues that I’m dealing with, but overall I feel good, I look good, I have energy, and I feel healthy, and I remind myself of that daily.

Smiling because I’m feeling great!

Annnnnd at my last Doctor’s visit, my antibody levels were down, and all of my other bloodwork looked pretty good, too! Coincidence?  I think not.

The majority of us, even those of us who do have medical issues that we are dealing with, we are overall healthy people with healthy bodies, and the more we remind ourselves of that, the better we will feel, and the more our bodies will heal.

Mantra:  “I am healthy, and my body is healthy, and for that, I am grateful.”

FIND DAY 25 HERE

FIND DAY 27 HERE

(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

Hi everyone!  Thanks so much for joining me on Day 25 of the Love Your Body Challenge.  As you know, yesterday was Day 24, and it was awesome.  The reason to love your body was:

“Because it’s resilient.”

I shared my own story of heartache and loss and talked about how 2012 was a very difficult year in my life.  Fast forward almost 18 months, and I am the happiest I have ever been in my whole life.  I was hit and knocked down time after time, and time after time I stood back up and dusted myself off.  The funny thing was, I had never considered myself to be very resilient until a family member pointed it out to me.

He said I was one of the most resilient people he had ever seen, and he was very impressed.

It was in that moment that I allowed myself to recognize how well I had bounced back from all of the heartache and turmoil of the past year and feel proud.

It seemed like yesterday was that day for a lot of you.  In reading your comments, it seems that many of you had never considered your own resilience until I told you that you were resilient.  The revelations were beautiful.  Here are a couple:

“Thanks for reminding me of my resilience! I often make light of the challenges in my life. Telling myself they are not that big a deal, there are so many worse off than me.

I suddenly and unexplainably lost my husband when I was 33 yrs old. If it wasn’t resilience getting through that I don’t know what is.

I think that this is the first time in the seven years since that I have told myself that.

I am now happily married to the second love of my life, own a business that I love and happier than I have ever been. As I marvel at all the amazing women I have been exposed to in this challenge, I am also taking time today to pat myself on the back for the strength I have shown in my own journey and for the endurance I know I have for the journey yet to come!” – Julie

“Thank you so much for this post. I have never really thought about my body’s resilience before. I guess I have always thought of those that overcome injuries or illness and come back stronger than ever. I had never applied that to my own self & story.

I have been pregnant 8 times. I lost 4 of those babies. I also naturally birthed 4 babies. I remember after the last loss being really angry & upset that my body just didn’t work the way I wanted it to. At that time we decided that another loss we could not risk and that we were “done”.

Fast forward a few years and surprise! My 43 year old beautifully resilient body grew and birthed our 4th baby girl. 

Thank you for teaching me to “forgive” my body for the times it doesn’t perform as I wish & to be thankful and appreciate its resilience!” – Kimberly

Reason #25 To Love Your Body

25. Because it’s a composite of your parents. (Or it’s part of your children, or siblings, or other amazing family members).

I thought of this reason early on in the challenge when I started reading all of your beautiful stories about how close you were to your parents, or how lucky you all considered yourselves to have such amazing children.

I started thinking…we each have so many amazing and beautiful and talented people in our lives, and we can so easily see and appreciate their most wonderful traits, and they share our DNA!  Have you ever considered that maybe, just maybe, you’re amazing and beautiful and talented, too?

I am the composite of these two amazing people.

It’s so easy to see where other excel, and it can be very difficult to acknowledge our own positive qualities.  Today’s mantra and action step will hopefully help you find and appreciate all of the amazing-ness you have to offer.

Mantra:  “I am surrounded by amazing people, and they enrich my life so much.  I am amazing too, and I enrich their lives as well.”

FIND DAY 24 HERE

FIND DAY 26 HERE

(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

Welcome! Welcome!  Welcome!

It’s day 24 of the Love Your Body Challenge and I am SO glad you’re here!  Yesterday was Day 23, and the reason to love your body is:

“Because it’s SO smart.”

We discussed how our body is doing so many incredible things all the time that we don’t even recognize.  From pumping blood to carrying nutrients to cells to regulating your body temperature to taking in zillions of bit of information about your surroundings all in an instant to let you know whether you should laugh, smile, or cry. 

Our bodies are so amazing and so smart.

Here is what Melissa had to say about it:

“I think taking time to really think about what my body IS doing really helps me forgive it for what its NOT doing. I often find myself lost in self-pity, wondering, and self-loathing because of the functions my body is not performing; the things other peoples’ are doing that are just “normal.” But our bodies are doing SO many things, that it easier to forgive it for its shortcomings if we just keep that in mind.”

I love her honesty and her perspective here — focus on the positive to drown out the negative. Perfect!

Now, Day 24.

Continue reading →

(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

Welcome to Day 23 of the Love Your Body Challenge!  It’s hard to believe that we have less than a week of it left, but it’s true.  I absolutely cannot wait to hear from you all at the end to hear how your scores improved!

Yesterday was Day 22 and the reason to love your body was,

“Because it’s unique.”

Lucky for me, my good friend Julia Ladewski contributed to the post with some really meaningful words.  Here is an excerpt:

Thanks so much to Julia for contributing!

Onto Day 23!

Reason #23 To Love Your Body

23. Because it’s SO smart.

Have you ever thought of all of the incredible things your body is doing at any given time?  Breathing, pumping blood, regulating your pH levels and blood pressure, producing hormones, digesting food, breaking down tissue, repairing tissue, partitioning nutrients, eliminating waste, signaling you to eat and drink, making you tired so that you’ll sleep…

Not to mention running, jumping, skipping, lifting, rowing, pulling, pushing, and on and on and on.

There are so many, many things that our body does every single day to keep us alive, healthy, and functioning at a high level, and we probably never stop to recognize it.

Our body is the most amazing and intelligent machine to ever exist, and we seem to take it all for granted.

On top of these physical things our body does for us, it also thinks and feels.  It solves high-level math equations and builds super-computers.  It learns new languages and it figures out how to send people to Outer Space.  It loves thoroughly and deeply.  It feels passion and excitement.  It laughs genuinely.  It gives us a feeling in our gut when something isn’t right.

There are so many amazing and smart things that our bodies do. We just have to stop and recognize them and appreciate them for how incredible they are.

FIND DAY 22 HERE

(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

Welcome to Day 22 of the Love Your Body Challenge!  I’m glad you’re here!

Yesterday was Day 21 and the reason to love your body was,

“Because it tells your life story.”

This was one of my absolute favorite reasons because I know so many women who hide their “war marks” whether they are scars or stretch marks or wrinkles… and when they begin to think of them as something to wear with pride, their entire attitude changes.

Hear what some of them had to say:

“What an interesting and fun action step today! The morning my 80 yr old self decided to write me a letter, she was in front of the mirror admiring her facial wrinkles, giving extra gratitude to all those smile lines. My, does she have a lot of them!

We lived our life smiling, laughing, loving and being silly with our friends, family and lovers. Sometimes impulsive and sometimes foolish, but always with love and the intention of creating and spreading joy. She laughed about some of our mistakes, but reminded me that we learned from them.

She thanked me for participating in the amazing 28 Day Body Image Challenge, because it truly changed us. Her letter made me feel good about the path I am currently on, the one I recently chose. She signed it,

‘With Love and No Regrets, Kristie’”

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“Dear me,

This body held our son to say goodbye and our daughter to say hello. I held hands with my daughter, my husband, my mother, my sister, my best friends. I hugged and touched and kissed and loved. I shared and commiserated and listened and helped shoulder the burdens of my loved ones, physical and otherwise. I walked down the aisle with the man of my dreams, looked into his eyes, and spent every one of the days that followed him loving him a little more than the day before.

I was big. I was small. I was soft. I was strong. I was wrinklier and greyer every year, but never lost the sparkle in my eyes and the sweetness of my smile. I watched that little girl grow bigger and smarter and sweeter and more mind-blowingly amazing every day. And now I’m old and wrinkly and so damned happy at all I’ve gone through. Good or bad, it all made me me…and I’m really awesome.

Even better? I’m YOU. Which means YOU, you right now in this moment, with all the mess and confusion and insecurity. YOU are awesome. You are strong and incredible and mind-blowingly amazing. Make space for that. Allow it in a little more every day. Baby steps are alright as long as you’re taking them.

Love, Me.

P.S. Being an old lady rocks. You finally realize you can say and do whatever you want to. You were always free.” – Heather

Such beautiful letters!  If you wrote yourself a letter, please go back to Day 21 and post it in the comments!

Now, Day 22!

Reason #22 To Love Your Body

22. Because it’s unique.

On Day 1 of the challenge, we discussed that you should love you body simply because it’s yours.  It’s yours and it’s unlike anyone else’s.

I love this quote from Oscar Wilde:

There have been so many times I have felt that being myself wasn’t good enough, and I tried to be a copycat of other people.  It never worked, and it made me feel horribly uncomfortable.

And then, a lovely thing happened.  The more I let my true (and very strange) self shine through, the more I attracted people who actually liked me for ME, and the more they encouraged me to be myself.  It was marvelous!

Same thing with my body — the more I wished that it looked like someone else’s: petite, skinny, exotic, dark, tan… the less comfortable I felt in my own skin.  Once I started embracing that I was tall, thick, curvy, freckled, and fair… the more I fell in love with my body.

Today I have a very special guest sharing her journey to loving her unique self.  Julia Ladewski is a strength coach, gym owner, EliteFTS Training log team member, elite level powerlifter (in 3 weight classes), and occasional figure/physique athlete.  She’s also a wife, and mother, and I’m lucky to call her my friend.

I had originally asked her to participate in my Day 1 post about cellulite, but she took her own path, just like usual.

Here is her story:

“As I poured over my body, both past and present, I thought about all the things that could be my imperfections, similar to a cellulite issue.

“Well, my torso is a little blocky…” (thick abs, small chest)

But as I thought about it more and more, I realized that my biggest imperfection isn’t what you’d think. Better legs, rounder shoulders, less fat hanging over my sports bra… Sure, all those things could be better. But for me, the biggest thing that stood out as I pondered this…

Because screw what the world thinks I’m supposed to be.”

Jules just being Jules.

FIND DAY 21 HERE

FIND DAY 23 HERE

(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

Happy Monday Everyone!  Can you believe we only have a week of the challenge left?  I can’t.  It’s flown by and I am super grateful to all of you for participating.

Yesterday’s reason to love your body was:

“Because it’s sexy.”

I noticed that this reason seems to bring up some discomfort in a lot of women.  I’m not sure if it’s because they have been afraid to think of themselves as sexy, or they are afraid of their own sexuality, or if they had a negative sexual experience in their past, or if they have been raised to believe that being sexy/sexual is wrong — I’m just not sure.

I’m definitely not here to tell people how they should feel or what is right or wrong for them, but I do believe that allowing yourself to feel sexy/sexual is a critical part of the human experience, and it’s my hope that every woman figures out a way to get in touch with that side of herself at some point.

Here is a contribution from a brave woman about her experience:

“My body feels sexiest when I allow it too.

I find I spend a lot of time hiding my sexiness from others, even from my husband. This is due to an incident that happened years before I met him. I have spent decades hiding my best assets and features.

I wear old baggy clothes so no one will see the beauty buried deep within me that was shattered by another. But even with that said I feel sexy when I exercise or when I hug my husband .

I guess I feel sexy when I can be the best me I can. I know I am sexy even though I hide it well.”  – Joanne

Thank you to Joanne for bravely sharing her thoughts.

And now day 21!

Continue reading →

(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

Hi Everyone!  I hope you’ve had a great weekend so far!  I really appreciate you checking out today’s Love Your Body Challenge Post.

Yesterday’s reason to love your body was:

“Because it surprises me regularly.”

I talked about how fun and exciting it is when our body really pulls through for us when we least expect it.  Maybe you finished something physically exerting that you weren’t sure you could finish like a race or a climb.  Maybe you pulled yourself up over the chin-up bar when you didn’t know you could.  Maybe you beat cancer or triumphed over a major medical issue.

Whatever you story is, when your body surprises you  by doing something extraordinary, it deserves recognition and love.  Here are some of your stories:

“I’ve been on an allergy elimination diet and reintroduction protocol since 3 February – my body surprised me at how well it handled eliminating dairy, grains, soy, legumes, sugar, alcohol, etc and has surprised me with its quick recovery after reactions to different groups.  After just a few days of clean eating, and I feel better and stronger. My body is helping figure out how best to support and nourish it and that blows me away.” – Beth

“I love this reason and mantra today. I can relate in so many ways. My body has surprised me in so many different ways, but the one that jumps out at me when thinking of all the ways today is how it has reached the best health I’ve ever been in recently. Let me explain:

For so many years (after my eating disorder) I tried SO HARD to put on weight, to gain muscle, and reach the best health I could be in. I’d stress over food (constantly forcing myself to eat more and more), make sure I wasn’t over exercising, and stress about EVERYTHING just so I could gain weight.

Over the past few months I decided to just stop “trying” so hard and just live. Just live to be healthy, without the big goal of gaining weight. And you know what? I’m finally the heaviest I’ve ever been and feel absolutely amazing. I am finally the HEALTHY I have always wanted to be WITHOUT stressing about it. I am so surprised and don’t know how it happened, but that is just one of the many reasons my body has surprised me and I love it.” – Meg

Love it!  Now onto Day 20!

Continue reading →

(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

Happy Weekend Everyone!  Thanks so much for joining me here on Day 19 of the Love Your Body Challenge!

Yesterday’s reason to love your body was:

“My body is the perfect blend of masculine and feminine for me, and that feels good.”

I talked about struggling with my body image even as a very young girl because gymnastics had given me relatively muscular arms at a young age.  I felt like my arms looked “gross” and “like a boy’s arm” and I just wanted them to look normal.

These days I absolutely relish my muscular physique because it actually makes me feel MORE feminine.  Many of you agreed:

“I’ve commented before that I’m kind of built like a warrior, but with some balance, I feel like a warrior princess. My body is the perfect blend of masculine and feminine for me, and that feels good.

When I go to the gym, I go to sweat and grow. I do not wear makeup or prance around as if I’m really there to meet people. I’ve gotten some strange looks when I’m on the erg, rowing for my life, trying to improve my split. I absolutely love rowing and don’t mind that I’m a dripping sweat, hot mess after a session. I give it my all, even if it means “sweating like a man.”

Even after all that, there must be something girly about it, because I got asked out at the gym this week. I’m wondering if it’s a mere coincidence that since Day 1 of the challenge, I’ve purchased two dresses I normally wouldn’t have, wear more sleeveless tops and got asked out. I don’t think so.” – Kristie

“When I was in high school I was a sprinter and ran 200m and 400m, I was good and I LOVED it. Although I was embarrassed by my large and muscular legs. I would look at photos of women in magazines and think, why can’t I look like that???

Well at the age of 32 I’ve finally realized that I am a well built woman, the “ideal” that is portrayed to young women everywhere is rarely attainable. We do not walk around with our arms, legs, tummies, butts airbrushed to look smaller!

I’m so proud to be at a point in my life where I love my muscles but I also love to be very feminine. Wearing a fun dress or leggings and a cute tank top are some of my favorite outfits. I have to admit at one point in my own personal journey I thought, what if I get too muscular?

Now I see how far I’ve come and I am the perfect blend of masculine and feminine in my opinion, which is the opinion that counts the most!” – Stephanie 

Love it!  Now onto Day 19!

Continue reading →