Have you ever watched a toddler walk around? Have you noticed how they typically walk with their bellies pushed out front as they toddle around? And how proud and excited they are if you ask them where their belly button is? Little kids LOVE their bellies! Something happens as we grow up that most tend to decide they don’t love their bellies so much. There is a lot we can learn from kids and their natural love for their bodies.
Maybe it is because our bellies are right in our line of sight as we look down or maybe it’s because our culture covets flat bellies, but many of us are not happy with what we see. It is of course a common area that extra weight goes, especially in men. Whether we are happy with the size or shape of our bellies or not, the first step is loving and accepting ourselves for where we are right now.
Our bellies do SO much for us. Our entire digestive system rests inside. How cool is it that we can eat an apple or piece of pizza or a carrot and our body knows EXACTLY how to turn that into fuel for our bodies and even uses it to help us to heal and grow. It is truly amazing! For women who have had the opportunity to bring forth life on this earth, our bellies nourished and grew another human being – wow!
This month we are focusing on loving our bellies. Our first challenge was visual acceptance. Look in the mirror and decide to love yourself, no matter what! What good does it do to think negative thoughts about your belly? Do you think negativity heals? It cannot! But love and positive thoughts can! There is always something to which be thankful for!
Next we focused on mindful eating. One way to show love for your digestive system is to show gratitude for the food you are consuming. And then actually enjoy your food! This means chewing slowly and thoroughly and really tasting your food. You have a much lesser chance of overeating if you savor each bite of your food. You may even find you don’t even care for certain foods you thought you loved that aren’t very good for you.
This week we are focusing on engaging your abdominal muscles. As often as you can, pull your abdominal wall in towards your belly button. This should naturally pull your shoulders back as well. Hold for as long as you can remember to! Strong abdominal muscles lead to a strong core which has so many health benefits. For one it helps your spine stay better aligned! Engaging your abdominals during your workouts will also give you an even more beneficial workout!
How else can you show love for your belly this month?
go LOVE yourself!