Understanding -- the big disconnect

I sometimes wonder if we put too much pressure on ourselves about the way we look.  Does it really matter?

I believe our health matters a great deal.  But, from a health perspective, it isn't about how you look (at all) -- it is about what you can do.  Can you walk up a flight of steps efficiently (fitness)?  Can you process the sugars you eat (healthy blood sugar regulation)?  Are you strong enough to enjoy your life (back injury waiting to happen)?  Are you active enough to manage your stress successfully?  Do you have emotional and physical reserves to deal with the unexpected surprises that pop up in life?

None of these measures can be taken from how we look.  There are very unhealthy, unfit thin people.  There are very healthy, active, successful people with a high BMI.

I keep encouraging you to make changes and cultivate action in your life.  But action to do what?

Here's the thing -- I don't know what action you should be taking.  If you're reading this blog, I assume you are thinking (or at least assuming -- important difference) that you need to manage your weight.  While, for most of us, that is true (food being so readily available and all...), what your body should look like/how much weight you should lose or gain, is open for debate.  Only you know what feels right to you.

Clients often find that the weight they were shooting for is not where they actually end up feeling is right for them.  The weight they feel good about is usually higher than their initial goal upon our first meeting.  Often, they find what they are lacking in their life is a sense that they can be in charge of their weight -- most of the time the root issue isn't what pant size they fit into.  Once they see they can eat less without feeling like they are depriving themselves, they settle in to developing an understanding and an appreciating of their body.  --which is what they have been missing all along.

So, please understand, when I call you to act, it isn't really about not eating or even losing weight.  It's about paying attention to your life, living in your body and understanding what that really means, and choosing to treat yourself well today, no matter what your size and shape.