Making Peace with our bodies: Part 1

This post is the first in a series on making peace with our bodies.

We are all aware of 101 reasons to take care of our bodies, yet motivation to maintain a healthy body often slips away. Over the next few days, I’ll be discussing obstacles to this motivation. But first, in case you need a few more good reasons to maintain your physical health, here are my favorites:

My 5 Favorite Reasons to Maintain Physical Health

The universe is what you eat. Taking the “You are what you eat” adage one step further, our brain is a part of our body and dictates our perception of the universe. When we take care of our bodies, the universe looks different to us. We’re positive, energetic and equipped to handle whatever the universe throws our way.
Intelligence. For the same reasons mentioned above, intelligence, creativity and memory skills are sharpest when attached to a healthy body.
Energy. A piece of fruit can provide more sustained, focused energy than caffeine.
It is the temple of God. It is where the spiritual world connects to the physical world. It is a dwelling of God. We have been given an awesome responsibility to house a conduit for the spirit in the physical world. Our body is sacred. As I stated in Your Body is Marvelous, “This body is a gift from God, and how we treat it is our gift to God.”
Because you can. Of all the things in our lives over which we have some influence, we have the greatest control over our bodies. Nearly every aspect of our body’s health is a result of our own actions. Variations in metabolism and genetic conditions make the task of physical self care much more difficult for some than others, but we all have some measure of control. When given the choice to have clear, positive perception, intelligence, energy and a strong connection to God, it just makes sense.

A Note on Effective Affirmations

Many of us find affirmations helpful in maintaining motivation. I have found that affirmations that say, “I can do this,” are not helpful. We already know that we can. The question is, are we doing it or not? Once we make a decision to make a change and take a single step, no matter how small, we can use an affirmation that says, “I am doing this.”