Do You Love Your Body?

Does your body know it?

It might sound ridiculous to think your body needs your love. But it does.

How many of us treat our bodies like garbage dumps? We criticize them in the mirror, avoid our own eyes, push them too hard, neglect their needs, and then act shocked when they break down. We talk about our bodies like they’re the enemy—my body is betraying me. No, it’s not.

From the moment we’re born, we have a body that—more often than not—works just fine. Then, we systematically destroy it. We eat junk. We sit too much. We binge on caffeine, alcohol, sugar, and other substances that mess with its balance. We push it past its limits, ignore its cries for rest, and drown out its warnings with medication.

Why? Because we’ve been trained to see it as an adversary.

Some belief systems dictate that the body is sinful. Society tells us only certain bodies are worth loving. We internalize these ideas. Consequently, we reject ourselves before anyone else can. We age, and instead of appreciating each day that we wake up on this side of the grass, we obsess over wrinkles and sagging skin, mourning a version of ourselves that doesn’t exist anymore.

And so, we punish our bodies.

I used to be guilty of this. As an athlete, I pushed through exhaustion, was impatient with myself for recovery, and talked to myself like a drill sergeant barking orders. I often fed my body junk, forced it to drink alcohol because I wanted to, and flooded it with Stress until it couldn’t Sleep. I told it that it was weak, slow, out of shape. I ignored pain, popped meds to shut it up, and forced it to keep going.

The worst part? I couldn’t look myself in the mirror and admit what I was doing.

Then, one day—after a particularly rigorous 100k bike ride—I woke up. I was treating her badly and not feeling good about myself.

I started looking at my body differently. At first, with tolerance. Then, compassion. And finally, love.

I talked to my body like a friend. I fed her better food, gave her the nutrients and supplements she needed for optimum performance. I let her rest. I found an outlet for stress through movement—but this time, we were a team, not combatants. I spoke to her with kindness, offering encouragement and support. I got massages, stretched, and took deep breaths. I swapped Anxiety for calm. I quit forcing alcohol on her—and I think that was her favorite part.

Even now, if I have to take meds for some reason, I don’t just throw them down. I bless them. Good vibes matter.

Your body isn’t your enemy. It’s the only one you’ve got. Treat it like someone you love. Because when you start feeding it well, letting it rest, moving it the way it was designed to move, and giving it encouragement and kindness—you’ll feel the difference.

And when you look in the mirror, you won’t see something broken. You’ll see someone worth loving.

Originally Published on https://akasha111blog.wordpress.com/

Paula Tozer Author

Paula D. Tozer is the author of three books - Saving Your Own Life: Learning to Live Like You Are Dying; An Elegant Mind's Handbook, and Enchanting Treve, a Novel. She is also an actor, singer/songwriter, Creativity Coach, competitive speaker, and leader with Toastmasters, as well as an avid cyclist, hiker, gym rat, and critter lover. The vast majority of her accomplishments have been achieved after the age of 50, demonstrating that It is never too late to be what you truly could have been...

Paula believes that living fiercely at any age is the way to optimize our time on this side of the grass. She has taken up the mission to inspire and motivate her contemporaries with what she has found that has allowed her to age with elegance, vitality, and most of all, good humor!