30 days of self love – gifts of the body
Posted: September 2, 2010 at 8:00 amFirst off I want to say thank you for the overwhelming support of this movement! I never fathomed something I care about and believe in so strongly would actually inspire so many to action. Now, we must keep that first spark flaming and build it even stronger. Stick with me to help continue to make this something beautiful to reach our inner thirst and touch the lives around us in the process.
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Do you remember the little song “my body’s nobody’s body but mine…”? We each have a unique body gifted to us. That gift values more highly than anything else in our possession. Or that we could ever possess. Yet, we tend to see our body as rags instead of riches.
What would do you if you didn’t have your hands to craft words on paper (or screen)? What would you do if you didn’t have arms to embrace a loved one? Legs to run? Eyes to experience the beauty of this world? Picture life without any single part of your body.
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Our bodies bring us so much opportunity and life. We must cherish the bodies we have, with all their quirks, soft spots, or pains. They do not deserve the abuse which we expose them to on a regular basis, both physically and mentally.
Even if they can’t do all the things we hope or look the way we desire, our bodies still require love. If you had someone in your life who supported you in every way imaginable, wouldn’t you want to show that person your appreciation? Our bodies are that entity. Let’s show them a little bit of thanks today and throughout this month of self-love.
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Once a week, we will have a day devoted to sharing three things our bodies do for us and why we love that part of ourselves. We will do this each week so we can genuinely focus on a few things at a time we appreciate about our bodies. Take a few moments to focus deeply on three aspects of your body today and thank them. I’ll go first.
I thank my heart for working hard endless hours of the day and night to pump blood through my body. Without you, heart, I would not be here to play with my daughter, love my husband, and share my message.
I thank my smile for the kindness it shows. You may have a small gap in the front two teeth and you may not be the whitest, but that makes you (and me) unique and beautiful. I thank you, smile, for the ability you have to display my care and happiness.
I thank my “baby place” for carrying my children. I thank you for how you know just what to do. And that you give me 9 months to prepare. 😉
Now, it’s your turn. Reflect on your body’s gifts. Then declare… “I thank my ______” for each. Share at least one in the comment section to inspire others of the truly miraculous gifts of the body.
Quote to Reflect On
We don't stop at our skin. ~Dolores Krieger
*To be added to the email list and receive links to the posts in the morning, please let me know of your interest in a comment below.
*For more 30 Days Inspiration visit these bloggers who shared the message and let me know if you do so.
- Michelle – Eating Journey
- Mellissa – A Fit and Spicy Life
- Laury – The Fitness Dish
- Heather – Heather’s Dish
- Lauren – Advocate for Selfishness
- Jess – A Fixer Upper
- Lindsey – Run Lindsey Ann, Run!
- Jenn – Live Well Fit Now
- Miranda – Miranda’s Jeans
- Jes – Self Motivation
- Michelle – Chasing Ambulances
- Hillary – Coffee is my Carrot
- Melissa – Live Love and Run
- Gina – Gina Eats Beans
- Ela – Ulterior Harmony
- Chilkoot Chubby
- Jamie – Inspired Mess
Tags: self-love reflections
So true– sometimes I forget all of the things my body can do that I SHOULD be grateful for…I spend so much time tearing it down, when I should be appreciating it for what it is– a work of wonder!!
beautifully written! and i love the idea of thanking your body!
I thank my eyes for crying…when i’m happy, sad, angry, excited, moved, and loved, i cry. and i am so thankful for that.
I thank my legs for carrying me where i need to go. i would be nowhere without you (literally).
I thank my hand for being strong, for being big, and for having the capacity to do whatever I need you for. 🙂
I thank my legs for being healthy and strong and beautiful.
I thank my cheeks for reflecting a cheerful smile.
I thank my adrenal glands for having put up with all those sugar binges over the years.
Oh adrenal glands. I wouldn’t have thought of that one, but it sure is a good one. I know they have taken some abuse from me too.
I thank my eyes for being able to see and take in the wonder of God’s beauty all around me. I thank my eyes for the ability to sparkle when expressing joy and laughter with others. I thank my eyes for seeing the needs of others and being able to convey the care and concern in my heart to them.
Beautiful post! I love my cheeks… because they are so expressive and show when I’m happy, sad, or indifferent.
I love my cheeks 🙂
This is a timely reflection for me, as was lying in bed most of the night being frustrated with my body…at 35+ weeks pregnant, digestion is not working so well, I can’t sleep, the weight is coming on faster, and simple things like picking up something from the floor is painful! But I need to flip all of that around…all of these things are happening because I am growing a little person inside of me and my body is so smart it knows just what it needs to do to house and nourish my little boy. Thanks fo rthe reminder 🙂
I also thank my legs for getting my out of bed first thing in the morning to exercise. You are so strong and do whatever I ask. Sorry for complaining about the little bit of cellulite you have. 🙂
Great Post…we should ALL do this on a daily basis!
I thank my hands for letting me be creative and make amazing works of graphic design and art.
I thank my heart for pumping blood through my system and for letting me love my fiance, family and friends so dearly.
I thank my legs for carrying me and being strong; for supporting my body when I run or when I work out.
I thank my eyes for helping me to experience all the beauty in the world.
I thank my smile. I love to laugh and I know my loved ones appreciate my easy smile!
I thank my legs for getting me to where I am today.
I thank my baby spot for letting my baby develop in a warm, safe envoirnment.
I like how you used baby spot too. Uterus just didn’t sound as nice!! LOL
I thank my eyes – even though they require some help with contacts or glasses, they not only let me take in the sun, ocean, and my loved ones, but they are my most expressive feature. When I can’t speak, they certainly do! 🙂
This post almost brought me to tears…. This is by far my LARGEST struggle but also one I am working very hard to improve. I had a leg injury 2 months ago and it highlighted how capable my body truly is.
I thank my entire body for taking all the punishment and pain I have inflicted on it over many years. Thank you body for never giving up on me.
It’s amazing what we can endure. And when we think of what its been through we almost HAVE to love it more.
I thank my legs for being so strong and sturdy, for helping me to stand my ground, to walk, to press on even when my mind is exhausted.
I thank my crooked nose for allowing me to smell the amazing scents of fall.
I thank my eyes–for being beautiful, and for being able to see beauty even when most people would not.
I love your baby bump! 🙂
I thank my ears for being able to hear all of the glorious sounds of this world. Not only beautiful music, but crickets chirping in the summertime, the laughter of my nieces and nephews, and cars whizzing by on the highway.
I thank my legs for carrying me thousands of miles. Although my knee still isn’t 100%, I recognize that for 13 years they carried me on several runs, and for that I am thankful.
I thank my eyes, for the gift of being able to express myself. I’m a huge believer in eye contact, and when speaking to somone, my focus is only on them. I express sadness, joy, confusion, and anxiety in my eyes – and I’m so thankful for them!
I thank my legs for carrying me quickly across soccer fields and up many mountains.
I thank my hair for the way it looks and feels underwater- I have vivid memories of playing mermaid and moving my fingers through my hair underwater, amazed by its silkiness.
I thank my scars for reminding me of my story, even on the days that I wish I could hide them.
LOVE that last one!! So profound and meaningful. Scars should be viewed as beautiful because they testify your strength. Awesome.
I thank my eyes for allowing me to see the world (even if I have to wear contacts.
I thank my nose for allowing me to smell delicious foods.
I thank my legs for being strong enough to carry me through a run, spin class, or step aerobics.
I thank my legs for carrying me so far and song long and my mind for knowing that my legs could do it!
I thank my feet for putting up with the constant pounding and abuse they get from the road and from taking too long to change my running shoes!
I thank my heart for opening up to the people in my life and allowing me to feel loved so I can fully appreciate my husband.
I thank my hands for preparing meals that bring such joy to me and the people in my life.
I thank my ears and eyes for accepting words that have brought so much comfort to me. I rejoice that we have the ability to connect.
WOnderful post today!
I am thankful for my lungs..to allow me to breathe the air that allows me to live life.
I am thankful for my feet, to allow me to walk, and stand and dance and exercise
I am thankful for my eyes, to see all the beauty that is around me
XO
I thank my eyes for allowing me to watch the hummingbirds in the backyard and my dogs wag their tails, read my favorite books, and for their beautiful shade of blue.
I thank my legs for allowing me to run and for that glorious soreness that tells me I’m getting somewhere.
I thank my ears for allowing me to bask in all my favorite music and the sound of my husbands voice.
I am thankful for my eyes. I get to see my children grow and how adorable they are.
I am thankful for my legs…they get me to where I need to go
I am thankful for my arms to hold my children tight!
Great post! And I wanted to say thanks for sharing it on your blog too. 🙂
I posted something on my blog about this..hope you don’t mind
I thank my belly for giving me good gut instincts, for producing some of the best laughs I’ve had, and for being a constant reminder that I’m my mother’s daughter. I inherited my mother’s short torso, I’ve disliked it for long enough, it’s been pretty awesome to me through the years as well 🙂
Lovely job, Tina!
I thank my legs and feet for taking me where I need to go, sometimes quickly, sometimes slow.
I thank my arms for being strong, so that I can hug with reckless abandon, carry the groceries, pump out push-ups, and throw a toy squid clear across the condo for our puppy to fetch.
I thank whichever part of my body facilitates giggling– it happens a lot– and it seems to make everyone else giggle, too.
I thank my skin for freckling. These little imperfections are perfectly adorable.
Love this post! The thought about what my body can do, instead of what it looked like has been the main motivator in helping me stay on track with living a healthy life.
I don’t want to just look fit, I want to live with vitality, energy and enthusiasm!
I thank my thighs for allowing me to hike mountains with my Hubbs & puppy dog, without which I would have missed out on some of the best views and best conversations I’ve ever had 🙂
Amen to that! Hikes are such a great experience. I couldn’t imagine not being able to go on them.
I thank my eyes for allowing me to see.
I thank my feet for forcing me to have balance, even when the rest of my body does not feel so balanced.
I thank my breasts for being breasts, reminding me that I am feminine even when it feels like masculinity is taking over.
Those are some pretty great pictures.
To me, our bodies are just a vessel that carries what’s inside–our souls, our hearts and our minds–the important things.
🙂 You know I love that answer. 🙂
I love my muscles, because it was so long since I’d seen them. They represent my strength in my ability to commit to something that was solely for me.
I love my ears, despite their imperfect hearing, for allowing me to hear music. Music is my refuge.
I love my hands, because even though they look like old lady hands, they are my mother’s and everytime I look at them I remember her.
Thank you letting us begin this journey! I woke up sooo tired (hard workout yesterday) but when I remembered about 30 DSLR I jumped out of bed and hurried to my computer.
Melinda
love it! I love my legs b/c they allow me to run
I love my eyes b/c they allow me to see God’s beautiful creation
and I love my smile so I can help brighten someone elses day!
Love this Tina! I always forget about being grateful for the small things – the things where appearance doesn’t count at all.
I thank my feet for supporting me all day through anything.
I thank my hands for making dinner for my family.
I thanks my eyes for allowing me to see my husband’s face when I wake up each morning and the sunshine outside
I needed this reminder today! Thanks Tina 🙂
I thank every organ in my body for functioning correctly. How easy it is to take these things for granted.
I also thank my ovaries for the top notch egg that was released in May <3
We really don't stop at our skin, great quote!!!
Haha! Go fertile eggs! I know the sacredness of that one and my heart always aches to anyone just wishing for their own. It truly is a blessing and you don’t realize how much it is until you experience it. Great one!
I am thankful for my ears so I can hear my kids laugh and sing on a dialy basis. The best sound on earth!
And we know they like to laugh and sing and tell stories and everything! They’re too cute. And getting so big!
I am thankful for my arms, that may not be perfectly toned, but they are perfect for hugging the special people in my life.
I am thankful for my eyes, for letting me see the beauty of the world every single day.
I am thankful for my 2nd toe, it’s longer than all the rest & I love that it’s unique and imperfect.
I’m going to the gym for the first time today in a very long time and I’m thankful that I still have the legs to go on the treadmill and the heart to keep me going!!
Ahhh love this. Love, love, love.
I thank my legs for carrying me through countless workouts and for those legs that will help me cross that half marathon finish line. I am eternally grateful for good health and an able body to tackle such challenges every single day.
I thank my arms for being able to give hugs that show how much I love my husband, my sisters, my friends.
I thank my eyes for being able to see the sun rise and fall every single day and for seeing the smiling eyes of my husband who I love very much.
Man, I could go on and on with this theme in mind. I may be blogging about this later. It is SO interesting that taking a different perspective on our bodies and suddenly we love them again first treating them like “rags.”
THANK YOU a thousand times over for starting this movement! xo
[…] & please check out Tina’s Day 2 of the 30-days of Self Love. Because let’s face it, we could all use a little more love […]
Another beautiful, thought-provoking post …
I love the creative part of my brain that comes up with funny, (hopefully) touching love stories — and the fingers that type them.
I love my collarbones. Even if they don’t do much, they make me feel sexy.
I love my legs for all the places they’ve taken me all these years … through marching band and color guard competitions in high school, all over my college campus and now around my neighborhood.
Oops … I should have been saying “I thank …” Got so excited about getting started that I didn’t fully process the directions!
And I just posted a link to this on my blog.
This has been a challenge for me all my life…seeing myself as something beautiful. I’d like to thank my heart for being strong under some of the most horrible situations, for standing up and saying “Not today” when I wanted to give up. I thank my lips for allowing me to expressing my love for my husband, children, and friends and family. I’m thankful for my “core”, although I don’t like you much sometimes. You are covered with the roadmap of three pregnancies and maybe one too many oero cookies but I am thankful for you. You have held my babies, you have been strong when I need to run that extra mile, and you haven’t throw up my daughter’s creation of peanut butter and mustard sandwiches when she insisted at five that she was making dinner.
Your post gave me chills! Those battle scars of pregnancy are some of the most beautiful things we can take ownership of. they show our love and devotion. And PB + mustard without throwing up? That’s definitely a strong stomach/core!! LOL
Thank you Tina for posting this message.
I’m thankful for all my senses – I thought about this yesterday because I have a dear friend who’s daughter was born with a birth defect that left her blind. But don’t for one second feel bad for her because she has the most amazing spirit and personality. Her zest for life reminds me that I should be focusing on the positive things and not reminding myself of all the things that I could change (i.e. weight, muscle tone, etc.).
Thanks again! I’m so proud to be a part of this group!
I’m proud for you to be part of it too. 🙂
And what a wonderful story. Reminds us what we should cherish and that its all about the perspective we choose to live our lives with. Thanks for sharing.
I am thankful for me legs which carry me through countless miles of running every week.
i am thankful for my eyes which allow me to fully eperience the world and which can see wonderfully without glasses
i am thankful for my ears which are just right for my head and allow me to listen to great music that pumps me up
I thank my back for holding me up so I can walk and run through life.
I thank my eyes for seeing the good in things even when I’m down.
I thank my mouth for the great conversations I can have with friends that build us up instead of tearing us down.
I’m thankful for my eyes, even after six eye muscle surgeries and contacts and glasses, they still allow me to see the day before me and the beautiful world i live in.
I’m thankful for my legs which allow me to lift heavy amounts of weight and don’t fail me. They have taken me places I never thought were possible and have never given up on me during a long slow run or bike ride.
I am thankful for my digestive system, That it tells me which foods are bad for my body and warns me of the bad decisions I’ve made, but also helps to nourish my body and allows me to push harder and faster each day.
I am thankful for my shoulder. Even though I harmed it, It has never failed me. I am thankful for the ability it allows me to feel strong and powerful, even after rotator cuff surgery my shoulder allowed me to slow down and love myself just the way I am.
I love your gap, too, Tina! My beautiful cousin had one and she filled it in 🙁
It just doesn’t seem like the same her.
[…] at Faith, Fitness, Fun kicked off her 30 Days of Self Love campaign yesterday. Today’s post: Gifts of the Body. She asks us to […]
I thank my head/brain for allowing me to think deeply and educate myself and others.
I thank my stomach for growling when it’s hungry so I can feed it delicious food!
I thank my legs for allowing me to run, and also for letting me know when my poor knees have had enough pain for one day and it’s time to take a break.
P.S. I’d love to be added to the email list, please! And I just posted a link to the 30 Days of Self Love on my blog! Thanks for doing this – it’s amazing!!!
I added you but it kicked back saying this morning that your email did not exist. Would you mind sending me it again so I can be sure I have the right address? Thanks!
I thank my legs for being able to move me: I can walk, run, jog, skip, hop, leap, dance, shake, crawl, squat, lunge, kick, etc.
I thank my hands for being able to do so much: from cooking to holding my husbands hand to being able to hug a friend.
I thank my belly for being strong enough to hold my body up, for providing support to my back, for being to hold a baby one day (hopefully!)
Tina so often I think of my body as a problem — too big, bulky, not thin enough, not toned enough, etc. But guess what. It can do so much more than it “can’t”. Thanks for sharing this today!
Today I thank my legs for getting me through my tough workout on Tuesday. They may be short, but they are strong, capable, and powerful. I am thankful for the mobility they give me, which many people may not have.
I will never look at my legs again with disgust. I will remind myself what they do for me each day.
Love this positivity – your message is awesome, girl!
I thank my legs- they’re really working for me to help me run more each week.
I thank my feet – they’ve been put through the wringer with high heels on weekends and running shoes on weekdays – they’re working hard and don’t feel at risk for injury!
I thank my eyes – every day – I can’t imagine life without sight. There is a new exhibit they’ve been advertising about what it’s like to be blind. I can’t imagine!
Oh yea. At Atlantic Station? I wanted to do that. I’m sure it brings appreciating sight to a whole new level!
I thank my lungs for taking in the breath of spirit. I thank my uterus for giving me my feminine fire. I thank my ovaries for giving me my creative spark and intuitive knowing. I thank my cervix for being a channel for my feminine energy. I thank my vagina for allowing and receiving love in my life.
I’ve been going through a lot lately with my girl parts and I felt called to thank them. I noticed yesterday that I have done much work on inhabiting my wombspace, but not at all my vagina. Given what is going on for me down there, it makes a lot of sense.
As a person who suffered from chronic pain for a few years, which is now under control, I really appreciate this post.
Thank you eyes for allowing me to see the beauty in the world and the bad things in the world.
Thank you mind for giving the power to make changes to those bad things and for allowing me to learn and grow everyday.
Thank you hands for being able to stroke my cats, carry my goddaughter and turn the pages of my favorite book.
I’m glad you are feeling better. Those times when we don’t have full ability of our bodies really show us how much we can appreciate. Thanks for sharing.