Own It

Fact: Many people believe that in order to slim down, they’ve got to declare an all out war against their body.

The media encourages this negative belief, bombarding us with phrases like:

“Attack your fat!”
“Blast off your unwanted pounds!”
“Kill your cravings – fast!”

Oh my. They make slimming down sound like a battle to the death!

Fortunately, in this feminine platoon of pleasurable weight loss, you do not have to declare war on anything, much less on your body, and not even your present weight.

What you do have to do though, is something that may sound even crazier.

Crazier than a body war.

Crazier than killing a craving. (Who can even do that?)

Here it is: In order for you to lose your extra weight, you’ve got to OWN it first!

Love It

Let me drop that little pleasure bomb for you one more time:

In order for you to drop those extra pounds, you’ve got to OWN them first.

Now just what do I mean by “own” you may be asking?

Owning your weight means you can strut your juicy behind to a mirror and feel, right down to your bones, that right now, in this very moment, this is YOU.

This is your body…

and…that you are deeply lovable, at this, and any, weight―no matter what the media says.

Owning your weight means moving beyond simply accepting and approving of it in a humdrum way.

It means deeply appreciating it, a term I define differently from accepting or approving―allow me to explain.

Accepting something makes you go, “Eh, okay. Here it is. Woop-dee-do.” It has a flavor of exhausted resignation.

Approving of something makes you go, “Okay, you are… fine, I guess. Now run along and go away.”

(You can do better than this dismissive condescending attitude!)

Owning your weight means (ding, ding, ding!) appreciating it, and in the present moment, finding it perfect as it is.

(Note: Your inner critics may come up with torches and spears, and that’s okay. Acknowledge the presence of those thoughts, breathe, and persist with appreciation anyway.)

As you own and appreciate your present weight, you can also appreciate that it’s not an entity unto its own.

In other words:

Extra weight did not come out of your closet in the middle of the night and take over your body.

Your extra weight is a result of certain conditions and circumstances in your life .

These conditions might be work-related: “Hmm… how am I with food at work?”

Home-related: “What foods are stocked in my fridge and pantry?”

Or life-related: “What stressful things are weighing me down, and keeping me heavy?”

The good news is, you can change the extra-weight-bringing circumstances and conditions of your life.

Once you own your weight, you stop being victimized by it, and you instantly gain the power to make adjustments in your life.

And can you guess what happens when you own your weight and make conscious, gradual changes to your life? The pounds… will… drop… BOOM!!

Drop It

Here’s the physiological wisdom backing up my claims:

When you own and appreciate your weight, you stop your internal fighting.

You stop the physical, mental and emotional struggle to get rid of the weight you are at.

It doesn’t mean you stop taking action, it just means you stop suffering in the process.

Instead of dwelling in stress (which cues your body to hold on to extra fat in a self protective manner), you are able to feel peaceful and relaxed about the process (which cues your body to release extra fat, build muscle, and digest optimally.)

Fancy that!

Instead of feeling resentful and stuck, you shift towards empowerment and inspiration, two important keys for transformation. My dear, I have complete confidence that you can feel as empowered and inspired as you need to see all the changes in yourself you dream of, IF, you start with appreciation first.

To get the ball rolling, I’m inspired to hear from you in the comments below:

1. What adjustments can you make to your life, to create better conditions for slimming down?

2.   Can you think of a time when you stopped your internal critic in its tracks, and appreciated yourself exactly as you are? (Extra credit if you share a little story

Step by step you can create conditions, circumstances and a whole LIFE that is a garden in which your ideal body can bloom. Cultivate it with love, and you’ll get slim – and stay slim – for good.

Appreciating You,

Love,
Jena xo

March 2013 Issue