February is the month to celebrate Love. It's true that love is not limited to one day, but special days are meant for showing our gratitude and celebrating with loved ones. On the same occasion, I want to share a few points for not forgetting to love one's self.
As we have been grown up watching and reading romantic stories which are dramatized to seek love from or give love to another person, we have totally forgotten about self-love. A quote said empty glass can't satisfy another's thirst. Similarly, in airlines, they announce 'In case of emergency first put the oxygen mask on oneself'. You may wonder why a dietitian is talking about self-love. Yes, it's a technically different subject but it's interdependent. Let me explain.
In my 15 years of professional experience, I have been observing that the majority of people are starting 'gym' or 'weight loss' programs with emotions like low self-esteem, guilt, jealousy, blaming, fear and need for external validation. And when asked why want to lose weight, the common answers are....want to fit back into an old blouse or want to attend a cousin's wedding, or have beach vacation plans, etc. Same way, most have a reason to reduce weight because they 'hate' the shape of their arms or hips or some body part and they ask for spot reduction.
Now let me ask you, can we marry a person who doesn't respect us? Or can any person be willing to work efficiently under constantly criticizing employer? Just imagine 'our body is another person', can he be cooperative after the negativity he receives.
Accepting and Loving are pure emotions that everyone naturally possesses. Self-love is accepting, respecting and empowering ourselves. Without this power, we are less efficient to transform ourselves.
Another point is about doing exercise. At the gym, while working out, I have heard people saying "they will be doing the extra workout because the previous night they overate. Or I'll lift more weights today so can enjoy junk eating on weekends. Isn't it like a punishment? The guilt of overeating, fear of weight gain or it can be the anger of not having self-control. Check and analyze these hidden negative emotions. Exercise and diet discipline is less effective or temporary without emotional wellbeing.
Accepting ourselves what we are, how we look and also accepting reasons for the current imbalance in our health leads to stopping blaming situations (family, city, community, profession) and opening our minds to learn and improve. When we accept ourselves, we start liking and loving ourselves. And when we love, we automatically respect ourselves and our bodies. Respect directs us to provide what it deserves. Self Acceptance, Self Love, Self Respect are powers to transform us into a better beings.
More Benefits of Self Love for Being Healthy:
- Mother feeds her child with healthy and nutritious food, why? pure love. We respect our god, do we offer almighty god unhealthy 'junk' food? never. So when we start loving and respecting our body, chances of eating unhealthy and unnecessary will automatically reduce.
- Remember a time when we start loving someone, "our first love"....our priorities suddenly change. our world is around that one person. (If you have not yet experienced our movies have showcased these emotional state). Self-love also makes us prioritize ourselves. we can start finding time, that one hour every day for exercise, book reading, meditation & planning our nourishing diet.
- When we are happy from within, automatically outsourced happiness like food cravings or obsession with overeating reduces.
- When we start accepting our body, we start accepting the time it takes for improving itself. We then stop comparing with others.
Practices or Ideas to Love thyself:
- Every morning wake up with gratitude for seeing that day. Thanking god enough for an optimally healthy body.
- Start a day with self-empowering (Physical and or Emotional) practices like reading spiritual (it's different than religious), self-help books, practising pranayama, doing meditation or doing body exercise. Start a day with either of these or all before starting our household or professional routine.
- Gift ourselves self-transforming things like fitness tools... resistance band, yoga mat, fitness activewear; dream book, self-love journal, self-help books, skincare products, running shoes, sports equipment like badminton.
- Enroll on fitness classes, hobby classes, new skills learning tuitions.
- Spend a few minutes every day as "Me" time to appreciate things we do for self-growth and fitness. Observe our progress in each area of life. You may invest in respective coaching for the right guidance.
- On some weekends go for activities like trekking, nature trail, photography, beaches around your city. If not that, treat yourself with special coffee or smoothie.
- Every night before sleep, practice visualization of our improved version of health and fitness, benefits we are getting being youthful, energetic and full of love.
When we are Independent (our inside dependent) for love and happiness, we become a source of happiness and health. We then subconsciously get disciplined towards improving ourselves starting from our health and fitness, and this discipline is itself a new identity we carry. And today our family, our society needs role models of health and fitness.... let us be that and lead by example.
Self Love is indeed transformational.
