Naturally, because of Thanksgiving, gratitude is uppermost on most of our minds this week.
Many o us have been thankful for our loved ones, our health, our gadgets and other things.
Today, I invite you to thank your body, especially since it’s Sneaker Saturday, which I created a while back to encourage you to joyously move.
When was the last time you expressed gratitude for your legs, your arms, your stomach, your mouth, your teeth and other parts of your body?
Have some fun today thanking your body and moving it. I’ll begin.
Dear Body, thank you for allowing me to boogie in my living room, sway when prompted by music (such as now), gracefully glide about, strike my computer keyboard for hours on end (when I write), do squats at the gym and when I vacuum (which I did earlier), jump, play with a hula hoop, lift weights, do resistance training and so much more. I love you, Dear Body, and I’m thrilled that you’re there for me on a consistent basis!
Dearest Body, please also forgive me for all the abuse I’ve wreaked upon you in the past (before 1998) when I was caught up in the throes of a sugar addiction and constantly put my body into sugar shock.
Sweet, Forgiving Body, I humbly also ask you to forgive me for the the damage I caused you years ago when I was smoking lots of cigarettes, drinking lots of coffee and diet soda and was trapped in an eating disorder. I’m so sorry that I didn’t treat you as the Temple you are! But thank you so very much for quickly healing despite all the horrible things I’ve done to you over the years.
Thank you again so much, Beautiful Body, for being there for me no matter what.
What would your gratitude prayer to your body sound like? I invite you to write one now, too.
By the way, when I conquered my addiction to sugar in 1998, as well as my zealousness for caffeine, cigarettes and diet soda years earlier, I expressed gratitude to my body. In addition, with the help of people, I humbly begged my body for forgiveness, too. So, if you’re struggling with weight or other health issues, thanking your body and asking it for forgiveness can be vital first steps to break free and regain health.
Now I’m off to go move and celebrate my body, and I encourage you to do so, too.
By the way, have you been reading about the research that keeps coming in, which stresses the many benefits of exercise?
Did you know, for instance, as this Life Science story from Dan Peterson so aptly points out, that regular regular workouts can improve old brains, raise kids’ academic performance and give your brain a boost?