The perfect body bucket list

If you’re like most people, you probably have a running list of things you’d like to change about your body.

Tone that tummy.

Tighten those triceps.

Trim that cellulite.

Lift that butt.

Sculpt those calves.

Erase those wrinkles.

And sure, it would be nice to go down that list with a red pen and check off everything that you’ve perfected. But guess what? Even if you could turn back the hands of time, devote 6 hours a day to working out, and repair your stretch marks, you’d probably still find something that you “need” to change before you can say that you actually love your body.

A body to love

So how about a paradigm shift?

Instead of hoping that one more superficial cosmetic improvement will give you the ability to finally say, “That’s IT! I’ve done it! I LOVE my body,” try this: Practice loving your body.

The secret to having a body you’ll love is simple, and it all boils down to loving the body you have.

I really don’t mean to get all woo woo, gushy here. It’s just that I’ve noticed–time and time again–that when I practice loving my body, I actually love the body that I have.

For different people, loving their body might mean different things. For me, it’s using my body to do the things I enjoy. I like to walk, do yoga, bike, steal my kid’s scooter and cruise around the neighborhood, hike, try to figure out how to surf, and do high intensity workouts.

yard yoga

I’ve also let go of certain expectations that I once had of my body. For example, after a couple of years of frequent injuries, I no longer fear that backing off of one type of exercise will prevent me from ever enjoying it again. I stop when I feel pain. I tell myself that this is for me, and no one else has any clue what’s going on with my body. I am grateful for a body that can do so much, and my goal is to be able to keep using it. So I’m good to it. Makes sense, right?

And my body responds. Not in that perfectly chiseled, ultra fit way, but in more subtle ways. Like in how I just feel comfortable in my own skin. It’s a win-win never-ending circle of do good–feel good.

That’s not to say that there isn’t another side to being body-happy.

Possible side effects of loving your body

As you start to love your body:

• you will care less about what other people think of you, while simultaneously drawing compliments on how happy, confident, and downright hot you look.
• you’ll start taking those compliments without reservation. When someone tells you that you look great, you’ll reply, “Thanks! I feel great!”
• your self-confidence will rub off on the people around you. It feels good to be around people who feel good about themselves.

So what are you going to do to get the body you’ll love?