Respect Your Rockin' Awesome Body

Happy Monday!

So, it's been a few weeks since I last did a post about loving ourselves and I thought it was high time to up the inspiration here on Vegvacious as the summer winds down and we get back into our normal routine. This post is to motivate me as much as it is to motivate you!!

For me, summertime is all about backyard barbecues, fun nights with friends, outdoor concerts, patios and beer. Lots and lots of beer. I'm not going to lie; I have been indulging alot more than usual in the food and alcohol department and I've been lucky to fit in 3 workouts per week. Physically I'm definitely seeing and feeling the results of my indulgences. I'm sluggish, I've been experiencing some nasty breakouts, I detect a little bit of a muffin top squeezing up over the waist of my pants and I am feeling very lazy and unmotivated. I'm also feeling very self conscious of the few extra pounds I've put on and of my not-so-fabulous skin, which affects my body image and self esteem. Now that the summer is winding down, I think it's time to make some changes to get back on the right track.

We only have one body in this life and personally I'm hoping mine is able to carry me

through at least 50 or 60 more wonderful years. Just like any machine, I need to care for it and provide it with regular maintenance to ensure optimal performance.

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Often we forget to take proper care of our bods. I certainly have and I want it to stop right now! Our bodies are a strong and amazing vessel and we need to cherish it, pamper it and treat it right.

If you respect your body and give it what it needs to perform at its optimal level, then you'll feel great which will boost up your self image. You'll hold your head a little higher and walk a little taller.  If you respect yourself, that self-confidence will glow from the inside out and people are going to stop and take notice! You will feel like you are capable of anything....and guess what baby?! YOU ARE!!!!! 

So what can we do to show our bods a little RESPECT?! There are some really easy ways and I guarantee you've heard these before. I know I have, but for some reason knowing them and putting them into practice are 2 totally different things.

1. Eat right. Cut out the processed, chemical-laden convenience foods and opt for natural, whole, real foods.

2. Drink lots of water. We need to replenish every single day!

3. Forget about that darn scale --- weight is just a number. We all have a place where we feel great when we look in the mirror. Numbers DO NOT MATTER.

4. Exercise daily. Even if you can't make it to the gym one day. Make a point of parking at the back of the parking lot and hoofin' up the stairs. Every little bit counts.

5. Sleep, sleep, sleep. Make sure you get lots of rest. If you want your body to function at its best, then you need to give it some downtime.

6. Listen to what your body is telling you. If you aren't feeling well and your gut tells you something isn't right, go to see your doctor. If you have a muscle that's really sore, don't push your limits at the gym. Take a day off to rest and recuperate.

7. Challenge your mind. Oh yes my friends, we can't forget about our brain. Read a book, sign up for a seminar. Go outside, take a walk and observe. Never stop learning and challenging your mind!

So these are some obvious suggestions. Do you have any ideas on how we can respect our rockin' hot bods a little better?

Have a great night!

Andrea

xoxo

I Am Fabulous

I've been keeping an eye on my stats to see what you all are checking out when you come to visit my teeny little space on this world wide web and I've been really surprised to see that my second most viewed page of all time was a post I wrote when I was really struggling with accepting myself ~ flaws and all.

Obviously I'm not the only one out there that has hard time loving myself unconditionally. That post was just a rambling of my thoughts and feelings at the time and I've been feeling compelled to write another post about this topic, but truthfully I've been really stumped as to what I should say.

I've decided to write a series of posts on loving and accepting yourself and hopefully you will find something to motivate you or make you feel great or maybe realize something absolutely fabulous about yourself. This is coming from a normal, average chickie poo (moi!) who struggles on a daily basis with self love and acceptance. Hopefully we'll both get a little fulfillment and meet some great and supportive people along the way.

I'm going to start the series off talking about being positive.

I think this is so important in changing our way of thinking from negative to positive.

What are the first thoughts that come to your mind when I ask you to describe yourself. At first I drew a blank. Wha.....! I was shocked and angry with myself because I know that I have lots of great qualities, but every time I would think of something, I would knock it down with a negative thought. I don't understand why it is so much easier to have a negative thought than a positive one. Is it looked down upon to think highly of oneself? Do we look arrogant or conceited when we lift ourselves up instead of knocking ourselves down?

I am worthy of love.

YOU are worthy of love.

Last week I made the conscious decision to change my negative thoughts into positive ones. It's okay to give yourself a little hug every morning knowing that you are a unique and wonderful person. It starts with you. You've got to believe you're special, wonderful and worthy of love before anyone else is going to believe it.

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Positive affirmations can be a great way to change your way of thinking. It seems a little uncomfortable and weird at first to make positive statements about yourself, but step out of the box and give it a try. All you have to do is say them in your mind. It's amazing how powerful words can be in changing our perception.

I've written down three positive affirmations about myself. Currently my biggest struggle is with my body image, so mine are focused primarily there.

• I am healthy and happy.
• I love my curves.
• My body is strong and full of energy. 

Put your affirmations somewhere you will see them several times per day. Repeat, repeat, repeat. AND MEAN EVERY WORD YOU SAY. If we tell ourselves these things over and over, then we just might start believing them. This will result in more and more positive thoughts. Once you get into the habit of saying these affirmations to yourself, tell yourself another one and then another one.

If a negative thought nibbles at your mind, push it out and replace it with something positive! We need to re-train our brain and create new habits where positive thoughts are the first things to pop into our mind. Imagine how wonderful life will be when we think positively about ourselves and about everything that surrounds us!

So, do you think that we can do it?! I know we can. It's going to be a challenge, but when you are courageous and determined there is nothing that can stand in your way.

Are you with me?!

Make sure you check back every Monday to see what I have to say about my journey to self love. If there's something you'd like me to touch upon or you want to discuss, let me know because I want us to work together on this journey. Email me anytime.

Share one of your positive affirmations with me. I would love to get some motivation and positive energy from each and every one of you!!

Remember that you are a special person who deserves to be loved,

Andrea