In Perfect Shape

I admit. I am not as slim and svelte as I was about a decade ago. This is not something I am proud of nor am willing to accept as something I have to live with for the rest of my life. The flame of hope still burns deep within me – my heart, my mind, and my body, that one day I will once again fit into my little red dress without much squirming and struggling. Getting to be that perfect shape again is a goal that has not been stricken off my list of life goals just yet. While I am so concerned about losing weight and getting back in shape, it is regretful that I seem to have forgotten what we have been taught in school and at home about taking care of our bodies and staying healthy. In between getting on and off fad diets, I have unconsciously deprived myself of food or eaten the wrong kinds of food. I have even gone to the extent of modifying certain fad diets to the extreme in hopes that I would see better results faster. And yes, even when I am really not a hefty eater, I have considered more drastic means to get thinner like bariatric surgery -- if only I could afford it and did not feel that there are more important things to spend my money on. Just as most experts would tell you, this yo-yo dieting simply resulted in more weight gain after successful fad dieting. Now, after losing my gallbladder to a laparoscopic cholecystectomy – which was supposedly aggravated by my wanton dieting, it is quite clear that being in perfect shape is not simply an outward physical state. Being in perfect shape is being healthy in heart, mind, and body.
To get in perfect shape, here are three important things that you should do first:

1. Be thankful. Everyone knows that wallowing in self-pity or in feelings of misery leads to emotional eating. Binge eating is most often turned to by people who need to find comfort or solace. They might experience some amount of satisfaction from their consumption of high carbohydrates and sugars, but in the end, all they have succeeded in doing is to overwork their systems and to pack on unnecessary fat and sugar into their bodies, leading them to feel even more sluggish. Instead of wallowing in self-disapproval, think about all the things in your life that you should be thankful for. You might just surprise yourself when you come up with a long list of things to be grateful for – all this far outweighs everything else that distresses you.

2. Love yourself. No one can love you more than yourself. When you love yourself, you will not do anything that could be harmful to you. Loving yourself means accepting yourself in any size, shape, or color you might be. Loving yourself means keeping yourself in a healthy state that you could be more than proud of. Loving yourself means not letting public judgment to sway you into doing things you should not do. Loving yourself means being happy with who you are, inside and out.

3. Switch to a healthy lifestyle. There is a natural high that comes from living healthy. When you eat the right kinds of food, exercise regularly, and have enough rest, you get a natural glow that comes from a truly rejuvenated body not at all starved of any of the nutrients it needs. Eating healthy is all about making the right food choices in the right portions. Making sure that your body is not nutritionally deprived will allow its metabolic processes to work optimally. Regular exercise is also another enjoyable way to stay in shape. Find a physical activity that you enjoy – either by yourself or with your friends, and commit to engage in it regularly. Before you know it, you will not only feel great about your body, your body will also look good. Do not forget to give your body at least 8 hours of rest everyday to allow it to repair and recharge itself.

Be Grateful Everyday

There are a lot of things that each of us should be thankful for. Yet, most of the things that often consume us for most of our waking hours, and sometimes even through our slumber, are those that cause us much worry and distress. I am guilty of this, I admit. It is just too difficult to shrug off things that negatively impact things that we consider important in our lives – and this could span a whole range of concerns. We think about everything from big things like ensuring family security to little things like the weather or the traffic. And sometimes, we even fuss about things that should not be fussed about. As easy as it is to be negative, we have to exert some effort to see the other side of the coin so to speak and think positive. Positive thinking is not being complacent. It does not mean merely accepting what is dealt to you without so much as a slight resistance – no you do not sit back and languorously enjoy a cup of tea at your front porch while your collection bills are stuffing your mailbox full. Positive thinking has a lot to do with not letting the negatives bear down on you and hamper you from doing things as you should. Thinking positively allows you to get on with your life and do something to turn that negative into positive.

A little gratefulness goes a long way in keeping such a positive state of mind. When things seem hopeless, feel grateful for the life that you still have and everything else you have left to still get you going. You might be nearing bankruptcy but at least you are still alive and physically capable of doing something about your condition. Get off your hindside and find out what you can do to alleviate your situation. You might find that things will be harder and more challenging. But, if you keep on moving, there is no way that you cannot get out of your predicament. Sooner rather than later, you will find that you have hurdled the challenge and are able to enjoy some liberties again. Ridding your mind of the negatives and replacing them with gratefulness allows you to have more room in there to think about moving forward and overcoming each and every challenge that comes your way.

When you feel like you are so tired about battling life’s trials, take a deep breath and practice gratefulness. Acknowledge your trials and then think about all the other things you have to be grateful for in your life. For the depressed and desolate, it would really be hard to stir feelings of thankfulness. It would perhaps take some intervention for this to happen. For most people, however, there really is nothing difficult about giving way to gratefulness. When you are truly grateful, it is not difficult to mobilize yourself and continue living in spite of. “Life is like a box of chocolates” as Forrest Gump said. “You’ll never know what you are going to get.” Yet, it is always an overwhelmingly heartwarming feeling that overcomes anyone who receives a beautifully packaged box of chocolates. The act of consuming each one, whatever it might be, is often equally pleasurable. Be grateful for life and everything it brings, ready for all the pleasures, both expected and unexpected, along the way.