Respect yourself

In yoga this weekend, our instructor encouraged us to be more forgiving of ourselves. This has been on my mind ever since. Like most people, I am very hard on myself. As much as I've tried hard to become more easygoing the past few years, I still cling to bits of perfectionism. Old habits die hard, I guess.

Take weight loss, for example. I have lost about 4 pounds since Thanksgiving. Instead of being thrilled that I've almost lost a bag of flour's weight, some days I feel like I could be doing better. Then I remember that I went through the ENTIRE holiday season without gaining weight, plus had plenty of days in there when I ate a lot of "bad" foods, and the ugly perfectionist monster is silenced.

What I'm working to focus on instead are the high points. I've been exercising for 39 days straight. I've lost a few inches off my measurements, and I'm starting to physically see muscle changes, especially in my abs and thighs (my least favorite parts). My clothes are getting looser again. I've made my 300 minutes of exercise a week for 3 weeks in a row. I'm eating more fruits and vegetables. Heck, there's a lot to celebrate!

Which brings me back to the point that while we all may work hard to show respect and courtesy to others, we often put ourselves at the bottom of the list and we shouldn't. I try so hard to be positive outwardly, that sometimes the negativity nags and I take it out on me. I shouldn't.

I also started thinking about another dimension of self-respect on my run tonight. We owe it to ourselves to treat our bodies the best we can. It's an ultimate respect. When we sit on the couch instead of working out, or eat junky foods instead of nourishing ones, it's like saying we don't care about ourselves. We're worth it, right? We want to live long lives, spend them with family and friends...heck, even give Jack Lalanne's lifespan a whirl...why not?? But if we don't put ourselves towards the top of the care list, we might not be well enough or live long enough to do all that.

So I'm rededicating myself to my goals and plan. Wednesday is day 40. I've been through my own personal Lent of sorts and am ready for the next level. I'm going to make my best effort to switch to morning workouts in recognition of the fact that I have an extremely busy February, and I don't want to lose the momentum I've gained. It's going to take a lot of willpower, but I owe it to me.

What will you do this week to show yourself a little respect?