“Apologize to my body? What are you talking about?”
The other night I was watching a TV show and the main character was complaining that people don’t know how to apologize properly any more.
He went on to explain that most people don’t ever apologize and if they do… they really don’t mean it, or at least the way they express their apology isn’t heartfelt or received well by the hurt party.
It got me thinking about what we do to our bodies over our lifetime.
- We gorge on candy and sugar as children (anything colored blue, yellow, or red was my favorite)
- Cheap food like spaghetti makes up our diet in our 20’s because we’re living on our own and paying bills for the first time
- We have babies and toddlers and shove food in our mouth as they take a 10-minute cat nap
- Our jobs consistently have us sitting at a desk all day, eyes glued to a computer screen
- We rush to get older children to school in the morning to working long hours to taking care of our aging parents – rarely pausing for a breathe
… and so on.
We’re harsh to our bodies. I didn’t even mention all the crazy workout plans and fad diets we started and stopped. Anyone remember the maple syrup and cayenne cleanse?
We punish our bodies. We run them ragged and are generally unhappy with how they look.
That needs to change.
We need to say “I’m Sorry” to our bodies.
So what does that look like?
Well to properly apologize to someone you should start the sentence with the actual words we’re talking about: I’m sorry.
Then we need to take responsibility for what we did or said and make amends. That means taking actual actions to correct the problem.
Lastly, we need to promise that it won’t happen again.
So here’s an example apology to my body:
“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry that I expect you to be perfect and don’t give you the food, activity, rest, or hydration that you need to be fully at your best. It’s a lose/lose situation for you. I commit to eating better and exercising more consistently because I need to take responsibility that you, my body, are mine and I need to do the work. I promise that I will continue to treat you better and learn to love you more.”
Sometimes just saying the words “I’m sorry” can mean all the difference.
When our mind shift changes from hating the way we look to loving what we have and actively changing to better the bits we don’t like… well that’s where the magic happens.
I’d love to be part of your apology team. This is one of those apologies that you don’t have to shoulder yourself. Staying focused and staying committed is much easier when you have someone to lean on. I’ll let you know when you’re not doing right by your body, so we can correct it.
Go ahead and schedule your free consultation with me. We’ll work out a plan to reach your goals and get you loving your body again!
About the Author:
Hi, I’m Josh Davidson, owner of Personal Training Institute of Fort Wayne. I have been involved in health and fitness for over 8 years. I would love to help you start living a healthy lifestyle. You can learn more about my staff and I as well as how we can help you feel better by calling 260-338-2022 or visiting our website here. If you’re looking to start on your fitness journey now, sign up for a free consultation and workout today!
Great job Josh and so true. Kimmie
Thanks Kimmie! We’ll see you tomorrow!