You will receive a body!

You may love it or hate it, but it will be

Yours for the duration of your life on Earth

ACCEPTANCE

  The first rule, in this marvellous book (‘If life is a game, these are the rules’ by Cherie Carter-Scott) begins with a logical and yet overlooked fact! We are giving one body throughout our lifetime…..WHY TREAT IT LIKE CRAP!

Now call me an idiot (you wouldn’t be the first) but throughout the past few years of yo-yo dieting, scrutinizing and neglecting my body NOT ONCE had I ever thought about, nurture.

The thought of accepting and loving my body is quite an alien thought, especially since I’m not best pleased with the way it looks at the moment. HOWEVER there is no denying that Carter-Scott makes a very good argument about the benefits of acceptance towards one’s body…. (can’t believe I just referred to myself as ‘one’!)

‘Acceptance is the act of embracing what life presents to

You with a good attitude. Our bodies are among the most

Willing and wise teachers of this lesson.’ Carter-Scott (1999)

Ok, so it turns out that my body does not owe me, but rather the other way round. So how on Earth am I going to accept my body I don’t like it?

I continue to read on and now understand that the basic logic behind Carter-Scott’s rule is to start accepting and loving my body. Why not give it a try? I went to my room took all my clothes off apart from panties (sorry but the whole look at yourself naked thing just makes me laugh! Juvenile I know) and went in front of the mirror. The following text shall illustrate my thoughts at that very moment:

‘Stop looking around the room and look at yourself you idiot! Oh ok cool, hmmm. Accept accept  accept…., ok good. How huge are my eyes? BUT I accept their hugeness for they give me the ability to enjoy reading and watching TV. Awww bless my tiny ears. Very disproportionate to my very large head BUT I ACCEPT THEM because they’re my pint-sized ears. Oooh my lips are juicayyyy, I definitely accept them! My nose cute and small I ACCEPT. Hmm my national front forehead, wow I really am from East Africa. BUT I ACCEPT. My teeth, just so grateful I still have some after chomping on sweets and chocolate as a kid (and occasionally as a grown up!) Ok head and face out of the way the real work starts now.

Shoulders mesh in with my head quite nicely! My boobies (sorry breasts!)  are bouncy and actually don’t sag so I definitely accept. My arms…hmm not so fun anymore. But you know what looking past the bingo wings; I shall accept them because without them I would not be able to pick up my friends’ babies nor would I be able to write this. What the hell guys I Accept you to. My legs! My legs! My legs! I have to accept you don’t I? From the ‘cute’ little dimples on my thighs to the way you jiggle when I walk, I accept you because you continually work your hardest to get me from A to B and for that I am grateful.  The colour of my skin? No problem there, I ACCEPT. My stomach…………………………………………………………………………………………………….one day I will accept you but not now!

Wow talk about ending it on a bad note! But you know what? I accept the fact that I don’t accept my mid-area because this is a very new concept. But rest assured stomach I shall work on you the hardest (at the gym) and promise that I will one day love you (when your flat) like the rest of your family members.

Ok seriously total stumbling block! I HATE MY STOMACH!

 What I’m wondering is that once I accept my body does that mean I have to stay the way I am? Need not to worry for those that wondered the same thing because once again Carter-Scott has a very reasonable explanation for this matter:

‘It is perfectly natural and human to want to be at your physical best. What this means, however is that you need to stop criticizing, judging or finding fault with your body even when you are not at your healthiest or most attractive. The drive for self-improvement is completely healthy as long as it comes from a place of self-love rather than a feeling of inadequacy.’ Carter-Scott (1999)

OVERALL MBAG CONCLUSION

For the past month I have applied this rule to my life and you know what?? It works a charm. Loving my body is easy, free and eliminates toxic thoughts in my head. Not to say that I don’t want to lose two stones by the end of the year BUT I refuse to lose the weight with the help of self-hate, scrutiny and micro-obsession. I have better things to think about as far as I’m concerned.

For those who have just read this blog and immediately dismissed the thought of accepting their body think about it like this. The opposite of acceptance is rejection!  Remember how you felt the last time you were rejected by someone you liked or the job you did not get!

Until Next Times Ladies and Gentleman

xxxMakxxx

Relevant Links: https://operationmustbeagoddess.wordpress.com/2011/07/17/if-life-is-a-game-what-are-the-rules/