WEIGHT LOSS: “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”
In Tina Turner’s iconic song she poses the question of what does love have to do with this physical attraction between 2 people. And the implied answer is ‘well just everything!’
Yes, you may be saying, that is all well and good, but what does love have to do with weight loss? Well, just about everything! You see, when we are in love, we feel free, light-hearted, joyous, happy, on cloud nine, invincible, appreciative, everything is beautiful, everything is coming up roses, lemons turn into lemonade, there are stars in our eyes and the sun is always shining, the rain cannot dampen our spirits, and we find ourselves jumping for joy, and on top of the world! There is biology behind these wonderful feelings. They trigger the release of feel-good hormones and chemicals in our bodies that actually help our bodies to metabolize food efficiently, as well as burn fat and build muscle.
Conversely, when we are in a state of anxiety, anger, criticism, frustration, judging, etc. whether it is towards someone else or towards ourselves our bodies produce stress-causing hormones that depress metabolism, burn muscle, and create fat. Unfortunately many of us are in this state – especially if we have extra weight or do not look the way we, or others think we ‘should’ look. In fact we are actually very mean to ourselves, and think and say some very negative and cruel things to and about ourselves. Things we would never say to a friend or loved one who was in a similar situation. For some reason we think we have to whip ourselves into shape and there’s no stopping how brutal we are to that end. Yet because of all this negativity our bodies hold on tightly to their stored fat and tend to produce more fat, especially around the abdomen.
Thus learning to appreciate our bodies becomes an important piece to our weight loss journey. Below are three ways in which we can begin to look at our bodies in a more loving way, thus creating a more favorable weight loss environment.
- Notice the things my body automatically does for me on a daily basis without any input from me, all of which contribute to keeping me alive and kicking! (Can you add to this list?)
- Breathing
- Digestion
- Elimination
- Pumping blood to all parts of my body
- Healing scrapes, bruises, other injuries, colds, viruses, etc
- Smelling
- Hearing
- Tasting
- Seeing
- Identify several things you can do or places you can go because of your legs; because of your hands; because of your brain or any other part of your body.
- Before going to sleep each night, think through your day and list 3 or more things that you are grateful for about your body.
Our bodies are amazing and deserve our appreciation and love. In return they will continue to support and maintain us, and provide us with the means to access and enjoy the world around us.
What does love have to do with weight loss? Everything!
(Are you stressed trying to find clothes that fit and frustrated with how you look? Do you criticize your body or even wish you had a different one? Are you fed up with unsuccessful attempts to lose weight? Then contact Brad or Pamela at WellnessWithin to set up a complimentary Health Breakthrough Session. Find out how they can help you reach the success you want. Call 860-774-5048 or email them today at brad@wellnesswithinct.com or pamela@wellnesswithinct.com.)
In Health,
Pamela & Brad Thompson
WellnessWithin