I find myself embracing my momma belly – after all, it housed this amazing being I am getting to know. And I am motivated to move and stay fit to support her now, and for as long as possible.
My stepson recently asked me why my body looks different now, even though I’ve lost almost all my baby weight. Such a smooth talker he is. It opened a wonderful conversation about muscle tone versus weight, something very apropo for him right now. We discussed how in our family we measure health in our ability to do the things we love and take care of our bodies. Not to fit into a smaller size or meet a magazine standard, but rather to be happy and vibrant.
As Gail McMeekin writes, “we need to find pride in our physicalness and trust our internal knowledge…body, mind, spirit – it’s all connected.” One of the best gifts we can give our children, and ourselves, is comfort in their/our own skin and connection to the wisdom of their/our bodies.
I still have moments of struggle around body image. I find offering myself self compassion (thank you Kristen Neff) and reminding myself of all the amazing things my body can do to be a powerful reset. As is the desire to be a positive role model of health and self love for my children.