2019: Physical Health Goals

Each day this month I will be answering one question from these December Journal Prompts.

Day 27: Next year I’d like to improve my physical health by…

I am so thankful for my physical health.

I really don’t say that often enough. But it’s true. I have been unbelievably blessed with very good health for many years, and I am so deeply grateful.

After struggling so much with my health throughout my teenage and early adult years, I often marvel at how beautifully my body has bounced back. In many respects, it doesn’t make any sense. Eating disorders can have devastating long-term effects, such as bone loss and fertility issues, even years after recovery. The fact that I have walked away from a seven-year battle with binge-purge type anorexia with a clean bill of health is not something to take for granted.

And yet, I so often do. I forget how much my body has been through and how remarkably well it functions, all things considered. After flirting with the line between life and death for so many years, you’d think that I would never stop appreciating, valuing, and honoring my body for everything it can do. But to be honest, most of the time I’m not even very kind to it.

I fill it with junk food. I ignore the aches and pains that require attention. I get lazy and put off working out until later (or until never). I rarely do my physio exercises. I regularly forget to take my multivitamins, and when I remember, I often decide against it because I’m afraid they will make me feel nauseous. And no matter how many attempts I make to get these things under control, at some point I always hit a wall and give up.

But I think there’s an important factor that has been missing in many of my previous attempts. I think that I have overlooked the importance of gratitude. When I stop to think about how thankful I am for my body, I want to treat it better. I want to fuel it with healthy foods instead of stuffing it full of junk that will slowly suck the life out of it.

I’m not saying that gratitude alone will solve all of my self-control problems when it comes to my physical health in 2019. But I have a sneaking suspicion that it might be a good place to start. I think that if I take time to be thankful for my body, perhaps gratitude rather than duty will begin to motivate my choices and I will start to take better care of myself. So that is how I hope to improve my physical health next year!

Oh… that, and by hopping over to Standing Strong Wellness for some serious body positive tips, tricks, and motivation! This girl is such an inspiration to me!