What would you do if you treated your body with kindness?  This is the opening question of the book Body Kindness, and one that has ushered me into a new chapter in my life.  Sounds dramatic, right?  I know it does, but it’s true.  Body kindness frees us up to do what we love, connect to our body, and make individual health choices that improve our own well-being.

I like to think of my life as happening in two chapters, Old Me and New Me.  Old Me would approach workouts from a place of obligation, pressure, and pushing myself to my limits.  This looked like running 6 miles on a snowy Saturday, because my training schedule told me it was time to do so.  Is there anything inherently wrong with a beautiful run in the snow?  As long as it’s not an icy mess, no!  But Old Me didn’t run in the snow as an opportunity to connect with myself and nature.  Nope, she was out there pounding out the miles because she “had” to get them in.

Looking back on it now, I can see how this created a sense of anxiety around the “need” to exercise.  New Me understands that each day is unique, and I can allow myself to embrace where I am on any given day.  Body kindness gives me permission to listen to what my body needs, which could be a super intense Sculpt class or it might be a slow yoga flow. More importantly, New Me, (the girl who is kinder to her body) has given herself permission to do what I actually want to do in any given class that I’m taking.  The class each teacher presents is an offering, and I get to choose what’s kindest to my body moment to moment!  Here’s an idea that feels so empowering- you can make the choice to exercise to rejuvenate your body, not deplete it.

In yoga we preach the concept of honoring our body and allowing ourselves to be where we are, but this can be one of the hardest things to put into practice.  What I understand now is how empowering it is to listen to my body and give her what she needs.  Body kindness takes place in your head and heart every bit as much as it does in your physical body.  Will this yoga pose, in its fullest expression, open my body in a way that feels nice or will it aggravate my lower back pain?  If I keep the heavier weights for the next movement, will it build strength or bother my shoulder?  Stay tuned in to your body during class.  The teacher is offering suggestions, but you are the one who gets to ultimately decide what’s best for you.

One of my favorite intentions around treating my body well says, “My movement is focused on the present moment, without comparison to past performances, other people, or anything that takes my thoughts away from appreciating what my body can do.”

How might your approach to fitness change if you gave yourself permission to be right where you are today?