I chose this affirmation to start the six weeks because I want to remind you that you, as you are now, are enough. You are worthy of love, body celebration, eating the food you enjoy, and wearing the clothes that make you feel confident. You don’t have to wait until the end of the six weeks to feel proud of yourself. I am proud of you now! 

For a long time, I lived with a “when I” mentality. The “when I” mentality meant that I placed limitations on joy and happiness because I was waiting to achieve or accomplish something. For example, “when I lose weight, I will be happy,” “when I pass this exam then I can be happy,” “when I find a partner I will be happy,” “when it’s the weekend I will be happy,” “when I finish the Body Bop program I will be happy.” You get the idea. 

I want to encourage you to take notice of the little wins that you might experience over the next six weeks. It might be taking time to admire the sunrise, feeling really energised in the morning, finding a form of movement that makes you smile, nailing a new recipe, or discovering a new food that you really enjoy. 

In 2020 I read Hugh van Cuylenburg’s book titled The Resilience Project. I read it at a time in my life that I was really lost and didn’t know where I was going. I can honestly say that this book has changed the course of my life and I don’t say that lightly. 

One of the key things he discusses is the importance of practicing gratitude daily. He defines gratitude as, “the ability to pay attention to what you have, instead of worrying about what you don’t have.” It helps us take a step away from the “when I” mentality I spoke about above.

Since reading the book I have started a gratitude journal. Instead of writing down three things we are grateful for each day, Hugh says that we should instead write down three things that went well for us that day. Like Hugh says in his book, once you start doing this every night you will find that every day you actively seek out things you are grateful for. For me, I love handwriting it in my journal.

Even in some of the hardest and darkest days of my life I have found three things that went well in the day. Often, I find myself listing four or five. I am so in touch with the little things like a stranger holding the door for me, stopping to watch the sunset, getting a text from an old friend, making time to read, and finding a new song that makes me want to dance. 

When it comes to our bodies, we can be quick to judge, nit-pick and tear them down. Knowing this, I want to encourage you to start a gratitude practice daily. In addition to writing down three things that went well, I invite you to also write down one thing you are grateful for your body for that day. This has transformed the way I talk to and feel about my body. 

Here are some reasons I am grateful for my body:  

• My legs for helping me through a long walk in nature. 

• Feeling well rested after a great night’s sleep. 

• Getting a personal best on the number of push-ups I can do on my toes. 

• Getting my period. 

• My mind for supporting me through a stressful day. 

• My arms for helping me knead dough for my nonna. 

• My heart for letting me feel the love from my family.

• Feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin. 

• My eyes for letting me watch the sunrise.

• My nose for letting me smell the beautiful aroma of nonna’s cooking.

  
  I hope this affirmation and gratitude practice inspires you to look at your body in a way that is kinder and gentler.