As I was sorting through papers in the study/nursery/craft room I came across a hand-out from a Relief Society Lesson that was given in our University Ward where we lived when we were in Utah. The hand-out is titled “20 Ways to Love Your Body!!” and it gives various suggestions of things to do to help you consider your body as a remarkable vehicle for life rather than merely a decorative thing to shun for imperfections. At the bottom are references for the National Eating Disorders Association where this hand-out apparently originated from. The girl who gave the lesson was in secretary in the Relief Society Presidency and she was a health and exercise science major who always would bring up the topic of healthy living. She and I really could go on for quite a length of time in conversation on such things and I sometimes wonder: why didn’t I go into health and exercise science?
Body issues are so interesting to me. Perhaps it’s because do to my scoliosis I have had to deal with them at a younger age than some other girls and they still remain with me to this day. Of all the things in this world, our bodies really are the most important things that we posses because without them we wouldn’t have life. I remember one day in seminary when the instructor Brother Wilkinson showed us a video that said something about “You are not your own, you are bought with a price”. The video showed the last days of the Savior’s life and I realized that no matter what I did I was accountable to the Savior for what I did to my body or allowed others to do to it. That was the day I resolved that even though it might be nice to have a boyfriend and someone who liked me, it was more important that someone love me enough to take me to the temple even if it meant that I had to sacrifice having a boyfriend “just for the fun of it”.
I also came to the realization that the majority of vices are to mock, ridicule, or defile our bodies. Pornography really is a mockery of bodies. Eating disorders come from ridiculing and having unrealistic goals for appearance and/or the numbers on the scale or the measuring tape. Drugs and alcohol can make our bodies have insatiable cravings that will never be met. It is tragic that the one thing that can teach us control can also be lavished in such a way that we feel we have no control.
Our bodies really are gifts and we need to treat them as such by taking care of them. One of the biggest things I deal with as a mother is teaching my children how to taking care of their bodies: getting enough sleep, exercise, nutritious food, water and staying clean. The cares of the body are of number one importance in taking care of children or anyone. After that comes food for the mind such as reading, numbers, logic, and creativity. I thought it was interesting when some missionaries who had served an inner city mission spoke in my parent’s ward when I was visiting and they said that their mission was to first take care of the temporal needs before the spiritual needs.
We came to earth for two reasons. First, to receive bodies and second, to learn to return to our Father in Heaven.
Because sometimes it can be difficult to love our bodies all of the time…I’ve copied the handout so that you can have some food for thought:
20 Ways To Love Your Body!!
1. Think of your body as the vehicle to your dreams. Honor it. Respect it. Fuel it.
2. Create a list of all the things your body lets you do. Read it and add to it often.
3. Become aware of what your body can do each day. Remember it is the instrument of your life, not just an ornament.
4. Create a list of people you admire: people who have contributed to your life, your community, or the world. Consider whether their appearance was important to their success and accomplishments.
5. Walk with your head held high, supported by pride and confidence in yourself as a person.
6. Don’t let your weight or shape keep you from activities that you enjoy.
7. Wear comfortable clothes that you like, that express your personal style, and that feel good to your body.
8. Count your blessings, not your blemishes.
9. Think about all the things you could accomplish with the time and energy you currently spend worrying about your body and appearance. Try one!
10. Be your body’s friend and supporter, not its enemy.
11. Consider this: your skin replaces itself once a month, your stomach lining every five days, your liver every six weeks, and your skeleton every three months. Your body is extraordinary—begin to respect and appreciate it.
12. Every morning when you wake up, than your body for resting and rejuvenating itself so you can enjoy the day.
13. Every evening when you go to bed, tell your body how much you appreciate what it has allowed you to do throughout the day.
14. Find a method of exercise that you enjoy and do it regularly. Don’t exercise to lose weight or to fight your body. Do it to make your body healthy and strong and because it makes you feel good. Exercise for the Three F’s: Fun, Fitness, and Friendship.
15. Think back to a time in your life when you felt good about your body. Tell yourself you can feel like that again, even in this body at this age.
16. Keep a list of 10 positive things about yourself—without mentioning your appearance. Add to it!
17. Put a sign on each of your mirrors saying, “I’m beautiful inside and out.”
18. Choose to find the beauty in the world and in yourself.
19. Start saying to yourself, “Life is too short to waste my time hating my body this way."
20. Eat when you are hungry. Rest when you are tired. Surround yourself with people that remind you of your inner strength and beauty.
For more information, contact the National Eating Disorders Association at 603 Stewart St., Suite 803, Seattle, WA 98101
Information and Referral Helpline: 800-931-2237 or www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
copyright 2002 National Eating Disorders Association
Permission granted for duplication and reprinting for educational purposes given the Nation Eating Disorders Association is credited.
