Is Your Body Your Sanctuary or Your Prison?

One of the things I tell my clients is this... it's your body and you have to live with it for the rest of your life. Think about this. You take care of your car... wash it every week... make sure the oil is changed regularly... you always fill it up with the right kind of fuel... but if it were to break down, you can trade it in, sell it, or even donate it... Why is it that we take better care of our material things than our bodies?

We live in a society where everything is go go go... we don't take the time needed to take care of ourselves. We eat badly. We don't workout. We let our bodies go to waste. The thing is that we can't trade our bodies in when they break down. We can't exchange them for a better model. Yes, we can get liposuction and plastic surgery, but if you think that is going to help you are dead wrong. Don't get me wrong here. I'm not opposed to a little nip and tuck if it gives you that extra boost of confidence. However, we can't expect a surgeon to come in and scrape away 20, 30, 40 years of destruction. Sorry.

What we need to do is take care of our bodies. We need to eat the right foods, in the right proportions. We need to exercise. We need to make our bodies our sanctuary rather than our prison.

What kind of life will we have if we can't play with our children? If we can't pull ourselves our of an emergency situation? If we are filled with medications desperately trying to undo all the damage that we have done? These are all the things that we neglect to think about as we choose to skip out on a workout and a healthy meal, and indulge in a triple decker bacon cheeseburger with extra large fries and a diet Coke.

I don't know about you, but I have always been very involved with my children and now my nephews. I literally will get down on all fours and throw them on my back and give them horseback rides. I will lift them up high and "fly" them around like Superman. I go to the park and run with them. I take my kids hiking, rock climbing, rafting, running... you name it. I don't just do it for me. I do it for them too. I want them to live full, vibrant lives. I want them to be able to feel strong and healthy. I want them to get the most out of life. You can't do that if you are unhealthy and weak.

Your body should not be a prison you live in. It should be your sanctuary. Take care of it so it can be.