Falling in Love with Your Aging Body
I've been doing some research for my book and turned up this mind-blowing fact:
Globally, we spent $208.35 billion on anti-aging and diet/weight management products and programs in 2023.
As a 65-year-old woman, I can feel the pressure of sitting in the crosshairs of these powerful marketing machines.
And I'm so done!
You know their motive is to make you a good consumer by selling “your body is a problem that must be fixed,” right? 😡The dominant message is that your body is too much, not enough or all around not okay. The antidote to all of this “not enoughness”? ❤️ Falling in love with your aging body.
Nourishing with Love
First Step:
You must get very clear that Anti-Aging and Diet/Wellness cultures BOTH have you looking AT your body as an object and a problem to solve.
These dominant cultural forces, backed by astronomical industrial marketing machines, also drain your precious resources so that you focus on controlling your aging body.
When you can acknowledge and step back from these pressures, there is an opening to shift your relationship with your body.
Second Step:
Shifting from trying to control your body to Connecting to your body with Care and Curiosity is your powerful next step.
Your body truly is your life partner. From this vantage point, how do you want this relationship with your body to go? You are likely wise and skilled in the area of fostering healthy relationships. Can you apply this to your relationship with your body?
Third Step:
Attention is the most basic expression of love.
Can you offer your body your attention from a place of love, acceptance, and curiosity? The tone of this way of relating to your body is the most powerful shift away from effort to control your body.
Practice, Practice, Practice
If you've been here for very long, you've heard me say that what you pay attention to offers you a choice. Choice is Power.
So before you do anything else, you must give your body your attention.
Practices that support this shift:
Morning Practice-anything that helps you begin your day with a connection to yourself and an intention to care for yourself.
A basic example is feeling where your body meets the earth, noticing your breath as you ask yourself, "How will I care for myself today?"
Tracking your hunger/satisfaction/fullness sensations using your Hunger/Fullness Scale.
Do a body scan or inventory of your senses first thing, before meals, and at bedtime. Please add one more drop of kindess as you do so.
Journaling about your relationship with your body
Notice how you relate to your body and experiment with speaking to your body as you would your best friend.
These practices are simple but not easy! Try one practice and commit to a brief period, like one week, and notice if there is any echo of a shift at the one-week mark.
These changes can feel subtle and become profound over time, kind of like falling in love.
I hope these 3 steps and practices help you on your way to falling in love with your aging body. I would love to hear about your experience with this process. Just hit reply and let me know! I love hearing from you.
Please let me know if you have questions or topics you want me to address in upcoming newsletters.
I am so glad you are here!
Love,
Deb
