Summer is fast approaching and as the weather warms, our clothes will cover less.  Are you ready to uncover?  Do you have weight loss goals for the summer?  Will you be able to enjoy your summer if you don’t reach your weight goal?  Does your body perspective impact your self-image and inner joy?  A change in your perspective can help you find your joy and the body you enjoy!

I once believed that I had to get the body I wanted before I could enjoy life or feel good about myself, especially in public.  I have found the opposite it true!  I discovered that the only way I could get the body I wanted was to love the body I was in, and that joy and a healthy self-image start with understanding the true amazing unique qualities that lie within.

A popular motto is Live, Laugh, Love and I believe they are in the wrong order.  Instead I believe Love, Laugh, Live is the journey to a healthy self-image and a life full of joy, and the journey begins with perspective.  I know what you’re saying, “I don’t want to love the body I’m in, give me a different body I can love.”  I too said this many times.

Let me share just a small segment of the shift that changed everything for me…

My sister use to say to me, “You’re just not normal!”  I would just laugh because for most of my life my habit was to try and see things from a humorous side and just laugh off life’s challenges and mistakes (no matter how I truly felt about them).  One of my favorite past times is to watch a truly “funny” comedian, who has the ability to do just that, and take everyday events we all have in common, and turn them into hilarious self-reflections.  One of the best is Sinbad.

For a time, I lost this “laughing” perspective because life had not turned out the way I thought it should, and found myself in a “dark” dry place with no joy; literally having a “pity” party, with the attendance of one, for 7 years.  Not only had a significant relationship ended and found myself completely alone, but I continued to struggle with yo-yo-ing weight most of my life even after becoming a Registered Dietitian and Personal Fitness Trainer.  I constantly was berating myself for my lack of discipline to do what I said I wanted to do and accomplish!   I considered myself a failure in many areas!

Desperate, I cried out to God to change me; to create His beauty within me and transform my body from the inside out… lo and behold, HE ANSWERED MY PRAYER!  The biggest impact was noticed in how I related to my body; my perspective and respect for my body was transforming.  Instead of seeing my body for everything that was wrong with it, I began to pay attention to everything that was good and right with my body.  This small shift in perspective made living a consistent wellness lifestyle easier until it became who I was, and not what I needed to do.  I was no longer tempted by the foods and habits that would always throw me off course; instead I started honoring the “good” parts which in turn created more “good” parts.  I was free, my joy and ability to laugh at challenges and mistakes slowly returned but this time with a genuine feeling of grace instead of condemnation.

The second place of impact was the blessing of attracting genuine encouraging women into my life; some lovingly known as the Wholistic Woman Coaches, along with others in the Wholistic Woman Community.  Meeting and sharing time with these wonderful supportive women inspired me be me, all of me, for I don’t serve the world by playing small but by giving fully to the areas that call me to serve!  What I realized was being connected with a positive community has a synergistic impact on everyone involved; all contribute and all receive!

Turning 50 this past year and a corner into a new season of life made me realize I am revisiting some joyful seasons previously traveled, but with a new sense of “sassiness” or boldness I have never experienced before.  I even shared recently with a few friends of my belief I will be considered eccentric as I grow older.  Saying this out loud liberated me knowing I was marching to my own personal drummer playing the rhythm of my choice.  This is allowing me to love more deeply, laugh more often, and Live more fully!  Something I want for every woman in my life.

In my travels, I have met many women who are also trapped in a “small, dry” place for various reasons, but one that speaks deep to my heart is how our body perspective can rob our joy, and leave us living a life that is not ours to live, and sometimes causes us to put “living” on hold until we reach where we feel we should be.  It is my passion to share tips and/or strategies I have learned to help others find their way and free the person trapped inside an outer image that fails to reflect the beautiful woman inside.  The old saying goes, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  Let’s all be the “beholder” of the beauty within and allow it to transform from the inside out!

I hope you will join me at the next BYOB March 27^th 2013 as we discuss how to embrace a new perspective and find your own drummer to a healthier life inside and out…

BYOB Session Topic: Get the “skinny” with 10 tips to have a “sassy, sexy summer no matter what you weigh!   Session held at Ayse Meze in Frederick, Maryland.  Click here to register today!

Today’s author: Sandie Lynch a Registered Dietitian and Personal Fitness Trainer, owner of ATP Consultants, LLC, teaches 5 Key Principles to create beauty from the inside out.  Contact Sandie at [email protected] to learn more about these 5 Key Principles through; ATP 16-8-2 Fitness™ Classes, upcoming workshops, and/or private consulting.

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