Focusing on the capacity of our bodies

I think a lot about the brain and emotions, and very little about our bodies. I met with an acquaintance recently and she mentioned spending a year focused on loving and appreciating her body: learning to dance, do sports, just focused on using her body and all that it can do.

I am tired of being trapped in the same thought patterns. I want to reboot my thoughts around my body. Caring about what others think takes up energy. I am trying so hard not to worry about that and yet I anticipate this will become more the focus of how people interact with me when I move to a foreign country.

That discussion was such a great reframe of the capabilities of our body. I forget what a marvel the human body is! Instead of worrying about the look and feel, or feeling trapped in it like I have been recently - could I appreciate it and what it allows me to do?

I could think about this from a regret point of view. What would I regret when I am 80 years old about taking care of my body? Plenty: my teeth, sugar, medications, exercise. I need to think about that desire to live to 80 comfortably, doing yoga when I'm ancient and still loving it. I need to think about balancing that with the pleasures of life, but also without the frame of reward or punishment. 

I want to work on my body. I want to dedicate time and energy to making it stronger and healthier. I want to feel good in my body, from the inside.