Hope this is counter inspirational to you Leah and to our new blogger Gina and to everyone else reading this.

Independence Day

We are 5 months away from the 4th of July here in America.

However, for me, every day is the Fourth of July.

And while it is true that I love the summer, I really love the fourth of July for what is stands for.

It is ALL about my personal INDEPENDENCE.

Every single day that I no longer suffer from compulsive eating, body hatred, scale hatred, being afraid to eat and low self esteem, I get to declare my freedom from anything that doesn’t represent self-love and personal sustainability.

To begin with, I declare myself free from the hundred pounds I released 22 years ago.

I am fit and fabulous because I claim my self-loving right to exist in a body that I love and that loves me back.

Make no mistake, supporting that healthy body is all about supporting my mind. It means saying no to people who deplete my energy and wear down my spirit – and that means having to face the disapproval (or even rejection) of others when I don’t do what they want or need.

We sometimes must make tough choices in order to say “yes” to ourselves and prioritize the strong bodies and healthy lifestyles we truly want.

It means that we cannot do everything that everyone wants every minute of the day. Rather, we will have to literally carve out a piece of our lives that belongs to no one

but us. And if we have lived a life of self-deprecatory blindness to our own needs or dreams, it means that something will have to GO to make room for something new.

Here are some tools to making all of your days Independence Days:

1. Start by making a list of everyone you see in a month – everyone. Ask yourself if they inspire and invigorate you or if they deplete your energy.

Now place a plus or minus next to their name (this has nothing to do with your love for them). Every day, spend more time and energy within those relationships that energize you.

2. Start your day early, before everyone else awakens. Like all shifts, there will be a trade. It may mean ending your day without the 11pm news (a negative way to end a day anyway).

3. Start your great day with inspiring reading (visit www.LauraFenamore.com/affirmations for a quick, positive message every day), and give yourself 30 minutes of some sort of  movement.

4. Plan your day and plan your food! Don’t get caught off guard and find yourself starving at 4pm after a day of running around for others. That is, quite literally, a recipe for disaster.

Remember what Thomas Jefferson said:

“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”

That is what we MUST embrace every day if we are to be strong and vibrant and self-loving. We literally have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

First LIFE. Claim your LIFE – literally. Make a list of what would support you to live one more healthy, beautiful day above ground.

Then LIBERTY. What would it mean to let go of your biggest burden, just for today? Can you get help with that burden and give yourself a break?

And finally, the pursuit of HAPPINESS. What would life need to look like to be truly happy right now?

And if you can’t get to that picture right this moment, and you need to make a plan to get there, can you CHOOSE to be happy for one thing right now, as you begin the PURSUIT of that life?