Life is, for the most part, the way we see it.  So, when life’s not fair – it may be time to check your focus” -Robert Schuller

Every month I choose a word to focus on as an intention for that month and this month’s word is  “Acceptance”.

Accepting my health, my body, my mental and emotional state in the moment as they are.

Accepting that every feeling state can change and improve if I allow it  and cease resisting it.

August, Acceptance and…

Another “A” word, Allow.

An affirmation for every day this month could be, “I allow Peace and Love to energize my body, and heal whatever needs healing. I accept this process with Patience”.

When I was thinking about August,  I began playing with acronyms and here are something’s I came up.

• A Acknowledge, Acceptance, Awareness, Action, Allow
• U Uplift, Unconditional Love
• G Give, Gather, Gratitude
• U Undo, Unearth, Uncover (those things that no longer serve you)
• S Sustenance, Surprises, Sunshine, Seeking, Self love and Self Care (is necessary, not selfish)
• T Thankfulness for all that IS working in your life

What words would you like to add?
How might you apply some of these concepts to yourself care program this month?

Self care is a cornerstone of self love and self love will lead us to greater physical, spiritual and emotional health.

When one mind is changed the world is changed. -CIM

I am committed to changing my own mind by taking pinky steps when change feels challenging.

Change is a gift. And it is difficult for our minds to believe and yet resistance is a gift too.

Change and resistance offer us opportunities to go deeper into our process of who we are and what we are seeking in terms of having a body we feel great about.

I read this quote the other day, “I have learned to use the word impossible with great caution”. I love that as I believe in what is possible, rather than what is impossible.

What is your word for this month?

I welcome your sharing that here.

And one more thing from me.  I offer complimentary consultations about my one on one weight release mentoring and I am interviewing for my next 12 week  Body Image Mastery course. Please feel free to email me to set up a time to speak, laura@onepinky.com

A cheerful mind has always been a perfect guide to a healthy body.

-Sri Chimnoy

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Beauty is an Inside Job!

One of the worst outcomes of poor body image is that it often becomes systemic – taking all of one’s self esteem and day-to-day joy-of-life with it.

If only we could say, my big butt is not my best feature and love the rest of ourselves completely. My big butt is not who I am; for many of us, we will allow thoughts and feelings about a body part to run our lives.

Our negative thoughts about our body start to kill our inside spirit.

The popular idea, sold by millions of weight-loss experts and fads is that first we will lose weight and then, and only then, will we get to love ourselves. But it isn’t working, is it? That’s because it doesn’t work that way.

Here’s what ends up happening:

a) Self-loathing still drives you and so you continue to overeat.

b) You don’t “love the new skin you’re in,” and, even though you may have lost a few pounds, you

gain it back immediately.

c) You do lose weight, but you still don’t truly love yourself or believe you’re beautiful and magnificent. You thought losing weight would change all that, but you’re still left feeling that you’re “not enough.”

So, here’s the big What If.

What if you make weight loss an inside job?

Just try it on for size:

1) Remember, popularity is when other people like me. Happiness is when I LIKE ME. Say

this to yourself out loud right now, I will like me today! Because (i.e., I am wise, I

am smart, I am generous, etc.). . .  _________________, _______________, ________.

2) You are what you eat. So don’t eat crap.

3) Just for today! Stop hanging out with people who deplete your energy and your spirit. And then do it the next day and the next day.

4) Enjoy a day of fun physical activity – at whatever level you’re at — and eat great foods today

just because you can.

5) These Pinky steps over time will work. The key is consistency, support and a willingness to keep going when fear creeps in.

The truth is that beauty is an inside job!

B e

E verything

A wesome

U nique

T errifically

Y ou

Because you are the only YOU that you get!

Invest in yourself. Your only real job is to be happy and love the skin you are in. I invite you to be like this gorgeous kitten above, OPEN, HAPPY and WILLING TO RECEIVE.

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In March 2010, Michelle Obama was the cover story for Newsweek. The title read, “Feed Your Children Well. My Fight Against Childhood Obesity.”

While I am not in alignment with the use of the word “fight” – since any “fight” requires struggle, and my work encourages effortless and ease, I do think what First Lady Obama is up to is brilliant.

We need her on our side, and she has answered that call.

The movement that came from First Lady Obama’s platform is called letsmove.gov. As I always say, “a river flows,” so struggling is optional. Since our bodies require movement and flow, letsmove.gov flows and moves me to speak up louder and prouder about my cause (which is in strong alignment with the First Lady’s message).

Letsmove.gov was created to inspire families to make manageable changes that fit into their schedules, budgets and needs. One of the many things it does is supports parents with tools so they can lead kids away from processed foods back into real whole foods.

People ask me all the time why I do not work with children and teens, to which I reply, “I cannot be all things to all people. While I care about teens and childhood obesity, my work comes through their parents – who are often my clients”. I work with the children indirectly because I support the mothers to lead these children closer to good habits. Once a mother begins to make internal shifts and changes from the inside out, they naturally lead thier children into choosing and living differently as well.

Moms often share with me that they are concerned about how self-critical their children are of their bodies, without a real need to be. For example, the child might say at 10 years old that they want to diet, never feel good enough, skinnny enough, etc.. I also hear from Moms who are concerned about their child’s size, but who feel powerless over what to do about it.  They will say, “What do I say to not shame them?”

My first question back to them is always, “How do you speak about your body in front of your children?” That is usually when the truth is revealed. Often they have a big aha moment, like, “Oh I get it, my negative self-talk teaches them what to do.”

Yes it does.

Moms I urge you to be more aware of how you speak to yourself in front of your children. Your words matter – A LOT. Your actions matter also. If you are binging or overeating and telling your kids to eat better, they are getting confusing mixed messages.

1 out of 6 children in America are obese and experiencing physical ailments comparable to adults. I care about this deeply.

The time has come to wake up, get our heads out of the sand and show up first for ourselves – leading a healthier life and loving our bodies – and in turn, we will have a powerful impact on our children.

That is a promise, and promises do come true.

Some immediate actions to take now.

1. Begin to notice your self-talk, and as you notice it, allow the nasty voice to share, when it does, however, do not collude with it, just let it be. Your wise healthy adult can treat it like she would a mad child. You may want to thank that voice for sharing and counteract it with a loving thought like, “I am whole and perfect as I am right now, and I feel committed to changing my habits and behaviors, one (pinky) step at a time. Pinky’s are the smallest fingers, so the action steps must be small. However, consistence is key.

2. Please go to letsmove.gov which is filled with content on ways you can assist your children to get better nutrition NOW.

3. Set up a 15 minute complimentary appointment with me to discuss your resistance to doing any of this. I welcome hearing from you TODAY.  Remember, the time to change is always RIGHT NOW.  Laura@OnePinky.com

Remember a river flows. So all action is a great start.

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