Commonalities between Your Healthy Whole Body & a Well-Tuned Vehicle
It’s common for us to identify ourselves by our body. We label ourselves tall, short, thin, muscular, curvy, healthy, and unhealthy and so on. Very few of us are able to step outside of this definition and see our body for what it really is – a blessed vehicle which carries us through our joys, our troubles, our victories and our challenges.
Instead of defining it and thus letting the definition rule the way you treat your body, because there really is more to a body than size or shape, why not seize the opportunity to take ultimate care of it? Treat it as the beautiful vehicle it actually is.
There is a common metaphor often used when discussing the human body and it just happens to be a car. Both being vehicles we depend on to get us where we need to go, properly taken care of they can both be counted on and reliable in their own way.
How Do You Treat Your Car And How Do You Treat Your Body?
Many of us treat our cars much better than we treat our bodies. We put only the best fuel in the gas tank, no matter how much more it costs over the regular fuel, and then we fill our bodies with food that is essentially void of nutrition. We ritually wash our cars every weekend, the metaphorical car spa and yet we don’t spend any time or money on basic self care.
When our body gives us nudges such as pings and knocks and other loud, unavoidable signals when something is required, we tend to ignore it. However, the slightest sniffle or shimmy coming from underneath the hood of the car sends us immediately to our mechanic for diagnosis and treatment.
You might be thinking ‘but it’s dangerous to ignore these sounds from your car.” This is true, squeaking brakes or a grinding noise from the rear axel could cause an accident. However, the sounds and signals your body gives you are just as dangerous. We’ve all heard the horror stories about a friend or family member who ignored the signs and then it was too late.
Rather than continue on this path, appreciate your body in whatever shape, form, and situation it is in. It has carried you this far in life. It has taken you wherever you need to go and it hasn’t let you down. Start taking excellent care of it today. Embrace your healthy whole body because while you are much more than your body, you cannot exist physically and experience life without it.
Think About Consider These Questions:
Your car may start to spat and sputter, becoming unable to run or take you where you need to go if you don’t use the right grade of fuel. Are you using the best fuel possible? Drinking more water and replacing those empty calories with appropriate nutrients will feed your body properly so your body will take you far.
Are you noticing the check engine light shining at you from the dashboard? This is self care we are talking about here. It doesn’t have to be massages twice a week or expensive spa weekends four times a year, but if you can afford it, by all means, enjoy! If this isn’t a possibility, go for a walk, enjoy a bubble bath in candle light, schedule a family game night – there are many fantastic ways to take a step back to enjoy your life, find a balance and take care of the signals your body is shouting at you to be recognized.
It makes complete sense to take care of your personal well-being in all ways you know how and are capable of. You can choose to wait until the car breaks down on the side of the road to get the repaired done, or you can choose regular maintenance, bringing the car in for diagnostic checks at the first sign of a shudder or rattle that doesn’t feel right, or that spot of oil you just noticed in the driveway, any problem.
As we finish with our comparison, when the tread has worn thin on tires, you replace them. So what do you do when your own treads are running thin? We all need some personal time to make a thorough evaluation of our lives, where we find ourselves now, and where we would like to see ourselves later on. It’s possible for our needs to change over time, and we have to pay attention to these changes, because if we ignore them, we are ignoring who we are, and that’s not a good thing when it comes to our health and happiness.
So, next time you’re at the gas station or washing your car step back and remember that you wouldn’t be able to do any of those tasks if it weren’t for the divine vehicle you’re residing in – your body. Take great care of it; it’s the only one you get.
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