Forgiving my body.

I have been thinking recently about how much I complain about my body, and the fact that I tend to treat it a bit like a spoilt child. The reality, however, is that I put my body through a lot of stress and get annoyed when I get aches and pains from the resulting tiredness, so, really, I’m the spoilt brat.

In the past, I have persistently eaten rubbish, not worked out for extended periods, kept what could be best described as erratic sleeping habits, and then pushed my body to do whatever random workout program I want it to, fully expecting to be able to just do it. I have not listened to my body when it’s tried to tell me of problems (admittedly, I did actually listen, it was my doctor who didn’t, but then I should have been more assertive and insistent). This includes the knee pain I suffered as a result of flat feet and the hormonal imbalances I have experienced due to my mild insulin resistance (my body is not as sensitive to insulin as it should be).

In spite of all this, my body generally works pretty well. I am one of those blessed people who do not get sick very often, tend to maintain a healthy weight with relative ease and a good level of general fitness, despite doing nothing to deserve it. Yet I get frustrated and angry with my body for shortcomings, like how when I eat a high GI meal I need to sleep for two hours afterwards (seriously), if I don’t wear insoles in my trainers my knees start to hurt and my body likes to store fat around my middle like it’s some sort of security blanket.

I guess what I’m trying to say, is that if my body can forgive me all my shortcomings in how I treat it, then maybe it’s time I forgive my body for its shortcomings. No matter what, I will always have to work out regularly and eat low GI to feel well (it works best for me) and maybe it’s time I stopped being angry with my body for that and instead accept that it is doing the best it can, but that it needs me to be responsible and make an effort too.