Listen up ladies! It is time to start loving your body, right here. Right now.

Why is this such a hard thing to do, especially for women? If I just lost some weight, I would be happier...if I could just fit into those jeans from 3 years ago...if I could just get rid of this belly fat, if only my acne would clear up...if, if, if...we say these things to ourselves all the time. The list is endless.

You can blame the world or society, you can blame impossible beauty standards or celebrity pop/culture, you can blame men, other women, magazines or you can even blame supermodels. In fact, you can blame whatever or whomever you want to if you choose to go that route. But blaming is simply giving away your power.

It's time to reclaim your power and start loving this incredible machine that works tirelessly for you in the background, day in and day out, 24/7 365.

The sad truth is that most people don't appreciate their bodies until something goes wrong. We take our bodies for granted until we have a problem, maybe it's the flu or a broken leg, a toothache or a backache, or maybe even a more serious disease. You don't fully appreciate something until it's gone or not functioning the way it is supposed to in this case, right?

But what if we changed that mentality and started loving and appreciating our bodies every day? Let's all just stop and take a minute to appreciate how far our bodies have gotten us in life up until now.

Think about it. You grew inside of your mother’s belly, you grew from a baby to a toddler, learned how to walk and talk, got a new set of teeth, you grew into a teenager and then finally an adult. Your body breathes for you, it turns food into energy, it regulates everything and it even heals itself. Remarkable, right?

John Mayer really hit the nail on the head when he wooed us with "Your body is a Wonderland." Our bodies are complex, mind-boggling kick ass wonderland computers. Apple ain't got nothin' on the human body.

However, it is equally important to remember that you are NOT your body. Sorry to disappoint, but you are NOT your belly, your hips, your butt, your thighs, your arm jiggle, your slightly crooked nose, your lazy eye, your pimples, your stubby fingers and you are definitely not your boobs. So we need to let go of that idea altogether. I repeat, you are NOT your body. Everyone got that? Good, now stay with me here.

Your body is just your shell for your time here on this planet or, your temporary home if you will. With that being said, don't you want to take care of your home? You should treat your body with the reverence and the respect that it deserves by taking good care of it.

That means cleaning it, moving it every day, stretching it, hydrating it, putting nourishing food into it, self-love, giving those taste buds a sweet treat once in awhile and most importantly, not comparing it to someone else’s body. That means starting to check in with different body parts and sensations in the body daily, paying attention to how your body feels at different times of the day or when you are experiencing various emotions. Your body can communicate a lot so try to tune in.

Once you change your perspective of how you view your body, you will start respecting and truly loving it for all of the amazing things it accomplishes every day of every year without you even thinking about it. Starting today, your new commandment to live by is “Love thy body”.

So ladies, let's begin. Your assignment is super easy. Go stand in front of the mirror in your birthday suit, smile, give yourself a big hug and admire what you’ve got. It doesn’t matter if you are size 2 or size 22. If you feel silly, laugh! But there is no shaming this awesome machine that works on your behalf every day, just pure admiration. I promise if you keep doing this, you will start to love and take better care of the most valuable piece of technology you will ever own: your body! Because remember, you only get one!

Love,

Emily // USA/Colombia // Loves the beach