Everywhere I turn I see women trying to change their bodies so that they’ll morph into something that they’re not. Our bodies are SO much more incredible than we give them credit for.

What if we changed our approach?

What if we changed our hearts and perspective and instead focused purely on how much we love our bodies, and what we’re grateful for?

I really believe that our actions, what we put into our mouths and what we did with our bodies would start coming out of that love. I think we’d all experience a big difference in everything, whether or not size changed. We’d feel a shift in how much we believe in ourselves.

THIS, is what I want for you, mama!

Let’s just take a minute and really think about how amazing women’s bodies are. They’re beautiful and they’re powerful. Our bodies can literally bring life into this world (let that sink in for a minute, REALLY sink in).

That is so unbelievable! Now, what would happen if you shifted your focus from what you look like to what your body is able to do?

Your body has created the next generation of people that will inhabit this earth. THAT’S INCREDIBLE!

I realize that it isn’t as simple as just switching our minds from worrying about our size, to focusing on our abilities, so we need to work on shifting our mindset. A really great way to do this is to begin showing our bodies gratitude for the many things it has done for us.

Start considering the following:

• How often do you get your body outdoors and moving?
• How often do you say no thank you to the foods that are processed and made with bleached flours, or filled with sugar?
• What would happen if we acted out of love and gratitude to our Creator for our bodies?

How we FEEL affects us greatly!

Trust me, I’ve been there. When we first started living in the camper,  I was feeding myself all sorts of processed foods because I was struggling to adjust. I’d look in my closet and start getting upset because I had nothing to wear. I had nothing that I thought would make me feel good, so I decided to head out and buy some new clothes at Target.

I wasn’t going to buy something new because things didn’t fit. No, I’ve been there, but this wasn’t one of those times. It was all just based on feelings.

The lesson I quickly learned, and one I want you to understand as well, is that so many of the decisions we make (including the money you spend, how you spend your day, etc), comes down to how you feel.

It might seem silly, but I was headed to Target to buy a new outfit because I didn’t feel good. I felt like garbage.

What I want you to take away from this is that we have one body. It is our temple  – how we treat it matters!

We need to take care of ourselves and value ourselves enough to feed ourselves nourishing foods.

It’s hard as a mom to value how you feel, but many of your gastrointestinal issues, or headaches or emotions could be because of the foods you’ve been giving yourself. Take the time to go to the grocery store and get yourself some healthy snacks. Fuel your body instead of filling it with junk.

One side note: I want to be clear, life is about balance. You won’t be perfect and you shouldn’t want to be. Having a treat, or giving into a craving from time to time is perfectly acceptable. (I may or may not have recently eaten an entire bag of flaming hot cheetos in one sitting…) It’s just important to look at your decisions and make the healthy ones the majority of the time.

If this post has resonated with you, and you feel as though you’re struggling, it’s time to show our body that we are grateful. It’s time to take some action!

1. Write what you love about your body.

Need help getting started? Download these free journal prompts. I want you to love your body more, mama!

Or grab a journal, turn to a clean page and write down what you love about your body. What does it help you do that you love it for? Why are you grateful for it? Get REALLY specific! I don’t want to see less than a page!

2. Taking action from a grateful place.

Turn to the next clean page, and write out how you can begin taking action out of a grateful place, out of a place of love and appreciation for the body that God has given you.

You could write out what your snacks might look like, or how much water you should begin drinking. Maybe you need to up the number of walks you take on a daily basis.

Don’t overcomplicate it!

I really encourage you to complete this exercise and then tag me on Instagram (@allie_thatsme), I would love to see them all!

In the end, my whole goal is for women to stop trying to force their bodies into a different shape, and instead focus on what they’ve accomplished.

The mindset of so many mothers is sad. I really want love and gratitude to become your new weight loss routine. A simple mindset shift will allow you to become so freaking grateful for the body you were given!