Maybe your weight isn’t where you’d like it to be or your waistline isn’t ideal. While maintaining a healthy weight is important, I want you to take a minute to examine health beyond your weight — beyond what you see in the mirror.
Think of how remarkable your organs are. With Thanksgiving in mind, take a moment to truly feel grateful for some of the miraculous inner workings of your body that take place every second of every day. You are alive because of these factors and you are a beautiful human being.
Be grateful for your cells. Your body is made up of over 37 trillion cells. Cells are like little tiny factories with specific functions. For example, blood cells carry oxygen to all our organs. When you eat, you are feeding those cells.
Be grateful for your heart. Some of my clients think about their heart health, especially if they have goals to reduce their blood pressure or cholesterol. Your heart is the hardest working muscle in your body. Your heart and blood vessels together make up your cardiovascular system. When your heart beats, it is pumping blood through your body, carrying oxygen and nutrients you need to survive. Exercise and a healthy diet are not only great for giving you a likeable number on the scale, they keep your heart muscle strong.
Be grateful for your lungs. Did you know that you breathe an average of 13 pints of air every minute? Did you know that breathing eliminates 70 percent of your body’s waste? Need to relieve stress? Deep breathing is always available to you because of your lungs and research has proven this technique literally relaxes your brain!.
Be grateful for your brain. How do you walk, talk, eat, sleep, and think? All through messages your brain sends. Your brain is always working, even when you are sleeping. Every action you take you can do because of your brain.
Dozens of research studies have found that the practice of gratitude can have so many positive effects on your brain. Gratitude can improve your sleep, reduce stress levels, heal anxiety and depression, and increase energy and vitality.
Don’t save gratitude for Thanksgiving. Be grateful every day. You are alive. You are amazing.
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