My body and I have been through a lot and I am grateful to have this temple to live life through. I was blessed with a healthy fully functioning body and it’s only recently that I have been able to see that.

Only until a few years ago have I stopped criticizing every single thing about my body and am learning to love it in every phase: whether I now that it needs to be healthier or when it is at it’s healthiest. We can love something or someone and still acknowledge that it needs work.

So, while I acknowledge my body today and am grateful for it. Here are 9 things that I have learned about my body:

1. I only got one.

2. It doesn’t need to look like someone else’s to function properly.

3. Cellulite, stretch marks and scars come and go.

4. Forcing my body to be something it won’t ever be, is dangerous.

5. Health, for my body, is primary.

6. My body has forgiven me, so I release the need to criticize and demean it.

7. I am on the same team as my body.

8. Calorie-counting is torture for my health Journey.

9. It is one of the best gifts that I have gotten and I will forever be grateful for it.