(I’ve done this poll before, but I love it so much, I feel it’s worth doing again. Both because many of you probably haven’t answered it, and because those who have may have changed their answers!)
So many of us look in the mirror and see nothing but flaws. We see crow’s feet or flat hair or flabby upper arms or thunderthighs or yellow teeth. We may even see all of those things simultaneously and feel positively oppressed by our genetic lot in life. Too seldom do we look in the mirror and feel grateful for all the amazing gifts our bodies give us. We take for granted the feats of physicality undertaken by our amazing bodies every single day.
And every body out there is good at things.
In the interest of acknowledgment and gratitude, try thinking of the five things your body does best. Five things you are proud that you can physically accomplish, five things that make you feel present in your own lovely, womanly bod.
Here are mine:
1. My body can do anything that requires strong leg muscles: Tae Kwon Do, endless stairs, biking, hiking, and walking.
2. My body fills out a pencil skirt in the most spectacular way.
3. My body is so flexible, I make everyone else in the stretching room at the gym jealous. I can feel their envy coming off them in waves, I swear.
4. My body is extremely resilient: I can heal from injuries and sickness in record time.
5. My body can play badminton like nobody’s business. Come on over! We’ll set up the net in the backyard and I will SCHOOL YO ASS.
What five things does your body do best?
{ 67 comments… read them below or add one }
i LIKE your blog! thanks for always posting….
1. I have incredibly strong legs and can run for hours.
2. I have a muscular upper back that shows off my favorite tattoo perfectly.
3. I have high arches that make me look like a dancer (although I definitely am not one).
4. I have toe nails that manage to grow back.
5. My body is resilient and has amazed me in its ability to recover from races, injuries, and sickness.
(1) i have the body of a WOMAN. curves and all, n oone will mistake me for a teenager.
(2) my body can DANCE. its a workout, but its fun and brings me joy.
(3) my body is STRONG. i can lift heavy objects, which has been a real help since i have moved a few times over the last few years.
(4) my body is SOFT. sure, i could stand to lose a few pounds, but my fiance lives to cuddle with me because i have something to hold onto.
(5) my body is HEALTHY. sure i have aches and pains and i get sick, but because my body is generally healthy, i can bounce back.
thanks sal, we can always use an excuse to toot our own horn!
1. My body has really awesome fine motor skills. I can untie any knot, and I'm really dexterous.
2. My body stays warm even when it's cold – other people have sweaters and I'm still in a t-shirt.
3. My body has a long torso, so I never have to worry about being stumpy (on top, at least).
4. My body is also good at stretching. Even if I go weeks without doing it, I can still place my hands flat on the floor during yoga while others are struggling for mid-calf.
5. My body can spin, toss, and catch a flag, even after five years.
Wow. Oh wow. That was so much harder than I thought it would be. I've been trying to improve my style and my lifestyle lately, though, so maybe that's part of it. Also, I think a lot of my awesome qualities aren't bodily. This really made me think.
1. I am a very good swimmer (comes from swimming alone at 2 and on). I can float, I can sink, and am just all around a fish
2. My upper body is in pretty fantastic shape, despite the abuse it takes.
3. I hear my lower half looks very good in jeans.
4. My legs are runners legs. I used to run cross country, and am just getting back to being fit enough to start again.
1) My body has soft curves in all the right places
2) My body is sturdy and flexible with a really strong back
3) My body has great rhythm and moves
4) My body can survive injuries and sickness
5) My body can tell me if something isn't right
1) my body can swim with hands tided behind my back
2) my body can handle extremly small and fine object
3) my body see very subtle hues and tones of colors
4) my body wake up on time without an alarm
5) my body can produce "me" which is so much bigger then my body
1. I have a perfect hour glass figure.
2. I have a strong body that can tolerate quite a bit of use and abuse (via the gym!).
3. I can lift a lot of weight – no really, a lot.
4. I have stretch marks – but I have those because of two pregnancies that gave me two of the most awesome kids on earth.
5. I have good muscle tone in my legs/calves. They are still a work in progress but they are looking pretty dang good.
1. My body has a figure that has been complimented on…guess it's what girls want around here…
2. My body carries it's weight well…
3. My body heals pretty fast from injuries, tattoos, sickness, etc…
4. My body is strong…it keeps up with the tasks at hand, from slinging coin bags at work to walking miles on end…
5. My body has an interesting birthmark…for the birthmark's size and placement, it seems to be a rare birthmark indeed…plus, it looks a little like Europe to me…
Okay…this is hard for me to do today, because I'm wallowing in a menopausal PMS quadmire, I have a horrible sinus infection and am crabby enough to sucker punch the next person who even looks at me sideways.
1. Despite being a few pounds overweight and half a century old, I am still flexible and very strong. I can heave a fifty pound bag of dogfood and not bat an eye.
2. I have amazing green eyes, pale green, like new grass.
3. Am I allowed to say boobies? Some of the time I get annoyed with my bustline, usually when I'm trying to find a buttondown shirt that will actually close without the emminent threat of popping a button and accidentally putting the eyes out of random passersby. Most of the time, though, I enjoy the way I can (still)rock a cashmere sweater.
4. I have excellent legs – very shapely with narrow ankles, muscular calves and pretty knees.
5. I'm going to claim my amazing brain today. I'm smart. Geeky smart, like I can solve algebra and calculus problems in my head. Organized smart, in that I can keep track of my family's schedules, manage engineering projects and still remember to pick up milk and bread on the way home. Creative smart in that I can cook a fantastic meal, sew and craft something out of nothing, and most of the time I can carry on an intelligent, witty conversation!
Ah…writing therapy a la Sal! Thanks for such a great blog!
1. my hips can sway and shimmy to just about any music, making the dance party start wherever I am!
2. over years of weight fluctuations, depression, and binge eating disorder, by body has come out of it forgiving and vibrant. And now that I know how to interpret the messages it's sending, I feel connected to myself and everything else in a powerful way
3. my toes are lovely and long and are meant to wear toe rings and pretty sandals and walk in the sand. No polish for these lovelies, they're magnificient on their own
4. my neck and clavicles are tops at showing off pretty necklaces. The hollow of my neck loves to cradle interesting pendants
5. my legs are muscular and strong, and they can carry me through a run or through a night in high heels without asking for a break.
Thank you for this, Sal! I've had a bit of a cloud around me lately, and doing this has dissipated it quite a bit
)
(1) My body has a brain that can tackle any mathematical expression.
(2) My body has the stamina to run half-marathons.
(3) My body is tall and slim, with heavily muscled abs, butt, and legs.
(4) My body has the ability to do a split and a straddle, even at 27.
(5)My body lets me spend time in the sun without ever burning (with the help of a little sunscreen)
Even though I expend very little actual energy in body dissatisfaction, this is still quite a challenge.
1. My body is very resistant to illness.
2. My body is soft and curvy.
3. My body conveys me to and from work each day, saving me from the annoyances of public transit.
4. My body makes possible the enjoyment of good food and other sensual pleasures.
5. My body gives me something to put cute clothes on!
1. My body easily adapts to any type of exercise routine I adopt.
2. Because of the power in my legs and thigh muscles, I always beat the boys in my high school gym class when we had to do squats or lunges.
3. I have the fastest twitch in my spinning class – even compared to actual cyclists!
4. I do not get sick or catch colds easily and only because I take care of myself as best as I can without being maniacal or a hypochondriac.
5. My body has yet to let me down and I will try everyday to not let it down either.
1. My body has carried a child with grace and dignity in a trying time.
2. My body is well-proportioned.
3. My body is supple and soft to the touch.
4. My body allows me to sing.
5. My body is playful.
1. My body has an active brain and a strong sense of curiousity.
2. My body has eye pleasing proportions.
3. My body is creative and artistic.
4. My body is curvy and feminine.
5. My body carries me through every day and continues to work hard for me while I learn to take better care of it.
1. I love my butt. Let's just say, I got it from my mama.
2. I love my eyes, they're almond-shaped. Everyone thinks I'm part asian, or hawaiian. i'm not.
3. i love my skin, it's a creamy caramel color.
4. i love the little freckles on my nose.
5. i love my strong back, my hands, my feet, because they work so hard for me. and i love my smarts….
Wow, Sal–the fact that this is so tough makes me realize how much I must need to do this.
1. My body is flexible. Though I don't exercise nearly often enough, I can bend like cooked spaghetti. Hands on the floor!
2. My body heals itself well. Although I have fibromyalgia and sometimes hurt all over for no reason, I seldom get ill with colds, flu, etc.
3. My body brought into being and nurtured with food it made itself one of the smartest, kindest, most talented people I know: my son.
4. My body has a lot of long parts: long neck, long arms, long legs, long feet, long fingers, long nose.
5. Though my body has existed for only 54 years, every day it reminds me of people born in the 19th century, who died before I was born: I have my great-grandmother's mouth and chin, my grandfather's nose, my great-grandmother's short waist. And it reminds me of my parents, both dead now: it has my father's hands and feet, my mother's eyes, my father's fair skin, my mother's reddish hair.
1. I am very flexible.
2. I have strong, tight calves and beautiful curves from doing 13 years of belly dancing.
3. My shoulders and collarbone are pretty.
4. I have small, cute hands and petite wrists.
5. I have thick, wavy hair which makes it very versatile to style.
1. I'm very flexible. For instance, I can stand with my legs together and press my palms to the floor, easy. With no warming up. Or put my leg behing my neck.
2. I practically never get sick. If do, I get well in a day or two.
3. I can walk for hours and hours without getting tired.
4. My reflexes astound me. I almost never fall when walking on slippery sidewalks. I regain my balance instantaneously with a few swift, instinctive movements. I can also catch falling objects without thinking.
5. My waist is too small for any clothes that fit other parts of me. Though irritating when I try to find clothes that it, it at least looks great when I have no clothes on.
1. My ankles and calves are strong so that I can stand "releve" on one foot for a long time. The line from the top of my foot through my legs is straight and continuous.
2. I can also stand on the tips of my toes without pointe shoes.
3. My nose has the most fantastic sense of smell.
4. My skin is wonderful at reminding me the importance of sunscreen since I get red after being outside in only 60 degree sunny weather for less than 30 min.
5. My calves are probably the most consistent, reliable part of my body. No matter my weight gain, lost, or exercise regime, they are muscular, large, and shapely.
5.
1. My body grew a new human and thrived on pregnancy, to the point that I took up figure modeling (nude, for art classes) at 30-34 weeks.
2. My body allows me to sleep deeply any time, any place.
3. My gastrointestinal system is no trouble to me at all. I laugh in the face of yogurt-for-pooping commercials. Number two is not a major effort or a significant event in my day.
4. My body wears ankle-strap heels very well. The combination of strap and heel makes my long legs and scrawny ankles look fantastically sexy.
5. My hair is becoming my most striking feature as I age. It is going silver, starting with thick streaks at the temples. I have vowed not to dye it (even though I'm only 30).
Ooooh, I need this today. Thanks Sal.
1. My body grew two kids from scratch. No mix! And then it fed them for two and a half years. Kind of amazing if you think about it.
2. My body is *strong*. It has *stamina*, old-school peasant style. Whether I'm working out at the moment or not–if you need a child lifted, a ditch dug, or just a really long steep hike … uh, hiked, I'm your gal.
3. I have really nice legs, if I do say so myself.
4. I have two different colored eyes, and that's kind of cool.
5. I have never asked my body to do anything it won't do (well, aside from being its own lovely self). My body rises to the occasion if I treat it with kindness and love.
It's funny how hard it is to list these without saying "but …" or "even though …" or other kinds of qualifiers.
I enjoy reading everyone's comments. This is good for the soul.
1) I like my calves. I've always liked my legs, they look great in a short skirt.
2) Yesterday I went for a 2 hour solid fast walk with my friend. 2 hours?! Wow am I lucky. When I exercise, I feel grateful to have a body that allows me to exercise. I have no illnesses, no injuries. I'm a healthy woman. THAT I am grateful for. I often think of this when I see people in wheelchairs. I remember to be grateful for my body.
3) I like my hair. Its thick, wavy and shiny. It feels healthy and I love it.
4) I'm flat chested. I've never worried about this too much, even though we're in a world where bigger boobs are considered more "ideal". I like that I can exercise without them hurting, and never have to worry about cleavage issues. I like feeling petite. I've learnt to like being "little".
5) I'm soft and rounded. I have a massive butt. I've learnt to like it also. My husband loves it (TMI?). I'm learning to be happy for what I have with my body. Its not perfect, but it sure is capable of a lot. Sometimes perspective is a wonderful thing when I'm feeling down on myself (for not being as slim as I'd like). I like to think all that my body accomplishes. I think about how lucky I really am. I do get down on myself sometimes, but try to work out my feelings. I hear so many of my friends talk and they have such poor body image. It saddens me – they are beautiful women! So, its my hope to not project that kind of negativity and be happy with what I have
After all, we can only do our best at the end of the day. I'm not perfect, and I don't expect myself to be perfect!
1. I have an hourglass figure that, even if I feel fat or lumpy, makes my husband go "wow."
2. My body responds very rapidly to exercise. It doesn't take me very long to get fit after a period of inactivity.
3. I have very delicate extremities: ankles, lower arms, feet and hands. The latter flutter like birds when I talk.
4. I have a great bust-line: my cleavage looks great in low cut blouses and fills out dresses.
5. I am lucky that my hair is smooth and silky, despite the abuse I put it through (heat styling, dying, highlights).
Great post Sal! I'm loving your list, and everyone's responses!
My Top Five:
5. My skin. It's got Filipina genes from both parents, so it sports a 100% natural tan all year round. It will never know the horrors of sunburn or the dreaded orange glow of fake tan. It will stay soft and silky as long as I moisturize daily and give it a little UVA/UVB protection.
4. My voice. Now, my speaking voice is as run-of-the-mill as it gets. But my singing voice draws people in. It is not afraid to convey emotion, project itself into every corner of the room, and hit those high notes.
3. My hands. They look like Disney Princess hands, with long, neatly shaped nails and long feminine fingers. But these hands can do more than look pretty. They can sew, knit, and play the flute. They can give themselves a French manicure, play peek-a-boo with the kids I babysit, and pick up a twenty-two lb. backpack with ease. They can type up college papers at one in the morning, whip up a killer batch of pink frosted cupcakes, and do so much more…
2. My minor curves. Everyone is familiar with the major curves– bust, butt, and hips. If, like me, you have a miserly allotment of major curves, all you've got left are the minor curves. And I sure have those! From ankle to calf and calf to thigh, the small of the back, the hint of clavicle, ballerina-like shoulders and arms with a bit of softness, a slim neck, smiling lips, and a button nose, my minor curves will vouch that I'm a young woman, not a man!
1. My brain. My brain contains, among other useful things, a thirst for learning, a voracious appetite for books, the ability to rapidly solve math problems without a calculator, an aesthetic sense, a good memory for details, a sense of humor, strong morals, a solid work ethic, and an imagination so vivid and agile that it verges on almost childlike.
1. I have really good balance and strong feet from gymnastics and snowboarding so wearing heels all day is no biggie!
2. I have very thick skin, as I've been told by dermatologists and the girl who pierced my bellybutton back in the day, which = no cellulite or stretch marks! I got it from my mom – she had 3 kids and never got stretch marks! Amazing!
3. I'm one of those rare redheads who gets a tan (and freckles!)
4. My body gets strong fast! The first few times riding my bike for the season, I get a little sore but my body quickly makes strong muscles so I can go farther and faster each time!
5. I can't go a day without getting complimented on my hair – naturally red and curly!
1. My body is nicely proportioned – long, and lean but shapely.
2. My body can ride a horse like it's nobody's business (and ride through the bucks!)
3. My body has dextrous hands that excel at fine detailed tasks like painting, sewing, untying knots, braiding, etc.
4. My body likes to move – be it walking, running, dancing, riding, working outside – my body sure likes doing stuff.
5. My body's face tastes nice. Just ask my dogs – they'll tell you.
1. My curves are in your face. Decolletage? I got that. Defined waist? Despite the bagels, I got that. Shapely calves that look great under skirts? Yeah, I got that.
2. My body won't let me take it for granted. I'm hypoglycemic and it's a bit of a pain carting around snacks all the time, but the up side is that even on the busiest days, my body reminds me every few hours that the world isn't going to end if I step back from the chaos for a few minutes and eat a freakin' granola bar.
3. I have thick, wavy, shiny hair that does that fun tousled thing without a lick of product.
4. I can walk for hours and miles without giving out. I go slowly, but I'm built for endurance.
5. I'm super flexible. Yoga has revolutionized the way I think about working out–it lets me challenge myself while still working with my strengths.
1 – My body created (with a little help) and gave birth to one of my very favorite people
2 – My body is where I keep my strangely wired, fairly agile brain.
3 – My body is able to withstand ridiculous Texas summers. While everybody else is searching Amazon for ice underpants, I'm doing just fine.
4 – My body is strong – it can run, lift, move, stretch, bend just about any way I want it to.
5 – My body is tall – it can look men in the eye, reach things on the top shelf and leap tall buildings in a single bound (OK, not really, but I can step over a baby gate with no problems.)
1: My body is fantastic with sports that require quick movements, like tennis and fencing.
2: When I let my nails grow long, they have a naturally aesthetically pleasing shape that puts all acrylics to shame.
3: My skin tans a sickly yellow color, reminding me that my natural pale coloring is beautiful and healthy no matter what pop culture says!
4: My legs look positively elegant in short, sturdy, walkable heels and wedges.
5: No matter the verbal and mental abuse it's been put through, my body still gets up in the morning and finds the energy to move along.
1. My body is very in tune with my mind. If something is not right, I know.
2. Even though autoimmune disease has caused some of my hair to fall out, I still have pretty awesome hair.
3. My body is super flexible, yoga is a natural for me.
4. Even when I am packing a few pounds, I have a great small, subtle hourglass shape.
5. My body can hug my husband and my little doggies!!!
1. I have really good feet. Many women cannot wear heels period but I can strut my stuff in 4 inch heels for hours.
2. I have a straight small nose that i've been proud of forever (not to mention it's super-sniffer abilities)
3. It carries it's weight well so I can eat whatever my heart desire's (for now).
4. My thin ankles. Hated them as a child but have come to love them for staying thin and delicate.
5. My bum! It's the one bit of me that makes me feel womanly. It's curves!
1. My body always allows me to see ahead of me in the cinema, the theatre, or in crowds, due to my height.
2. My body lets me take looong strides and walk super-fast.
3. My body makes it possible for me to hug big trees! I can also hold at least three kitties in my arms at once (tried and tested!).
4. My body reaches the top kitchen cupboards without ladders.
5. My body is healthy and it allows me to enjoy a balanced life.
Let me see if I can put together something coherent here:
1) My body rarely gets sick and easily fights off infection.
2) I have an amazing sense of smell — I know instantly when the milk is "off" or one of my kids hasn't bathed with soap. People bring me things to smell, seriously.
3) My body nurtured my oldest son during a very difficult first pregnancy and managed to deliver a relatively healthy baby, against all odds.
4) I have great calves and hardly ever need to do anything to make them that way.
5) I have shoulders that were made for modeling. They are wide-set and shapely. Things hang beautifully from them. I am constantly amazed by the way they look, in and out of clothes.
Yay, this was fun!
First of all, my word-verification word is "glycomat." How … metabolic! :c)
As a few other people have mentioned, this is hard, which makes it more necessary, I guess. So:
1. I have great hands: small, but long, flexible (double-jointed in some places!), with rock-hard fingernails that look like I've given myself French tips even with no polish on them. They've played the harp, they can untangle any mess in the jewelry drawer, and they speak two sign languages. And long, strong, nimble fingers come in handy a number of other places, too.
2. My ankles and knees are ridiculously weak (seriously, I once dislocated my knee in junior-high music appreciation class) but since I started wearing heels, my calves are not only rounded, swoopy and gorgeous – they're also strong and functional and keep me upright and strutting.
3. My body has a pretty darn high pain tolerance: I can push through just about anything, at least for a little while. (Sometimes I shouldn't, but that's another matter… *grin*)
4. I'll never be able to reach things on the top shelf – but that, as far as I'm concerned, is why stepstools were invented. Meanwhile, I can sit in any seat on any airplane, and in the middle-back seat of any car, and never feel pinched for legroom.
5. My body is very very good at stillness. Sometimes we get caught up in tracking all the active, mobile, physical things our bodies can (or can't) do, and forget that it's a virtue, sometimes, to just be. My body can be warm, and reassuring, and calm, in the middle of the greatest storm.
This is hard for me because I have a chronic illness, so I've spent ages being frustrated with my body. I rarely post, but this seems like a good exercise for me! Here goes…
1. My body hasn't gained too much weight throughout the weird diets and sedentary phases, and the fact that it's still recognizably mine has helped me stay emotionally connected to it.
2. My body looks so much like my mother's that I feel confident in how I will look and feel in 35 years.
3. My husband has loved my body through all the changes, which helps me appreciate it too. I guess that's about him rather than my body, but it affects how I feel about myself.
4. My body has slowly but surely used the drugs I've given it to come back from the worst times, so I can type, walk, think, and otherwise enjoy my day-to-day life.
Most importantly:
5. My body lets me know how it's feeling, so we can work through problems together. I used to feel like it was working against me, but right now I think we're on the same team.
1. I got wide hands that are good for swimming.
2. I am strong enough to carry all the groceries in one trip.
3. My boyish face makes me look 10 years younger than I am.
4. I am resistant to colds.
5. I am strong, but squishy–good for huggin.
1. My body manifests my stresses by gaining weight. I know it doesn't sound like a good thing, but my pants fitting too tightly is a great reminder that I need to slow down and breathe.
2. My hair and nails grow like wildfire, which is great because I love to experiment.
3. My legs are strong and even after a long winter of inactivity, I can pick up and hike for hours and hours.
4. No matter how much my weight goes up or down, I am lucky to always have great curves.
5. I've never met anyone with eyes the same color as mine. They're green and I love them!
1. I have large, doe eyes which appear brown from far away, but those who care to know me or come relatively close to my face, realize they're actually hazel.
2. I have a hearing loss which makes me pay more attention to others speaking to me — and thus, makes me a good listener.
3. I have moles all across my stomach, which I've always hated since birth, but have come to realize that they make me extremely unique.
4. I have my mother's arms and legs, and though I've never liked them, they will always remind me of her.
And, most importantly:
5. I have a body that survived an attempted suicide — I've come to realize that life is more beautiful than I could ever imagine, and that people, such as my wonderful, wonderful fiancé, actually do care and love me.
This was extremely hard for me, because I've always sworn that I hate everything, absolutely everything about myself and my body. But, I felt this post was essential for me to answer, because I have never been able to. I stand here today more accomplished than yesterday — I have come to love 5 things about myself, finally.
Alison: Thank you for sharing this with us, beautiful. I'm so incredibly glad to hear that you're going to stick around. AND that you can see and embrace the wonder that is your own body.
Oh, I loved reading everyone's list – way more than I'm enjoying thinking up my own…
1. I have gorgeous long black shiny hair. Though I've seen some silver strands here and there, I like to think they just add to the overall beauty of it.
2.I have long fingers and nice long nailbeds. I never have to grow my nails out for them to look incredibly long.
3.I have very nice skin – I've been rather religious about taking care of it since I was 14 and I think it shows. It's smooth and almost perfect and no one ever thinks I'm thirty!
4. I have big calves, but in the heels I love to wear, they give me a curvaceous appearance that I adore.
5. My mouth. I love having full lips and knowing that I'll never have to worry about trying to pencil in a little "extra".
1) My eyelashes are so long that they sometimes brush against my glasses.
2) My body is incredibly healthy – I can't remember the last time I had a cold or flu.
3) Because I'm so small, I look 10 years younger than I am.
4) Even tho I'm so small, I'm very well proportioned.
1. I have great legs. Years of ballet have left them in good shape and I love showing them off.
2. I'm 5'3" and 112 pounds and I like being petite.
3. I have dark reddish hair, light skin and blue eyes. Its kind of an unusual combo but I like it.
4. I'm very flexible. Even when I don't stretch for a while I'm still super limber.
5. I've been told that I'm very graceful and I always look confident (even when I don't feel like it!)
1. My big body in encased in some pretty lovely skin that gets compliments all the time.
2. My feet have been described as similar to Fred Flintstone's, as well as toes that look like "little sausages", but I love them. So shapely with the high arches!
3. My legs usually win in the treadmill competition with my brain ("maybe I'll take today off" brain says. And then legs just get moving). Bless them.
4. I've always felt that my size expressed, in part, my immense spirit and joie de vivre.
5. I'm going to put this as delicately as possible: my body is capable of giving and receiving tremendous pleasure. I'm so grateful for that.
1. My hands can knit, crochet, embroidery, zip, fasten buttons..
2. My body is flexible and can balance well – I love yoga, tai chi, etc.
3. I love the hourglass shape of my body in general – I love outfitting it in 50s fashions and 30s too.
4. I'm surprisingly tough which helps a lot when I'm getting tattooed.
5. I'm vegan and healthy and feel great.
1) My body carried one child and nurtures two: holding, lifting, cuddling, feeding, hearing cries when dead asleep in the middle of the night, working on school projects, taking nature walks, reading aloud. It is strong and loving.
2) My body has long, beautiful feet that give me good balance.
3) My body can walk forever.
4) My body has very pale, beautiful, smooth skin that I care for with sunscreen and moisturizers.
5) (and this is the reason I'm anonymous today!) My body is GREAT at sex!
This post is wonderful! Women should spend more time looking at what is good about their bodies.
Here's my list:
I love my strong legs that let me stretch and exercise and propel me on my bike.
I love my tiny waist and how awesome it looks in dresses.
I love my boobs.
I love my back freckles.
I love how my hourglass figure looks in pencil skirts.
I love that my hair rarely has a bad hair day.
1. My body can DANCE. I mean, my hips can shake like nobody's business thanks to all those years of dancing salsa in the living room.
2. My legs and feet are strong enough to get me through five seven-hour-long work days where I am on my feet, walking around a classroom in "professional" footwear (oh, dress codes…).
3. My nails grow long and strong even though I never do anything to them but trim them down every month.
4. I have an AMAZING immune system.
5. I have pretty great skin that tans oh-so-well.
1. My body can win an Irish Dance battle ANY day of the week
2. I have beautiful, shiny, thick, dark, wavy hair
3. I have beautiful green eyes
4. My body can dance (I know I already said this!) and make art just my moving
5. I have stunning long legs.
1)My body has birthed two beautiful children. It was so hard but I'm even ok with the droopy skin on my tummy that I got to show for it.
2) I love my collar bone.
3)I have great legs I just do. Now that I work out they are even better but they are always great.
4) I'm tall. I may not be model skinny but I am tall.
5) It can work out hard and I love figuring out how strong it has gotten.
1. My waist-to-hip ratio is like a coke bottle, like a wasp; it curves like a fun roller coaster, and looks fierce in a fitted dress and belt.
2. My stamina at my workout class astounds even me. I used to workout to get lean; now I workout BECAUSE I CAN, because movement is a gift I never want to take for granted (I learned that from the inspiring women around me at my workout who give it their all everyday despite cancer, lupus, chronic pain, etc).
3. I adore enhancing my brown eyes with smoky eye makeup. I have been known to seduce men AND women with my eyes.
4. My legs are strong and take me where I want to go and away from places I don't need to be. And they look hot walking in 4" heels.
5. I love that my body can freely give and receive sexual pleasure. I don't feel there is any room for insecurities when you are with someone who is just as naked and vulnerable and beautiful.
1. I can DANCE like nobody's business. You teach me a dance and 2 minutes later, I make it look better than you
2. My dreadlocks are long, thick, crinkly, curly, wild, and beautiful!
3. Can make very handsome little baby boys and breastfeed them, too.
4. My legs are very strong – can leg press my husband, and he is not a small guy.
5. It is a lot like my mommy's.
Thanks for this idea!
1. I have very smooth, virtually maintenance-free skin all over my body. Thanks Mom!
2. I've got a classic, long, swanlike neck. Which is great because I adore scarves and anything with interesting collars. High turtlenecks, big lapels, ruffled collars, loops and loops of the thickest winter scarf — I can wear it all.
3. I'm very petite in the bust. Makes wearing all of the items mentioned in #2 much easier.
4. My body has a real affinity for Latin dance.
5. My body has wisdom. It tells me so much about myself, and tells me what it needs to be healthy. The tricky part is listening to it. But I'm finally learning to pay very close attention.
1. I'm a natural at anything involving water: swimming and boating.
2. My body moves very easily. All those years as a ballerina will never leave me.
3. It takes a lot for me to get sick and probably only happens once a year if that.
4. I'm all woman. I'm soft and curvy but with some very strong muscles. I have soft, wavy hair and feminine features.
5. I've never seen anyone with a face similar to mine.
Thanks again for the shoe advice!
Love this. Thanks for the encouragement to take a moment and be grateful.
Mine are:
1) My body can run fast. My short little legs are good for sprinting.
2) I have good muscles that make me look at feel strong.
3. I'm not as flexible as I was as a kid, but I have a natural flexibility that serves me well when I actually do my yoga and stretch out.
4. I have a kickass immune system. While all my friends are sniffling and sniveling, I stay super healthy.
5. I have nice skin that I inherited from my mother.
1. My back is strong and straight and flexible from years of dance.
2. My abdominal muscles are tight and defined and support me in all my movements.
3. My feet can handle anything from four inch heels to pointe shoes to rocky New England coastline to modern dance barefoot on icky carpet!
4. My hands are the perfect size for holding my boyfriend's hands.
5. My body is very much my own; there are so many unique little things about it, from a birthmark on my hip to the colour of my eyes to the shape of my legs to the scars on my skin. Every part of it has a story, and it is so fundamental a part of my life.
We all have strengths but tend to focus on the weakness. By reading everyone else’s 5 best it was easy to come up with more than 5, actually many more. There were things listed I would not have considered. Talk about a confidence booster. In a culture of unrealistic perfectionism this was a breath of fresh air.
1. My body wrestles against chronic pain and autoimmune diseases, but my spirit remains unscathed.
2. My chest freckles are cute although I just read that nothing makes you look older like chest freckles. Hooey.
3. My eyes are sparkly.
4. My boobs are perky for 41.
5. My arms give good strong hugs.
1) I have flat, wide feet that cling to any surface, like a balance beam, and act like flippers in the water
2) my hyper-extended arms make for an almost perfect swim stroke technique
3) my long arms and torso allow me to fit on a bicycle that would otherwise be 1 size too big
4) I have the full lips and bigger chest that some women pay for
5) I have a great natural hair color and a thick head of hair, just like my mom
1. I have a long beautiful statuesque neck with adds height and makes me look graceful.
2. My legs are beautiful and attractive.
3. My fingers are long and flexible, and help me play guitar and piano with ease.
4. I have gorgeous, thick, and lustrous hair that grows very fast.
5. My longer torso is slender but curvy, fit and always flat.
1. My body now sends me truthful signals about hunger, appetite and fullness (I am recovered/-ing from anorexia) allowing me to enjoy food and sweets again.
Despite me starving it almost to death it is once again working and fairly healthy.
2. My neck is long, slender and graceful. I love the elegance it gives me.
3. My eyes work well even in faint light, allowing me to easily read by the light of a candle or sew and crochet cosily on dark evenings.
4. I can fall asleep anywhere, any time easily.
5. My stomach can handle almost anything, allowing me to eat the local street food (yum!) when I travel abroad, whether in Europe, Africa, Asia or America.
Wow, this was hard!
1 – I have an hour glass figure which many women would love to have.
2 – I have beautiful brown eyes.
3 – I have a great rack (it took me many years to accept my large breasts)!
4 – My body loves healthy food and excercise.
5 – I have an incredible mind.
I seldom comment on your site, because you have so many more eloquent commenters. However, I feel the need to do this.
1. My body is tireless. I'm able to do physical work for hours.
2. My body is bendy. Over 10 years of yoga has made it gumby-like.
3. My body can bounce back. It was able to recover from two childbirths.
4. My body has high pain tolerance. Burns, needles, birthing, tats… no problem.
5. My body is muscular. Strong calves, defined shoulders, big pipes, six-pack (under the layer of fat… lol). It's all good.
LOL! If I lived near you, I'd be ready to accept that challenge and set up the badminton net!
Even though I can see the "flaws" in my body, I have to say that I am in absolute AWE at what the human body can do and withstand. The five things that my body does/has done that amazes me daily:
1 It can grow and nurtures a human being from just a bunch of cells, than births it through a very small canal.
2 Produces nourishment for said human being.
3 Elicits and feels pleasure with a single touch.
4 Solves complex problems by using the powers of observation and logic.
5 All of our organs work (usually) together, to keep the body alive and in motion.
When I stop to think of it, I can't ever help but feel childish wonder. Isn't it truly amazing?
1-my body supports me working on my feet at two jobs for 12 hours a day. and rarely complains about it
2-my body is a canvas for the memorials of my family
3-my body has "child bearing hips" and a "ghetto booty"
4-my body has survived through some crazy intense physical emergencies. and heals at an amazing rate from them.
5-my body is a remarkable example of biology and the amazingness that is humanity.
i love your blog!
and if i may say, after the most gruelling day i have had in a while (10 hours of customer service work on my feet with a serious stomach bug) i really needed to be reminded of how awesome my body is.
thanks!
I decided to spread the word on this brilliant idea!
http://www.suburbanyogini.com/2010/03/30/our-bodies-are-awesome/