Body fat is a topic that for many of us brings up a slew of negative emotions like frustration or disdain. But did you know body fat has many positive aspects too, like keeping you alive? Pretty awesome if you think about it.
Let’s take a minute and consider what body fat actually does for us. Perhaps, after further review, we will have a new appreciation for our body fat. While we all know that too much body fat is unhealthy, have you ever stopped to really examine why you’re keeping the extra fat around? Chances are your body fat is serving you in some way, whether it’s emotional, physical or a combination of the two. Here are three reasons to be thanking your fat instead of bemoaning it.
1. It Is Doing Exactly What You Want It To
This is sometimes the hardest part in finding gratitude for your excess body fat. It requires a hard and honest look into what you are really achieving by keeping the excess fat around. Are you afraid of intimate relationships? Using your weight as an obstacle to keep you from intimacy is one way your weight could be serving you. Does the idea of not being able to do something, like getting on a roller coaster ride make you feel sad but also a little bit relieved inside? Does it feel better to stay “safe” on the sidelines? Do you have a dream/goal/career desire that would require a healthy body? Is it easier to stay where you are and hide behind the fat than to put yourself out there and risk failure of a life-long dream or goal? These are just some of the possible ways your fat is serving you.
2. Fat Is Fantastic!
It’s what keeps you alive. We are bombarded daily with toxins from things like processed foods, chemical pollutants in the air and pesticides sprayed on our food. Our body deals with this array of toxins mainly through the liver. When the liver can’t remove enough toxicity from the body the toxins get pushed into the fat cells, therefore rendering the toxins “inert” and locking them away from harming the rest of your body where they could upset the balance of your bloodstream. Your fat cells in essence are keeping you safe and alive.
3. Fat Can Be Used As An Energy Source
Our bodies are designed to burn two types of fuel, glucose and fat. Even the super thin athlete has almost unlimited fat stores that the body can tap into as a source of energy. Fat is a great source of fuel for longer, slower paced activities. So not only is your fat keeping you alive, it can keep you alive and active.
So instead of being fearful and keeping the fat on, perhaps it’s time to thank it and let the extra go. Finding a positive way you to express gratitude for what your fat is and has been doing for you is the first step in giving yourself permission to letting it go.
