God, this is getting harder. Gifts of the body #1 was bad enough; then came #2; and now it’s #3. Imagine how much I will struggle when I get to the fourth and  final one. I’ll have run out of body parts before then surely… Although, there’s always the spleen. I don’t actually what it is or does, but I am sure it deserves my gratitude! (Note to self: google spleen before next week!)

We need to grow to appreciate every part of our bodies. We need to love them for the life they give. No part of our bodies is insignificant and we need to honor them. Find three new things to thank your body for today. Praise your body throughout the day. It truly is a blessing.

What of your body (inside or out) do you thank today?

Okay, so I’ve had to scan my body to work out what body parts I want to thank today (without being tokenistic). And I’m starting with my hands because I’m sitting here typing this. I know I could use a voice recognition system of some sort, but I have perfectly good and functional hands and fingers, so they serve me well. They aren’t ‘beautiful’. They’re a bit chunky and blotchy (Hello – I was a teenager in the 80s and I cloaked myself in coconut oil and baked in the sun like all good Aussies did back then!) and at the moment they’ve got some war wounds. I have skinned knuckles from a boot camp I attended on Sunday. My fingernails are short and I’ve never much worried about them. I get excited if any white bits develop at all, so accustomed I am to short nails. I barely fit into any normal-sized rings and I wouldn’t make a hand model. Despite all of that; despite their weathered appearance, I am perfectly satisfied with my hands. They can write and type quickly. They move about when I speak (a bit too much sometimes). They are strong. They are mine.

As I think about that I realise I probably need to acknowledge my arms. On this weight loss program I should be doing more strength work. Instead of pump classes, lifting weights or using machines at the gym, I am currently only doing pilates. I think next round I will do more. Next round I intend to do classes at a gym, but at the moment, my pilates and the occasional bootcamp or boxing class is sufficient to work my unfit and overweight body. Currently my arms and shoulders feel heavy and sore after carrying around tyres and large containers at bootcamp and then a pilates reformer class yesterday (at which I asked for lots of arm work!). I’d like to lose some weight in my arms and I feel self-conscious about my ‘tuckshop lady’ arms. Despite all of that, my arms have also served me well. I grew up playing sports and can throw and catch a ball and even bounce it pretty well. With a bit of toning and less fat, they would be just perfect.

That’s all I have for today. I’ve now acknowledged my: mind; heart; lungs; eyes; legs; smile; hands; and arms so I’m not sure where I’ll go to next. Hopefully inspiration (and gratitude) will strike before then!