With Valentine’s Day around the corner, you may be thinking about how you will express your love to the special people in your life. One way to share your love with others is to be sure to take the time to love yourself! This is essential, because you can only love others to the extent that you love yourself.

The other day, when I was at the gas station, I thought about the fact that no matter how high the gas prices are, I still fill up with premium. Why? Because I want what is best for our vehicles. I want to take great care of them so that they stay in good shape and last a long time.

In that moment I realized I needed to transfer this way of thinking to how I care for my body. And, no matter how high the price, I need to fill myself up with premium fuel!

Several weeks ago I saw a picture that was taken of me over the holidays. The picture showed me that I was at my all-time highest weight. I did not look at that picture in a very loving way.

“What happened?” I asked myself, “How can this be?” I’m a Life Coach, for goodness’ sake! I help people create a life they love. I help people practice extreme self-care and I help them set limits and boundaries. So, how could it be that I, a Life Coach, could let my weight creep up like that?

Sure, I saw the scale slowly go up. Sometimes it went up quickly! But, I know that muscles weigh more than fat. I just didn’t think much about the fact that I wasn’t doing anything to build muscle. And yes, my clothes felt a little snug. But, it has been unusually warm for this time of year and I thought that maybe it had something to do with wearing spring clothes in the winter. I was in denial! I have become so good at not beating myself up, that sometimes I may be too easy on myself. I tell myself what I want to hear, rather than the truth. Did I not love myself enough to feed and exercise my body properly?

The good news is, that by the time I saw the picture, I had already set a New Year Intention to get and stay in shape. I am back on a routine of walking, which I truly enjoy. Walking exercises my body and nourishes my mind and soul. I am drinking more water and eating less food. I already feel better.

So, how does a Life Coach let things get out of control? Well, it’s because not only am I a Life Coach, I am also human and the flesh is weak! I get off track and I make mistakes. My goal is to learn from my mistakes and to use what I learn to help myself and others.

Since I got back on track, I can look at myself in a loving way. And, interestingly enough, there seems to be a more loving relationship between my husband and me. I want to nurture this relationship even further and I want to take great care of my children’s mother—me!

I’m going to use the way I treat our van as a reminder. When I take the time to warm it up, when I park it away from possible dings, when I avoid driving through the mud, when I don’t allow my children to trash it, and when I choose to fill it up with premium, I am going to remember that I deserve this type of respect too!

How about you? Are you showing love and respect for your body? Are you feeding and exercising it properly? Are you giving it the rest it needs? Are you grooming it and dressing it in a way that feels good? Are you nourishing your mind and soul?

You deserve to do these things! When you take care of yourself, you have more to give to others. And, in order to truly love others, you must love yourself!