Happy Valentine’s Day my friends!  I am not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day because I think there’s too much pressure to express love to people that you love everyday anyway.  BUT it is a special day just to share your love with the world!  Today is not a day of hate, it’s a day of love.

For my cycle class participants I put together a little goodie bag for them as a gift of appreciation for coming to my class week after week. I’m not one to skip on the healthy stuff so I tried to keep it interesting. Lowfat chocolate milk and granola bars for a healthy snack. People want chocolate on Valentine’s Day and this was my way of incorporating it into the holiday. Lowfat chocolate milk has the right carbs to protein ratio to help you recover after a HARD workout…and it’s pretty delicious!

My message for today is to share the love and don’t forget to love yourself!  I will be the first person to admit that I have some super low self esteem moments.  It’s something I have to work through everyday.  I don’t know how to take a compliment and I definitely don’t compliment myself on a good deed or a job well done.  I’m always looking to see what I could do better for next time instead of just patting myself on the back.  We all need to pat ourselves on the back and don’t degrade ourselves!

Does anyone else have this problem?

I challenge everyone to love themselves not just today but everyday.  Take the time everyday to pat yourself on the back for something you’ve done.  It could be the smallest thing or a huge accomplishment.  The point is to celebrate yourself and a job well done.  Sometimes it will be as simple as making it to the gym on time or just making it through a rough day with calm and grace!  Whatever it is, take the time to acknowledge it and congratulate yourself on a job well done.

I challenge everyone to love themselves for the people they are and not the person you think you should be in life.  We are all different and bring special qualities into this world.  As the Backstreet Boys once sang, “what makes you different, makes you beautiful”, so love those things and never lose them.  Don’t hide those qualities because that is the person that you are!

Valentine’s Day is usually a day people dread because they may not have someone special to share the day with.  Valentine’s Day is not a couples day, it’s a day of love.  Share the love with the people who are most important in your life: family, friends, pets…it’s just about spreading the love!  Most importantly, let this be a day that you go the extra special mile to love yourself and celebrate the great person you are!  Sometimes it’s hard to remember yourself when you’re so busy attending to everyone else’s needs.

Happy Valentine’s Day!  Enjoy the day!

What is the one thing you love about yourself?