Shannon talks about taking pampering to another level. Inner pampering 
I love to pamper myself; I always have. Whether it’s a splurge on a manicure, yoga classes, a rare massage, or not-so-rare haircut; a hot bubble bath, good book or do-it-yourself mani/pedi at home -
“me-time” is something I make time for.
I think that self-care is extremely important and we all need to make it a priority in our lives. I mean, you cannot truly take care of others, or make a difference in this world, if you are not first, taking care of yourself.
Well, I got to thinking this weekend upon making my grocery list for the week. While I am willing to pamper my outer body with indulgences to make me feel and look better, I am not doing the same for body, in terms of health. This needs to change.
While roaming the aisles at Horrock’s this past Sunday, I made the decision to change my perspective.
It is time to start looking at my daily meals and snacks as a chance to treat myself with love. I know that my body needs healthy fuel to get it through the day feeling its best; so why feed it takeout for lunches and a few too many beers during happy hours? I need to start looking at each meal as a chance to pamper myself, experiment with new flavors and try new foods, arrange the food on my plate as an art piece and take time to really enjoy each item of food I eat. Meals should not be impulsive, or something to fill me up for a short period of time. Rather, meals should become something I truly enjoy, that make me feel better after having eaten it … an experience within itself.
Thus, I stocked up on lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, organic products, homemade spinach and wheat pastas, and ground my own fresh peanut butter. And yes, I bought myself flowers as well.
While I recognize the privilege behind being able to stock up on these items, I have made the conscious decision to forgo on lunches out and a few happy hours in the coming week to be able to purchase and prepare the foods I know my body needs. I am lucky I can do this, and because I can, I need to have better intentions to do so from here on out.
So, here is to a week of self-care- from yoga classes and freshly prepared and healthy meals, to finding time to read my latest acquired book, sit in candle light, and sip my tea … it’s all about perspective.
Westside YMCA