Loving Your Body- Embracing Change
It’s no secret that these days, our society spends a lot of time talking about the way we look. We live in a world that is constantly telling us that we need to change our body shape. We are told that our thighs are too big or our stomach is sticking out too much. And with the rise of filters on social media, you get to create a distorted vision of reality which becomes mentally harmful.
It's easy to fall into the trap of believing you need to follow the crowd, and letting it affect how you feel about yourself and your body. But what if you could learn to accept your body as it is right now? What if you could learn to love yourself just as you are?
Your body is amazing, special and unique, and it deserves to be treated with love and respect. When we are not happy with the way we look it can cause stress, lack of sleep and lead to depression.
Body acceptance is a long term goal not an end point.
Acceptance
Even if there are things we want to change about ourselves, there is a healthy way to go about it that results in long-term appreciation for our bodies no matter what size or shape we are. When you accept your body as it is—and honor it for the wonders it performs to keep you healthy—you have a much better chance at making positive changes. When you start a journey with a positive attitude toward yourself, there's no room for negative self-talk or personal body shaming that sets you back on your progress.
It's important to realize that all bodies are different shapes although they perform the same tasks. This can be challenging when we compare ourselves to others but what matters most is that we are healthy and happy with how we feel about ourselves inside and out.
It's easy to fall into a cycle of body-shaming when we don't feel good about who we are. And while we all need to be kinder to ourselves overall, there's no better place to start than by listening to your body and honoring its needs.
So the first step to change is acceptance.
Change
The next step in making a change is to understand what you do and don’t like about your body. Is what you don't like coming from a health standpoint or an appearance level?
If you're going to make a change, it helps if you know what you want to improve. The first step is to look at your body and see what you like about it. Look at the way that your body moves, the way it feels, and how it functions. Think about how these things make you feel. Focus on the good stuff—you deserve it!
Try asking yourself: What do I need to do in order to feel better? Maybe the answer is eating less meat, and exercising more consistently. Maybe it's cutting out sugar or alcohol entirely and focusing on natural remedies. Or maybe it's starting to put your mental and physical wellbeing before all else and addressing all your health concerns through the use of herbal formulas.
No matter what we’ve already tried, there are always things we can do differently in order to feel better overall.
Feeling healthier from the inside can also address many of the things that you physically want to change on the outside. Eating well and exercising can clear your skin, help you lose weight and tone your body.
You can look and feel the way you want but it takes action and a game plan.
Making a Plan
The third step is to make a plan based on your goals. Do you want to lose weight, build or maintain muscle, become more aerobically fit?
Once you've identified your goals, it's time to make a plan based on that specific goal. What does your diet need to look like? How many days a week should you be exercising? What should your workout routine be?
You may have heard that it takes 21 days for something new to become a habit. I would say that it’s even on the first day that we have started a new habit. If you want something and commit yourself, it will become part of who you are. One big question you should be asking yourself is; How are you going to keep your mind focused to stay the course and not give up or be distracted?
This is a personal decision that only you can make based on what motivates you and keeps you motivated. Do you need friends or family support? Do you enjoy working out with others or do you prefer doing it alone? Maybe some music will help keep your spirits up during those tough times when everything seems too hard and makes quitting look like a better option than continuing on with the hard work of building healthy habits into our daily lives.
You can set up a schedule for workouts, meals and even cheat days if needed. This will help with keeping track of everything that goes into your daily life.
If you find yourself struggling with staying focused, set reminders on your phone or write down reminders in a journal so it will always be there when you need it most!
Remember that no matter what happens in life you can always change it up a bit and start over again. You don’t have to be perfect at everything all of the time but just keep trying new things until one sticks.
I will say one last thing, that if you make your new healthy habits a part of your lifestyle and not just a phase, you will live this way for the rest of your life.