8 Things You Can Do to Feel Better About Your Body

 About 90% of women report experiencing  a negative body image or thought at some point in their day. I mean, its not surprising given we live in a world that profits from making women feel insecure about how they look so that  they buy the product that is promised to fix this insecurity (skin, body size, teeth, etc) and magically transform your life for the better.  

No wonder so many women feel negatively about how they look and about themselves when they are hounded with the message that they are not good enough as they are! 

You deserve to feel good about the body you were given. Your worth is not what you look like. If you are struggling to feel good about your body, here are a few things you can do today to create a more body positive environment in your life – so you can begin to feel good in the skin you are in!

If you follow someone on social media who makes you feel bad about your body or food choices in any way – you have the power to unfollow! It may even be a person you are close to and love. But this is not about them, this about YOU and creating an environment that is  conducive to feeling good about your body.

Curate your social media feed to provide positive messages about your body, food, and health. Some great accounts to follow include @marcird @bodyposipanda @megg_boggs @paigesmathersrd @theintuitiverd and @nutrition.redefined

Get rid of all the books and magazines that tell you your body is not enough as it is. In its place, seek out reading material that will support your journey to caring and respecting your body at every size. You can grab my recommended list of resources here.

Stop waiting to weigh X number of pounds to buy yourself clothes that fit comfortably. Stop buying clothes that area too small as a ‘motivator’ for weight loss. It doesn’t work and makes you feel like a failure if you have not achieved your goal and the clothes still don’t fit.

You deserve to feel comfortable in every size, so go out and get yourself some comfortable clothes that fit your here and now body. That doesn’t mean your body won’t change in size – maybe it will, maybe it won’t. But right now, choose to feel good in the clothes you wear – it will make a world of difference to how you walk through your day.

This is a personal tactic I use for myself and  my clients find it helpful, too. When you are having vulnerable day in your body – stop over analyzing and agonizing over your body in the mirror and choose to focus on things that will make you feel good.

Are you a slave to the scale? Does the number on the scale influence how you feel about yourself? Choose to let it go and get rid of your scale today! If you aren’t ready for this step, practice not going on the scale for at least a week and see how it impacts your food choices and feelings about yourself and your body.

It’s incredible what some physical activity can do to your body and mood. Find ways to move your body each day! Even if its 15 minutes. Even if it means choosing to take the stairs from now on. Start where you are at and build up. Nothing like endorphins and feeling strong to make you feel good and empowered.

When was the last time you thanked your body for what it does for you? Your body is not an object to be admired, it is a vessel that helps you experience all of life. Next time you are feeling down about how you look, redirect your thoughts to gratitude for what your bod did for you today – your legs that took you places, our arms for hugging your loved ones, your mouth for expressing yourself, your heart for pumping and keeping you alive.

The end goal doesn’t have to be to love your body if right now that feels like an impossible, overwhelming, and even laughable, reality to you. You don’t need to love your body to treat it well. You don’t need to love your body to know that it is good and is worthy of respect and care. The goal is to feel like you are enough in whatever size that you are in and to fully live the life you deserve!