Are you struggling to lose weight? Many people struggle with body image. They’re unhappy with the way they look. One of the most important things you can do for yourself and your weight loss goal is to begin loving yourself.

Loving Yourself – The First Step to Lasting Weight Loss

Take a look in the mirror at your body. If you can do it without your clothes on, all the better. If you cannot, that’s okay. Looking in the mirror, find one thing you really like about your body. Maybe it’s your shoulders or your chest. Maybe you like your ankles or your neck. Find one thing you like about your body.

Now celebrate it. Express verbal appreciation for that body part. Wear clothes or accessories that help you celebrate that body part.

Gratitude and Mindset

Do you often hear yourself saying or thinking, “I hate my_________?” You can fill in the blank with just about anything. I hate my muffin top. I hate my rear end. I hate my arms. Almost everyone can find fault with something on their body.

After I had my third baby, I noticed my body didn’t bounce back the way it did with the other two. My clothes didn’t fit and my body was just, well, different.

I’ve struggled with weight loss for three years now and I’ve decided that my problem is not that I can’t seem to lose the weight, it’s that I am not healthy and have no energy. I will never be the size I was before I had kids. And that’s not what’s important. What’s important is my health.

Your body–whatever shape it’s in–is a remarkable thing. It allows you to hug your children, to play with them and enjoy the life you have. Every second you’re breathing, your heart is pumping, you’re thinking and you’re able to be alive and do what you enjoy. Without your body, none of this would be possible. Instead of hating your body, begin being grateful for what it does for you every second of every day.

When a negative thought or emotion pops into your head about your body, change it to a positive one. Instead of “I hate my stomach” think “I’m so grateful for my body.”

This change in mindset is powerful. We take better care of the things we love and appreciate. Once you can begin to appreciate and love your body, you’ll start taking better care of it naturally.

I love this video by Sonya Swan – her mindset is amazing and I’ve started to apply it to my daily life and explaining it to my kids. I CHOOSE to be healthy today. I LOVE how much energy I have because of my healthy diet and exercise.

 



 

How Can You Be Kind to Your Body?

When you begin to think differently and can appreciate your body for all that it does for you, you begin to want to take better care of it. Better care doesn’t just mean food. It also means celebrating your body through movement. And it means making sure your body gets what it needs in terms of rest and TLC.

You can be kinder to your body by:

• Hydrating – making sure you drink plenty of fluids
• Not drinking too much alcohol
• Not smoking
• Using sunscreen
• Doing yoga, Thai Chi, dance, stretching and moving your muscles, joints and tendons
• Getting enough sleep
• Taking vitamins
• Eating healthy

 



 

Changing your viewpoint and appreciating your body is the first step to achieving your weight loss goals. Once you love your body and can look at it with gratitude, you’ll naturally start taking better care of it. Instead of diving into one restrictive diet after another, take time to look in the mirror and appreciate what a miracle your body is right now – today.

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