Love Your Body TODAY
It’s easy to point out all of our flaws, and obsess over the parts of our lives that we feel need work, but do you ever say good things about yourself?
You should!
I know it’s easier said than done, but there’s so much freedom in loving yourself TODAY. I see a lot of people basing their worth on where they’ll be in the future: “wait til I get my money right,” or “just wait til I finish this workout program.”
What’s with the wait? Of course, it takes time to build a better you, but what’s so wrong with you today? Love yourself now. There will always be something to improve.
Yes, let’s strive to improve and make better lives for ourselves, but let’s also enjoy and celebrate ourselves along the way. This is especially important on the fitness journey.
Growing up in a very Christian household, I was taught the importance of humility.
- Do well, but don’t be smug about your achievements
- Don’t think highly of yourself
- Don’t pat yourself on the back, let others compliment/praise you
- It’s better to be humble than to be humbled
- Everything you have can be taken away
I find these principles of humility to be important and good moral guidelines. I do, however, believe that they have affected my ability to see myself as someone great, beautiful, and worthy at times.
In my adult life, I’ve had to learn that having confidence and knowing my worth does not make me conceited. It is OK to love and celebrate myself, especially my body, in a society where women’s bodies are constantly under scrutiny.
The media would have us thinking that there is some ideal body type, a perfect symmetrical face shape, a most-desired breast size, and a most attractive waist to hip ratio. There’s constant pressure to lose or gain weight, to firm and tone up but not appear TOO muscular. You can’t be too much of anything; you have to be just right. Stretch marks are now fetishized, but only when they’re on the thighs, or buttocks, never considered sexy on breasts and stomachs (places where many mothers have stretch marks).
People are walking around with body image issues, nervous to be photographed, embarrassed to eat in public, because others stupidly seem to think that “big people” no longer get hungry or have appetites. These “I love a girl who eats a lot” memes are usually photos of conventionally pretty, skinny (no shade) girls stuffing their faces, and looking cute while doing so. If you’re not caught up in all of that noise, good for you! Considering our phones are always in front of our faces, and television networks are constantly bombarding our screens with women whose bodies are naturally unachievable, it can be hard to avoid comparing our bodies to others.
It’s perfectly fine to look like YOU look today.
I’m sure you already have a mental list of everything you don’t like about your body, so why not now, in this moment, acknowledge things that you do like about your body TODAY.
I’ll start.
I love my thighs! They are big, but they’re a BIG part of what makes up my body shape. I come from a family of women with smaller upper bodies, and larger, rounder bottoms. My thighs give me shape, and I’ve learned to love them although I’ve been self-conscious about them for a long time. Instead of completely hiding them in the summer, I’ve found shorts that complement them. I go for shorts that are a little loose (even though I LOVE fitted clothes) so that my thighs aren’t busting out the bottoms –yikes. Loving my thighs today means finding ways to live with them and doing leg exercises to keep them firm (because they’re probably not going anywhere). My husband liking them doesn’t hurt either LOL.
Other things that I love about my body:
- My neck – is that weird? Have you ever been told you have a nice neck?
- My nose – it stays out of the way, large enough for me to breath, but small enough to be dainty lol
I’m going to stop right there, because I don’t want to spend the post talking about myself. I just want to encourage you to think and speak positive affirmations about yourself too. Feel good about yourself when you look in the mirror. If you love your body, admire it AND take care it. That means everything from skincare, staying moisturized, drinking water, eating nutrient dense foods, exercising, and minimizing stress. I know we tend to be focused on weight loss, but everything is not about losing weight! Eating properly and exercising is a part of maintaining our current health too.
Stop waiting until you’re a certain size to wear the clothes that you want to wear. I’m not a fashion or beauty blogger, nor do I consider myself any kind of fashionista, but I make an effort to look good when I walk out of the house at any size, at any weight, whether I’m pissed off at the world, or having the best day ever. Dress and look your best now, today. You don’t have to look like what you’re going through.
And even more importantly, be confident in yourself. Clothes, makeup, eating veggies, and working out can only do so much if you don’t actually feel good about yourself. I am a hard worker, kind to others, and have accomplished many things in my short life. That is enough for me to be confident in who I am. What makes you confident?
Know and acknowledge that you are an individual, and nobody can do it quite like you. Love yourself, accept your “flaws,” and be radiant. Let go of past hurts, and ignorant comments that may have been thrown at you to throw you off of your course.
Love your body today.