Why You Should Learn To Love Your Body

UPDATE! Hi friend! I’m popping into this post years later just to say that there is so much goodness waiting for you at the other side your body positivity journey! I love looking back at these older blog posts as I was just beginning to feel my way through FINALLY learning to love my body. For some newer blog content, head HERE! Or better yet, grab my brand new book for a mind-blowing experience on finding FREEDOM in your journey!

Love Your Body

So with these things in mind, I have to remind myself to keep my focus in the right place.

Several months ago, I found myself being really critical about my body. I got frustrated that I couldn’t seem to get past a certain number on the scale, and started feeling discouraged about my size. Mind you, I’m 160 pounds less than I used to be, and MANY pant sizes smaller. So how could I possibly be upset?

Well, because my focus was off. I wasn’t paying attention to my thought life.

Anyone who has lost weight can tell you that it all starts in the _____.

That’s right! See? You already know! It all starts in the mind. But it also continues in the mind. In order to see results that last long-term, there has to be a change in your thinking, in order for there to be change in your habits. And when there is change in your habits, that’s when you see the true, healthy lifestyle changes that last.

I had let that get away from me for a short while. I started creating regularly looking in the mirror and immediately letting my eyes glance at the parts I didn’t like. I started thinking “If I could just lose ten more pounds” or “If only my tummy didn’t pooch out so much” …Have you ever trapped yourself into these kinds of thoughts? Chances are, you have.

Out Of Balance

But the problem is that when we think this way our focus transitions into desperation, or “fight or flight” mode. That anxious thought that makes you feel like sprinting to the nearest grocery store and grabbing every bag of frozen broccoli they have so you can eat that and that alone for the next week.

And that, my friend, is an example of what won’t lend itself to a lifestyle change.

No one wants to put in all this work for nothing! No one wants to be on a super-restrictive, miserable diet that makes them grumpy and discouraged, only to eventually give-in and gain it all back in the snap of a finger. It’s vicious cycle!

We want to avoid that. But to do so, we have to make sure that our thinking changes. And I personally believe that that begins with loving yourself and your body TODAY, exactly as it is, so that you can focus on making changes that are healthy, (not “perfect”).

Make It A Lifestyle

We don’t need a crash diet. We need to learn to consistently make healthy choices because they’re good for us. Not because we’re terrified of what we see in the mirror.

So what did I do? I practiced having the right thoughts. And boy does it take practice.

Just as I had slowly slipped into the trap of feeling like I hated my body (ya know, the one I already spent over a decade working on… yeah that one..), it was going to take a slow progression for me to climb out of that slippery slope.

So here’s what I did. Every time I looked into the mirror, I stopped my eyes from looking at my body, and I first looked myself straight in the eyes. I said out loud, “Jennifer, you are not your body. You are an incredible person with a heart to encourage people. You’re kind. You’re compassionate. You love deeply. Those are the things that matter. Even if you lost every pound you wanted, and all your extra skin magically disappeared, and somehow a fairy sprinkled dust on you and gave you the perfect body… that would not define you. Because your body is a vehicle for living the life you want to live. It is not what defines you.”

After that, I allowed myself to glance at different “problem areas” but instead of letting my mind think negatively, I (figuratively) grabbed each negative thought and replaced it with something positive.

Replace The Negative

So instead of “ugh! My tummy is so flabby! After all the crunches and core work I do every week! How can it look like that?!”

I’d say, “think of how much progress you have made over the years. Your tummy used to be so big that an airplane seatbelt didn’t fit around it without a special extension. Your tummy used to have red marks on it at the end of the day because it barely fit into your clothes. Your core is stronger than it’s ever been. There is extra fluff, and that’s not a bad thing. You are healthy and you are making progress!

Learn To Love Your Body

It may sound crazy, but the only way to see ourselves with a heart full of love, is to choose to do so. Don’t spend one more day letting your mind have a heyday about the things you don’t like about your body. Break out of that mental bondage, and see yourself with love, empathy, and compassion! You may not be where you want to be, but you are an incredible human being, and your worth is absolutely NOT measured by the appearance (or mass) of your body!

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