The key to gaining body confidence is to stop bashing your body and learn to like it as-is. You need to quit obsessing about the size of your rear-view or that jiggle in your arms.
We all know that is far easier said than done. But before you can be successful with any weight management or weight reduction program, you have to develop a positive relationship with your body. “People sabotage themselves [with weight management] because there’s so much shame over imperfections,” says Vicki Dellaverson, PhD, a Los Angeles-based psychologist and president of The Center for the Study of Women’s Psychology. Dellaverson, who specializes in helping people improve body image, offers some tips below to help you halt the self-trash talk and become friendlier with your body.
Have a sense of your personal physical power
Can you haul your ten-year-old up the stairs with ease, or stay on your feet all day without becoming exhausted? Take stock in the physical things your body does well that help you in everyday life. Also remember that the goal of a weight management plan isn’t about being Kate Moss- skinny, it’s about increasing your energy and feeling better, which in turn will increase your personal physical power.
Get moving
Walk, stretch, strength train. Just get moving now! “As soon as you move from a passive position and hating yourself [for it] to actively doing something about [your body], your self esteem shifts,” says Dellaverson. You may already know that working out has been shown to increase body confidence, no matter what the intensity. One of Dellaverson’s favorite forms of exercise for increasing body confidence is strength training, because of the increase in physical power that comes from working out with weights.
Nurture yourself
Listen to yourself: take a break from catering to everyone else and tune in to your own needs and desires. Try something new. Take time to yourself. By making yourself a high priority, you’ll grow a better sense of self-satisfaction, which is a critical foundation for strengthening your self-confidence. If you’re happy on the inside, you’ll be more likely to be happy, or at least patient with your outside.
Get in touch with your body
The best way to get to know your body and like it better is to get physical, says Dellaverson. Find ways to put more motion into your day, and pay attention to how your body performs while you’re doing physical things. Park farther away from your office door and pay attention to your long, powerful strides as you walk. Note the way your legs effortlessly carry you up that extra flight of stairs. If you begin to tune into your body and respect its capabilities, you’ll take better care of it.
Resist cultural pressures
“Look good for yourself,” says Dellaverson. She also says that women have to “just say no” to being pressured by society into striving for the waif look. She believes that women set the tone for the way the rest of society sees them. “If women feel differently about themselves then it changes [the way everyone looks at them].“ Stop comparing yourself to the magazine-cover standard of beauty. Instead, consider beauty a “total package” of your physical, emotional and intellectual attributes.
Be thankful for your talents
Just like internalizing your personal physical power, pat yourself on the back for the things you do well on a broader scale. Nothing you’re good at is too insignificant to be recognized. Make a list of your talents, keep it accessible, and review it regularly.
Shift your consciousness
This is the culmination of practicing all the above tips. When you shift your state of mind from negative to positive, you’ll like your body better and set yourself up to manage your weight successfully.
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