Every day, we see many of the women in our community discussing the ways that they hate their body.
You should NOT dislike your body in order to have a fitness goal.
It can be hard to motivate yourself to work out if your reason for exercising is based on hating your body. So many of us view exercise as a punishment for our lifestyles that we forget to celebrate our bodies for what they can achieve!
When you work self-love into your life and base your exercise success on how you FEEL rather than how you look, you will find that you enjoy the journey so much more!
Reframe Your Exercise Mentality
🧠 Tip One: Declutter your thoughts.
We all know and love Marie Kondo! What makes her decluttering method special is that she thanks an item for its service, before she throws it away.
Apply this to your negative thoughts. Negativity is the extra clutter in your brain that needs to be cleaned out. The next time you experience a negative thought about your body, here’s what you need to do:
- Pause.
- Acknowledge the thought and thank it for its service.
- Let it go.
Make this a habit. When you get used to intercepting negative thoughts with gratitude, you clear up room for positive thoughts to flow in.
😊 Tip Two: Focus on your MOOD.
Go into each workout reminding yourself of the positive effects that exercising will have on your mood that day. Then once you’ve completed your workout, check-in with yourself. How do you feel? Do you feel calmer, sharper, or more energized?
If you can, write it on paper. It’s super motivating to look at a record of all the ways that exercise has benefited you and will help you to remember these positive moments better.
💃 Tip Three: Do something fun!
If you can’t find the motivation to settle into a standard workout routine, then switch it up! Find a way of moving that makes you feel really good. Here are a few fun activities that will get you moving around and enjoying yourself:
👉 Dancing around your room
👉 Hula Hooping
👉 Hopscotch
👉 Handball
… and so many more! Find a way of moving that lights you up, and make a habit of doing that. As long as you’re ENJOYING the movement, it doesn’t matter what it is. Keep up these fun activities until you feel yourself wanting to try other ways of moving.
What else can I do?
Self love is a journey, and it is great thing to actively work on. In addition to the tips above, you can try:
⭐️ Saying affirmations out loud
⭐️ Journalling your thoughts each day
⭐️ Making time to do enjoyable hobbies
Silencing your inner critic might take a bit of time, but the more you work at it, the quieter it will be!
Take care and remember: your body is amazing the way it is.