Long gone are the days when I used exercise as a form of punishment and saw it as a necessity to change my body. I no longer feel the need to workout because I hate my body. However I know this isn’t the case for everyone and there will be many women reading this in the same boat I was a few years ago. And it is to you I write this blog post for because I really wish someone had told me these things, maybe my journey would have been different.
I want to share with you how fitness can help you with your body confidence, how it can empower you to love and appreciate your body and how with it you can be in a positive relationship with it all.
1/ Fitness should be an enhancement to your lifestyle not a restriction. Being able to exercise and move your body is an incredible thing, something to be celebrated. Exercise has a variety of health benefits which should be the main reason you are moving and then comes the rest. The moment it becomes a chore then it isn’t benefiting you in a healthy way. Give your body the nourishment it needs from exercise building the foundations to get fitter and stronger.
2/ If you are working out because you hate your body no amount of exercise will suddenly make you love it. You are entering into it with a negative mindset so the outcome will never seem positive. Rather than punishing yourself with exercise you want to work on your mindset first. Work on building a positive relationship with yourself, building acceptance and appreciation for your body no matter where in your journey you are.
3/ When it comes to being confident in your body it all starts from accepting what you have, embracing it and learning to love from there. Changing your thoughts from I have to work out because I hate my body to I am working out because it will help my body get fitter and stronger. Start off small and take your time and slowly it will happen.
4/ There is nothing wrong with wanting to improve yourself, work on your body and have an aesthetic goal. But the desire to change should come from that positive place you have been creating. No matter what your mental health always comes first. Having other fitness goals alongside will help to create your focus away from just the aesthetic. It’s time to stop focusing on looking a certain way and focus on how it makes you feel and if it makes you feel good then you are on the right track.
5/ Find fitness you enjoy and makes you happy. Learn what makes you feel fit and strong. Do things that give you the power to be you! Granted there may be some forms of exercise you do that you hate doing whilst you are doing them but after you feel epic, remember that feeling.
6/ Remove the guilt from exercise, if you miss a day at the gym it’s ok nothing bad will happen. By doing so you are taking the negative connotation of exercise being a punishment.
7/ Know your worth is so much more than how you look, what size you are or what weight you are. You have so much more to offer to the world than that. Using fitness as a way to change all of these because you think it makes you more worthy isn’t going to help. Over exercising isn’t the key to happiness, the key to happiness is learning about yourself and finding what makes you happy.
8/ Take away the comparison and stop trying to be someone else. Be inspired by other people, learn from them and appreciate but never compare. You are not that person and even if you followed their exercise plan to a T you still wouldn’t look like them and that’s amazing because you will look like you. And you are incredible ! You can follow someones workout program but make sure it suits you and your goals.
Finally remember there is no one size fits all approach. Ultimately for you to feel amazing and confident within yourself you want to be giving your body what it NEEDS, WANTS and LOVES. You need to take the time to work on you for you and if needed please get help from a qualified professional (make sure they have your best interests at heart).
Fitness at the end of the day should empower you, make you feel incredible and create a healthy happy body. The rest is up to you and guess what I believe in you, so you should too!!
Love Vicki xxx
If you are looking for a little guidance I have a 6 week kickstarter workbook towards body confidence in my e-book package Body Beautiful. The Feel Confident workbook filled with 6 weekly tasks for you to complete. Aimed to help you feel more confident in yourself and build a healthier and more positive body relationship.
