Committing to body-confidence, real, honest, trusting body-confidence takes the willingness to not only question your long-held beliefs but also a dedication to eradicating patterns and behaviors that seem normal now but can’t be considered normal anymore.
Body-confidence doesn’t just happen overnight. It doesn’t happen by engaging in wishful thinking and it doesn’t happen by simply wanting it.
You also have to DO something to EXPERIENCE it – which is the part where most stop. Because, hey, staying in your comfort zone is best – even if it means life long restricitng, complaining and literally zero quality of life.
If staying stuck and in pain isn’t an option for you, here are 6 imperatives that’ll guide you to the miraculously natural experience of true body-confidence.
1. You don’t weigh yourself.
Weighing yourself every single moring/afternoon/evening is a walk of shame most of us women freely participate in. We torture ourselves by carefully stepping on this device and allowing it to tell us who we are and what we’re worthy of.
Here’s a simple truth though: you don’t need your scale. Ever. You can build the trust in your body you (hopefully) desire ONLY by actively listening to her instead of relying on a soulless appliance to tell you how you’re supposed to feel, behave and be in the world.
2. You don’t weigh food.
Gosh, weighing food is a nightmare. How does yet another scale know how hungry you are and how much nourishment your body needs? How can a certain amount of grams satisfy the hunger you really feel? How could a recipe or a health coach ever know when you’re hungry and how much you need to eat at a certain time of the day?
Stop weighing your food. Don’t only eat 50 grams of non-carb, gluten-free bread when what you really need in this moment is something completely different. Don’t only eat a handful of nuts when you crave two or three or four. Don’t weigh your vegetable portion or count the amount of calories in any meal.
Just eat.
And go within. Your body knows best.
3. You compare, but don’t care.
We all compare to others. It’s quite natural actually. I always cringe when I hear advice about not comparing yourself. You’ll do it – consciously or not.
However, there’s an art of not caring when you compare your own thighs to the ones of your neighbor or your belly to your daughter’s.
It’s called: knowing your own worth.
Sure, look around and observe the teens or the women half your age. Sure, compare your body to the body of a woman with a completely different heritage. Sure, open your eyes and look if need be. BUT do not ever allow what you see to get to your core. We are all different. Every single body has a unique making and every single body is deserving of love, attention and respect. Yours, hers and his.
4. You eat with pleasure.
Have you ever eaten a piece of chocolate and been so worried about the calories and fat of it that you didn’t notice or taste a single piece of it? Have you ever eaten an apple but felt so over them that you couldn’t enjoy it at all?! Have you EVER eaten while actually being present to the experience?
When you commit to the path of body-`confidence, you can begin to eat with pleasure. This means being aware, being in the here and now and allowing yourself to eat what you eat – no guilty conscience required or allowed.
It means giving yourself permission to ENJOY the piece of cake, the peach, the steak or whatever else your body and mind crave.
And relaxing into this very moment of pure pleasure and nourishment.
5. You stay connected to your body during the day.
Your body body is in constant communication with you. Are you listening?
Right now, take a deep breath, close your eyes and let go fo all your preconceived notions about what you want your body to want. Instead, ask her what she needs.
Then stop.
And listen.
She’ll tell you and you’ll know.
First, it takes time and commitment.
Then, it’ll get easier.
And easier.
And soon it’ll be second nature to consult with her.
Not out of a need to control, not because it is an obsession, but because it is what comes easily, naturally.
Your body is your guide. Allow her to support you along the way.
6. You’re not afraid to feel your feelings.
Feelings run through every part of your body before touching your soul.
Sometimes they gently wash over you giving you a moment of true healing and joy.
Sometimes they burst into a flame of fear and pain and threaten to take over every living cell in your world.
Sometimes they’re still and almost forgotten.
In order to get to a point of true body-confidence and self-awareness, you’ll need to learn how to accept, welcome and embrace any kind of emotion that occurs in your body. Accepting and welcoming doesn’t mean falling victim to them but dropping the boxing gloves and meeting them with an open mind and a clear heart in order to lovingly let them go again.
Being scared of feelings means you’re either never allowing yourself to feel or you’re desperately holding on to alll the feels in order to never have to escape the circumstances you’re in or acknowledge the changes that must take place.
Surrender. Let go. Feel.
Every feeling, no matter how horrible, will pass.
No diet necessary.
Ready to change your relationship with your body and yourself?
Join the Body-Love Wellness Circles – starting April 21!
- work on your relationship with your body
- dig deep into the reasons you’re holding on to body-hatred
- clear the path for a life of true freedom
- let go of the beliefs you’re holding on to about yourself, your body and food
- create a life that is true to what you actually want
- learn to live without dieting
- experience your body again
- learn stop your dependance on sugar and food
- find ease in your body and comfort in your skin
- learn to stop thinking about food all the time
- and SO much more!
To learn more and to join us, click here.
