How does having a positive body image connect to your nutrition? We’re talking about how you can improve your overall well being really starting with a positive body image.
Health is way more than just what you eat, it flows into every aspect of your life. Mental and emotional well being is just as important as physical nourishment. The ways you manage stress, how well you sleep, how often you move your body and how you perceive your body (body image) is closely woven into nutrition and well being.
Being overly concerned about your physical body can result in an unhealthy obsession with food and exercise. This state of body hyper-vigilance is what ignites food worry, the idea that anything you eat will directly impact your body. This mindset fuels low self esteem, negative body image and the cycle of dieting.
A hyperfocus on your body image can stem from societal messages/image, environment, media, advertisements, and fashion/beauty industry–creating an unrealistic pressure to be thin that is deeply ingrained in your subconscious mind.
Do you feel satisfied with the body you are in right now?
Restricting food, over exercising or being extremely cautious for the sake of body image will negatively impact your quality of life, and these methods are also wildly unrealistic for long term. A restrictive approach will have you dieting on and off for years, pulling you farther away from your health goals and life vision.
When changing your physical body is the main motivation to eat healthy and exercise, eating mindfully and intuitively can be increasingly challenging.
If you are not accepting of your appearance or have a distorted image of how you look it will change the way you think, the foods you choose to eat and how you choose to live out your life.
Building a positive body image is a starting point to making peace with food, fostering a nourishing mindset. Here are 5 ways to cultivate a positive body image.
1. Begin with Respect
While cultivating a positivity around our body and appearance, isn’t always the easiest to feel all the self love and body confidence from the start, which is why starting starting may be a better alternative for you.
Body Neutrality is the idea of accepting and respecting your body for just how it is now– flaws, and imperfections included. We all have the blemishes, scars and body parts that are hard to love. Finding the beauty in the less than perfect and creating a general respect and appreciation for the body you were given is a way to begin to boost your body confidence, while squashing any negative thoughts about your body.
If loving your body for how it is seems a bit too much to fast, begin with forming a respect for your body. Respecting your body means acknowledging your body for the way it is without body bashing and providing the basic needs for nourishment and comfort.
2. Boost Confidence
Are you buying clothes that are too small with hopes of weight loss motivation? Wearing too small clothes is a dull motivation, especially if it pinches and squeezes at your body. Instead go buy yourself a nice new outfit that fits right. Going up a few sizes will improve your body comfort. When you notice those critical thoughts chiming in for going up a pant size, replace those body thoughts with gratitude for your body or anything else you are genuinely appreciative for in that moment.
3. Create a Body Affirmation
Boosting body image takes patience, acceptance, and practice using an affirmation which could be…
“I respect and appreciate my whole body.”
Affirmations can help to enhance self esteem, compassion and love. Write your affirmation on a card and keep it visible on your mirror or in a private space like a bookmark on your journal.
4. Practice Patience
Unlearning what you have been thinking, feeling and believing about yourself for years is going to take time. The process is not linear but will patience you will be able to cultivate a Steer clear of anything that triggers thoughts of inadequacy or social comparison whether it be a social media account or tv show. Follow body positive accounts, ones that boost your self esteem, give you loving reminders to nourish and care for your body.
5. Define Your ‘Why’?
Ask yourself what makes you feel this way. Why do you feel this way about your body? Is it a specific part? Was it a comment from a family member? or coworker that makes you conscious about your appearance. Do you want to change your body for yourself? Or is it because that is because you think you should based on what you see in highly edited photos in advertisements or on social media?
Developing purpose behind why you want to achieve health goals can set you in the right direction towards cultivating body positivity.
Body image thoughts can take over your head space, clouding your ability to listen to your body. Bringing awareness to these thoughts is the first step to respecting your body and making peace with food and cultivating a positive body image.
What is Your Body Positive Affirmation?!
Do you have a body image affirmation that supports you in feeling your best? Share your thoughts and affirmations in the comments below.
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