There are many moments in life that make you love yourself.
The moment you get a promotion. The moment your child tells you they love you. The moment you face your fears.
One of the big ones? The moment you decide to make a lifestyle change.
Even if you think to yourself “no way, I’m not where I want to be yet. I’ll love myself when I’m 30 pounds lighter”, you still made the first step.
You decided to love yourself enough to take the leap and make that big change!
As humans, we have this inborn desire to be adored by those around us. We want people to be inspired by us, and to love us for who we are.
Sometimes, ironically, this means wanting to change who you are. Now, in the case of changing yourself to achieve a healthier lifestyle, change is good!
But here’s the secret – the only way it’s going to work, is if you’re making the change for yourself.
Don’t put yourself in a position where you think you can only love who you are after you’ve lost weight or gained muscle. It’s important to learn how to be confident in yourself along the way too!
Here’s some tips on how to block out all the noise, and focus on you, and you alone.
Eat Nutritious Food
You are what you put into your body – a healthy mix of proteins, fruits, vegetables, and grains will provide your body with the nutrients it needs to perform at its best.
Our bodies are amazing vehicles that allow us to do practically anything! Why wouldn’t you want to fuel it with the best food possible?
When you eat high sugar and fatty foods too often, your body feels sluggish and worn down. You find yourself having no energy to do even the activities you love.
When you eat nutritious meals throughout the day, your focus, mood, energy, and motivation is greatly improved – giving you that “I’m awesome” feeling!
Remember, though, that you don’t need to be perfect all the time. It’s okay to cut loose every now and then and indulge in your favorite treats. By eating healthy most days and sprinkling a few cheat meals here and there, you’ll find yourself feeling balanced and not deprived of the foods you enjoy.
Food is one of the ultimate joys in life, and you should be able to enjoy its variety without feeling guilty about it!
Change Your Attitude About Exercise
You’ve probably heard the saying “your body is a temple”, and quite true it is.
If you think about it, your health is everything. And most of the time, we don’t realize this until something goes wrong.
Think about the last time you broke a bone, threw out your back, or had an illness. You felt pretty helpless, didn’t you? It was difficult for you to do normal activities that were once so easy when you had your health.
Once you realize having the ability to exercise and strengthen your body is a blessing, not a curse, you’ll find it much more enjoyable to hit the gym!
Exercise actually raises your endorphins, which is the “happy chemical”. So the more you workout, the happier and more confident you’ll feel.
When you exercise, you’re also testing your endurance. You never really know what you’re capable of until you test yourself! And once you realize how much you can push yourself, you feel a sense of accomplishment that only makes you want to keep going!
Block Out Outside Ideals
There’s a lot of pressure in today’s society to look a certain way. The media has caused most of us to grow up feeling like we’re not beautiful if we don’t match the standards portrayed in magazines.
Today, we’ve upgraded to being bombarded with these beauty ideals on social media. It’s tough to escape, which is why it’s so important to change your mindset so these kinds of images brush right off your shoulder.
You are your own individual person with your own goals.
When you constantly compare yourself to others, you only hurt yourself by creating feelings of anger and jealousy.
By keeping a clear focus of where you want to be and who you want to be, everything else becomes background noise. Everyone is going through their own struggles and insecurities, no matter how flawless they may seem.
Once you decide to focus on just becoming the best version of yourself, you’ll realize things about yourself you never knew before. You’ll test your limits and come out stronger than ever!
Find Something You’re Good At
When’s the last time you discovered a new talent or activity that you totally dominate?
When we participate in things that show off our talents, it makes us feel like we’re serving a purpose, and creating or doing something great in that moment.
It’s a major self-esteem boost to put your all into something that excites you and expands your abilities until you’re a classified pro.
It may take a little searching if you haven’t explored your talents in a while, but that just means you have the opportunity to get out there and try new experiences! If you’re more adventurous, go for something outdoors. If you’re more into the arts, try out a painting or cooking class.
Trying new things inspires you to keep learning more about who you are as a person, and you can share your victories with those around you, big or small.
Surround Yourself With Good Energy
There’s a lot of things in life that are out of our control, but there’s absolutely one thing we can control – and that’s who we choose to surround ourselves with.
If you spend your time with people who carry around negative energy, put you down, and don’t encourage you to achieve your goals, then you too will be dragged down to their level.
When the people in your social circle are supportive, goal driven, and love you for who you are, you’ll feel empowered to keep pushing forward.
You are the product of who you spend the most time with, make sure you choose those who share your vision.
