Struggling to learn to love and accept your body right now? Read on as we unpack body image and dive into 7 ways to love your body today.

7 Ways to Love Your Body Right Now

Body image can be a tricky thing, and while most of us understand the power of self-love, sometimes it can be difficult to actually put it into practice in real life.

I personally struggled with body image for years, and it wasn’t until I fully understood what was going on in my mind that I was able to flip the script and really embrace what I see in the mirror everyday.

The key to more body acceptance? It’s understanding how your mind works, managing your mind, and taking advantage of your wellness personality type so you can live your healthiest, and fullest life.

“You are worthy, regardless of your body size. You are a human, who has a body. You are not your body”.

Here’s are the mindset hacks, habits, and tactics to help you love your body right now.

1 | Know Yourself

Want to unlock the secret to body acceptance? Start by getting to know yourself better.

The way you think and your individual personality type makes a huge difference when it comes to self-acceptance.

Head on over to our Wellness Personality Quiz to find out more about your individual personality and how it might be showing up when it comes to body acceptance.

Want more? Tune into How I Learned to Accept My Body on the Feel Good Effect Podcast for more on how your Wellness Personality may be showing up and impacting how you view your body.

2 | Manage the (Inner) Conversation

The next step to body acceptance is to notice the way you talk to yourself on a daily basis.

Especially in all those places that bring up negative self talk.

You know what I’ve talking about: when you’re getting ready to go out, in dressing rooms, or preparing for a big event.

What messages are you repeating to yourself?

Honestly, it can be upsetting when you realize how you’re talking to yourself, because you may just notice that you’re kind of a bully.

But here’s the cool thing: when you start to notice how you talk to yourself, you realize that maybe there’s a different way to talk to yourself, and trust me, and there absolutely is.

It’s not who you are, this version of yourself that says these mean things about your body.

This inner dialog is simply a pattern you’ve practiced over time; it’s your brain’s current response to how you look.

The good news?

It’s totally possible to change it.

3 | Talk to Yourself Like Someone Important is Listening

Think about someone in your life that is really important to you.

When you’re saying these things about your body, whatever mean thing or shame spiral you find yourself in, imagine saying those things to someone else, either about them or about yourself to them.

By examining your thoughts in this way, you may find that you would never dream of saying these things in front of them or to them because they are so hurtful.

So now it’s time to flip the script, rewire, and start saying kinder things.

And don’t worry, you don’t have to start by saying “I love my belly” or “my hips are really amazing today.”

Simply start by bringing attention and awareness to what you’re saying, and work toward kindness.

Start by focusing on all the things your body does for you everyday: how amazing it is that your legs carry you from place to place, or that your lungs fill with breath every single day and allow you to move through life, or that your arms can pick up that baby or give a friend a hug.

Start to change that conversation in your head from all the things you don’t like, toward kindness and gratitude.

The best part?

When you practice something over and over, your brain gets very efficient at it.

The neurons fire together and it becomes more efficient.

So it’s totally normal that over the years you’ve gotten very efficient at looking at your body and saying unkind things and finding all the flaws- it’s just how your brain has gotten wired.

It’s been your first automatic response.

But, if you start practicing talking to yourself like someone important is listening, then you can actually start to rewire your brain.

And over time those reactions and thoughts will become more natural and you will find that you can look in the mirror and truly love what you see.

4 | Rethink What You’re Measuring

If you are scale obsessed, measuring tape obsessed, or before-and-after selfie obsessed, it’s time to consider what you’re actually measuring.

You are, of course, really measuring the shape of your body, which is fine if that works for you, but if you find it constantly makes you feel like you aren’t enough, then you do have a choice to change that.

“The problem with using the scale or tape measure to measure success is that is putting so much emphasis on the shape of your physical body and no emphasis on all the other ways that health can show up”.

Instead starting your day with a measurement of your physical body; consider grounding yourself with a different kind of measurement.

Perhaps consider asking yourself these 3 simple questions as a way of measuring what really matters, beyond your physical body:

  • How do I want to feel today?

  • What do I want to focus on?

  • What do I want to let go of?

Then, as the day come to an end check back in:

  • I feel how I wanted to feel today?

  • What did I focus on?

  • What was I able to let go of?

By changing what you’re measuring you may just find your shape of your physical body becomes just one part of your health story, instead of the only way you’re measuring success.

5 | Dress for the Body You Have

Be honest: are you guilty of hoarding multiple pairs of jeans in the back of your closet because you think maybe one day they’ll fit, and when they do, you’ll finally be happy?

Here’s the thing: this is totally normal!

But here’s the other thing. By doing this you’re effectively measuring and comparing yourself to a version of yourself that’s not here.

That person? She’s in the past, for better or for worse.

And you are here, right now, a person who totally deserves clothes that fit.

So buy yourself of pair of pants that fit, grab some workout clothes that make you feel really good, ditch the past version of yourself, and just dress the body you have right now.

6 | Get honest with how you’re approaching food and movement.

Here’s the thing: the word acceptance? It does not mean giving up.

It doesn’t mean waving the white flag, or throwing in the towel.

Acceptance simply means to be in this present moment.

By being in the moment, you’re able to go out into the world and continue on your path of self improvement.

Acceptance just means to know that you are where you are right now, and that you can approach that from a place of kindness, a place of mindfulness, a place of self trust, and by coming at it from that place with self compassion, that you are able to put yourself on this path that is so much more joyful, and so much more well.

And the more you can be in this present moment, the more you can ask yourself questions and get really honest with how you’re approaching food and how you’re approaching movement.

It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing proposition.

Because you can say “I accept my body the way it is” and say “my body deserves real food, my body deserves movement”.

So instead of coming at healthy eating and movement with a diet-mentality or a punishment, consider approaching it as a way to nourish yourself.

Show up for your body, so your body can show up for you.

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7 | Get in the Picture (then View it Through Different Eyes)

Start getting in every picture!

Have you ever looked back at pictures of yourself, and thought, “I look amazing!” or “look how young I was!”, and then remember, “I had no idea at the time”?

Maybe you can shift the way you think and apply that future self to how you see yourself now.

Or maybe you can look at that picture the way someone who loves you looks at it, or the way a child might look at it, and let this be your practice.

Know that you have a choice to come back and practice looking with love and kindness, practice looking from the future with appreciation, practice looking through the eyes of someone who loves you for you.

“You are beautiful, you are worthy and you are so much more than your body”.

What mindset strategies and habits do you use to find more peace and acceptance for your body? Share your ideas below and connect with me on Instagram @realfoodwholelife to continue the conversation!

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