Is the key to feeling good to cut certain foods? Let me guess: if we cut sugar, alcohol, and wheat we will get that 30-year-old body back. Oh, yes, and dairy…and how about that cardio? If we add high-intensity cardio, we will be able to achieve the body we crave. Does this sound familiar?
Deprivation and working hard(er) messages flood the media and our thoughts.
But what if this isn’t true, and this thinking keeps us in a cycle of feeling bad about ourselves? Will you buy more stuff? Watch more feeds? Try new programs?
Ever since the 1920s, we have been counting calories for beauty and “exercising off” mistakes we’ve made.
It is easy to fall prey to this approach when we are surrounded by messages all day every day to eat less, exercise harder, and scrutinize our appearance in the mirror. Yet, these mindsets are possibly precisely why we’re still struggling with how we view ourselves and expressly why we continue to seek a “new way” to feel strong and confident in our bodies.
How much do you pay attention to how you talk to yourself? We have over 10,000 thoughts a day. Sadly, over 80 percent are negative. From the moment we understand language, we are rarely without our companion of inner chatter. The quality of our self-talk shapes the quality of our lives. Self-talk and body image are intertwined and inseparable. For many women, our inner monologue about our body can be critical, judgmental, and down-right bullying. So, what exactly is “body image”?
Body image is the inner picture of outer appearance — it is a person’s perception of their body. Body image includes how we feel about our bodies; messages we have received from others; and the social value placed on our looks and abilities. It’s not static but develops in interactions and changes throughout our lives.
The key step to achieving body positivity is to build awareness of our self-talk.
Negative self-talk can so-easily lead to all-or-nothing thinking, making decisions based on emotion, and much more. Often, this can lead to less motivation to exercise and a “throw in the towel” approach to diet and other wellness strategies like sleep and stress building.
When we decide that our self-talk is defeating our efforts to achieve wellness, our goals change, our chances of achieving them become more reasonable and we tend to meet them!
If you are ready to gain confidence and achieve body positivity, I’d love to tell you more about my unique Concierge Small Group program. You will transform your mindset, your body, and your life through my proven strategies that focus on abundance over deprivation. Reach out to us and we will schedule a free 30-minute consultation to see if Concierge Small Group is right for you!
