Can you believe summer is just around the corner!
So what better time to uncover the secret to having the perfect summer body and get prepared to enjoy the sunshine - with no inhibitions.
Our belief about the way we look, has a huge effect on our emotions, thoughts and actions. It doesn’t matter who you are. There is always an instance when you catch a glimpse of your reflection and a negative thought pop’s in your head about what you see. You could be going about your normal day, feeling good about yourself, glimpse in the mirror and BAM!
Your eyes start to see all the things you’re not happy with. Your brain starts an indepth conversation in your head about how unattractive you look. You start to feel like sh*t!
Most of the time, we don’t even question where those thoughts came from. Instead, we focus on the self loathing and allow the negativity to take over our emotions for minutes, hours or even days?
Throughout my weight loss journey, I’ve had to re-establish my relationship with my body. This has meant being aware of the trigger’s that caused my any own self loathing.
For me personally, a lot of my triggers came from social media.
I’d be scrolling through Instagram, having a good day and not even thinking about my appearance. Then, I’d come across a new post of a celebrity I follow and she looks flawless.
Perfect hair, perfect body, perfect face – BAM!
My brain connections immediately triggered an emotional response as I compared myself to the image I was seeing.
Even though I knew celebrities and models have a whole glam squad working round the clock to get that ‘perfect’ shot. And I knew the image is photo-shopped, filtered, stretched and pulled. Those details didn’t register with my brain. The manipulated image immediately brought to the surface negative feelings I had about myself. These connections fuelled my thoughts about how I view my own body.
Thankfully I found a secret recipe that now enables me to recover quickly from the initial ‘BAM’ moment. This recipe has given me tools to see my body in a different light and just keep scrolling. Happily knowing my own body looks awesome! Even better, I discovered the secret to having the perfect summer body does not involve any physical exercise or having to change the way I eat.
WHAT'S THE SECRET TO HAVING THE PERFECT SUMMER BODY?
No matter where you are on the body confidence spectrum, there is always room to fill your cup with an arsenal of defence resources against that BAM moment. Whether you want to lose weight for the summer, maintain your current weight or just have a different emotional connection with your physical self. This recipe will empower you to fully embrace every inch of yourself – getting you #SummerBodyReady
So let’s step into the kitchen and start mixing your perfect summer body recipe!
Find a picture of yourself that you absolutely love
If you start to feel down about the way you look, take out the picture and remind yourself of how amazing you are. Think about where the picture was taken, how you felt at the time and what you love about yourself in the picture.
Write ten things you like about yourself
Make them a mix of your physical aspects and your personality. If you’re feeling low, read the list out loud. This sends triggers to your brain and makes new connections about how you feel about yourself.
Make a list of the people who make you feel good about yourself and why
Surrounding yourself with positive people reinforces your overall self-esteem. Having a list of the people that bring out the best on you and you can turn to, enable you to immediately get support if you’re feeling low about how you see yourself.
List all the compliments other people have given you
Highlighting the great things people have said to you about both your appearance and personality will give you an instant boost. Especially if the emotions of your ‘BAM’ moment just won’t go away. The list will also help you be more receptive when people pay you a compliments in the future. The more receptive you are to compliments of others, the less your mind starts to accept your own thoughts about how you look.
Create a ‘distractions’ list
If you start to become really distracted about thoughts of your body or appearance, it’s a great idea to do something to changes your focus. Make a list of all the things you like to do. It could be listening to music, dancing, art, sports or a hobby that you have. As long as it makes you feel good – put it on the list. The next time you are having one of those moments (or days), take out your list and pick something to do. It will not only change your focus but also improve your mood.
Write a letter to someone you admire
Think about a someone you admire. Write a letter about the things you like about them. (You don’t have to actually send it!) Yes, you can write about aspects of the physical appearance you like but make the basis of the letter about how they inspire you. Next time when you see an image of them looking ‘perfect’, your first initial connection is not going to be about how they look. Instead you will connect with admiration for what they inspire in you.
Write down all the things you are grateful for
When you acknowledge all the good things about your life, your focus on any negative aspects of your body becomes less important. See if you can write something every day – you will be amazed at how wonderful life really is.
Challenge negative feelings
We all have different life experiences and influences by the time we get to adulthood. Some of these are positive and others have a negative impact on the way we see ourselves. If a negative thought pops up in your BAM moment and you can’t shake it off, try to ask yourself ‘why’ you feel this way about your body and if there is another way of looking at things.
Our self-love and body image come directly from the thoughts and emotions we carry around with us. Being proud of who you are, what you look like and what you stand for, takes one step at a time and can be a life-long process.
Make it a regular part of your daily or weekly routine to look through the ingredients of your perfect summer body recipe. Re-read what you have written and add to the lists in order to keep growing in confidence with the way you see yourself. Everything in life takes work, practice and repetition.
Slowly but surely those BAM moments will happen less frequently and with less force as you become to accept the beautiful body you are in.
Taking time out to focus on all the positive things about your body gradually allows you to realise there is much more good than bad. Accepting your body isn’t about learning to love every part of your body, but rather caring for who you are and giving yourself value.
