If you are on a diet, in the midst of a food rebalancing or life change, you must have realized one thing: being good in your body, feeling good about yourself, it’s DIFFICULT . Many people believe that it comes on its own, when you lose weight or make healthier choices.
For those who haven’t figured it out yet, this is a spoiler, but it’s worth hearing it once and for all: LOSE WEIGHT OR GAIN MUSCLE DON’T YOU DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY FEEL GOOD. It would be too easy, eh? So, and I talk about it a lot with you on instagram, it gets to a point where you put in a lot of effort (even, every effort you can imagine) and … you still don’t like yourself. Because you don’t recognize yourself in the mirror anymore, or because your weight is stagnant and it gets you down.
Except feeling good is often THE reason you do it all. So, how do we do it? We learn to love each other as we go. And for that, I have compiled my 10 tips for you to feel good about yourself, whether you are at the beginning or the end of your change of lifestyle.
1. Decide to love yourself.
It sounds stupid said like that, but it all starts there. You can still hate yourself or find yourself just plain old, eh. But it is of no interest and it is counterproductive. So the first step is to be like, ” Come on, let’s go, today I’m learning to love myself.” And we don’t care whether you’ve just started a diet or have already lost 20 pounds. It’s never too early or too late to get started.
2. Don’t talk about yourself like you wouldn’t talk to a friend.
Even if your girlfriend Louise has put on some weight, you wouldn’t think of telling her candidly: “ but! What are those filthy thighs ?! they are touching there, it’s filthy! and your belly, have you seen your belly? Do you really think you’re going to please someone with this? You are really disgusting, you disgust me! ”
so, WHY, NOT OF A DOG, DO YOU ALLOW YOURSELF TO TALK TO YOURSELF LIKE THIS ?!
On the one hand, your friend Louise, even if she takes 5kg, you are not going to see anything, or not pay attention to it, because you have affection for her, and her weight, we who cares, in fact. She’s still funny, she’s still beautiful (by the way, if that is the case, those 5kg makes her even prettier), and she’s still smart. On the other hand, you know that if you tell her that, she’s just going to be really bad for a long time, it’s not going to pull her up AT ALL, and other than just hurt her, it won’t had no interest. Guess what ? The same applies to you. It is not by being insulting to yourself that you will motivate yourself, on the contrary! WE STOP SELF-SHAMING NOW.
3. A compliment a day… keeps the sadness away
I know, there are days when you don’t really feel 100% Beyoncé. We have sad hair, a dull complexion, a bad sleep, whatever. These days, even more than any other, you have to make the effort to find ONE thing about your home that you like. It can be anything. And you formulate it, clearly. “This dress fits me perfectly, it’s crazy!” “I particularly succeeded with my eyeliner line, it looks like bambi”, “that hairstyle in three combs? That’s it, I’m Franck Provost, that’s for sure. ”
And keep it in mind all day. And when things go wrong .. think about it even harder.
4. Stop comparing yourself to others
“She, she’s thinner”, “her, her thighs aren’t touching and she has abs”, “him, he has more muscles than me” .. No, but it’s over, yes ?! The people you compare yourself to .. are not you. They don’t have the same lifestyle, not the same metabolism, not the same exercise routine, not the same diet, not the same goals, not the same age… BRIEF. They are not you. So you can admire their bodies, and ask for advice. But be jealous? Hell no. If I tell you “what’s better between a trampoline and ice skates”, what are you telling me? That even though both are sports equipment .. they have nothing to do with it. they are not used for the same thing, and there is not one better than the other. It’s the same with other people’s bodies. It’s roughly the same basic function (gender, living), but everything else is different. So empower yourself to achieve YOUR goals, set goals for YOUR body .. but stop considering other people’s!
5. Get moving Bougezzzz
(and this is a musical reference. You’re welcome, you’ll have it in your head all day)
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you feel a LOT better when you’re active, doing something with your day. This is mainly because the body needs it: it likes to move (even if you are a little lazy and would lie down well). Suddenly, the more active you are (and it can be sport, a good walk in the woods or 20min of dancing in your living room on the latest Rihanna, I don’t care!), the more you secrete serotonin, molecule of happiness. So whenever you feel like chilling in a corner (and we all have them, me the first), go for a walk! jump, move! We circulate the blood, we wake up the muscles, in short, we stop being a vegetable and we start to be a human, a bit!
6. Pamper yourself
No matter what you think about your body, it’s THE ONLY one you have . And you’re not going to change it along the way, so that means it’s there, and yours, for a while. Not only is it yours, it’s the only thing you actually own, in fact. We can take your house and your car, but your body cannot be. It’s also something your parents made. Overall, you love your parents, so you’re not going to leave something behind and have them spent some time making and watching them grow up.
what do we do now? We TAKE CARE. Take a trip to the hairdresser, put on moisturizer, take the time to choose your shirt in the morning. We don’t have to go through a manicure-pedicure every week (I’ve never even done one in my life, because I’m not the most girly girl in the world #nowyou know) but just take time for yourself, to to pamper yourself or to be pampered is a good way to refocus on yourself. Life is stressful, and your body may not be exactly what you want it to be. BUT that’s no reason to deprive yourself of small, simple pleasures that make you feel better and do your body good. Enjoy, relax. And when you leave, show me this new fringe in front of the world!
7. Walk around naked. As much as possible.
Careful, eh. I hear you walk around naked HOME. I don’t want to worry about inciting exhibitionism. But being naked (completely naked) and being able to see your reflection in a mirror is a good way to familiarize yourself with your body, to accept it, to appreciate it.
8. Allow yourself to BE Beyoncé from time to time.
And there, we talk about every day or ALL is well. You know, those times when you are in a good mood, that you feel like a unique little diamond fallen from the sky, or you want to sing and dance in the street and the opinion of others does not. You don’t care AT ALL. there you are Beyoncé. Celebrate it. Let this feeling come over you and rule your day. Go shopping and buy THE perfect outfit, message that guy you love or your ex (oh no, not your ex.) The further you go on the path of accepting your body, the more often this kind of moment will happen. So learn to accept them – I know some who try to denigrate themselves to convey that feeling, eh. But no no no! Give yourself the right to be ON TOP , even if you think you still have some way to go on the global level.
9. Congratulate yourself (aloud) on each success
You have the right to be proud of yourself. Especially if you are doing things you never thought you could. Recognize it, and congratulate yourself! If you don’t, nobody might do it for you.
For example, if I can do 30 push-ups at a time and am alone at the gym. It means I’m stronger than yesterday. That I’m in better shape. That I worked to get there. and bah YAY me ! ? If I have lost 3kilos this month while tempted to have ice cream every day: YAY ME !
Celebrate every little victory – you can do a little dance, wink in the ice, whatever! just make sure to salute your progress. It allows you to make small “check points”, instead of always chasing a long-term goal.
10. Seek solace .. and give!
Learning to love yourself is a long journey that sometimes hurts a bit. It’s even harder when you’re all alone. So don’t be afraid to ask for help! You are REALLY not alone on this path. We ALL have our insecurities and problems. I preach for my ward, but the Instagram fitness community is full of top people who are there when things go wrong. Talk to your friends, your family if they can understand. Without complaining, without adding more. But a little “I’m a bit slack there, I don’t feel pretty / handsome” starts a discussion (often full of compliments, and sincere since people love you) which is good!
Likewise, don’t hesitate to be body-positive with those around you! Do you hear someone complaining about their physique? Compare ? Go talk to him! Without being condescending, without necessarily saying things you don’t mean. Just start the discussion. It helps A LOT.