It’s ironic how when people should be focusing on their health and boosting their immune systems, extreme dieting practices masked as healthy habits are instead on everyone’s minds. Most people equate skinny with healthy, but you can also be healthy when you’re lankier or bigger than others.
There are different body types, but some expect people to easily gain or shed excess weight to fit society’s cookie-cutter ideal body shape. Unrealistic body standards continue to be an increasing problem at present. Even though it remains a growing issue everyone is aware of, it’s simply not easy to ignore jabs about weight and hate yourself for not looking perfect.
Self-love is a process that you learn to do over time. It’s funny how belittling yourself comes off as something more effortless than appreciating what the body you have does for you. If you have come to the point where you want to try living healthier and accepting yourself more but are not sure where to start, you can begin with these.
Choose Health
First off, severe dieting is not healthy. No matter how long you workout, drink diet pills and curb your hunger, you won’t become the super skinny models you see in a magazine.
Seeing how some models have even opened up about the mental issues they have developed over wanting to look slimmer, it’s apparent how their lifestyle is not something that merits idolatry. If you want to be healthy, the key is to stay at a healthy weight, eat nutritious food, and only chew what you can swallow.
Know What’s Good for You
Some foods just won’t cut it if you’re working towards a goal. If you have a fitness aim you want to achieve, you first should know your body’s needs.
For example, if you have low energy levels, you can opt for healthier options, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and complex carbs, instead of relying on highly caffeinated beverages. By creating meals filled with food that naturally beats fatigue, you already cut down on sugar and processed ingredients.
Positive Affirmations Over Negative Remarks
On your journey towards health, negative encouragement is not how you’ll reach your goals. You do not have to hurt yourself to become better. Since you’ll already go through a tough physical challenge, you can choose to be kind by motivating yourself and mustering the strength and determination you need by thinking of positive affirmations.
You can also start documenting your progress by taking videos and before and after images and depend on that as a strong motivating factor.
Remind Yourself That No One Is Perfect
Grass will always be greener on the other side. Envy is hard to beat and can be one of the most formidable opponents you’ll face during your journey, but it’s not entirely unbeatable when you have a strong mindset.
To build on your self-esteem, you must remember that no one is perfect and remain focused on your goal. Every person has different versions of success, so when you think about it like that, wondering why their bodies look better than yours will become pointless.
Accentuate Your Curves
Every body type is beautiful as long as it’s within the healthy range.
If you’re on the curvy side, then you can accentuate your lines by wearing clothes that compliment your shape instead of hiding them.
Once you have figured out the style that works for you, you need to take care of your pieces by sending them to trustworthy dry cleaners, so you can keep wearing them for a long time. Collecting fashion hacks, like how wearing a belt can make your waist look more prominent, will also improve your style.
Be Realistic With Your Goals
Not everyone can be stick-thin or grow the large muscles they want. When you’re working towards a specific body type you want, you need to be realistic by knowing your BMI to see whether you’re overweight, underweight, or at the perfect weight for your height.
Your BMI provides you with enough information to help you curate the best meals and workout regimen for your body.
Cut Out Media
Since you’ll be needing all the positivity you can get while striving to become healthier, you must leave behind sources that promote it. Social media abounds with positive and negative body opinions that may damage your mental health, especially during your most vulnerable times.
If you can’t wholly burn bridges with your socials, limiting your use or going on frequent social media detoxes may help. Once you can handle the criticisms and unrealistic expectations of the people on the web better, you can even help others on their journey by spreading positivity.
No one is perfect, and it’s going to take you a long time to accept that fact. You can only be the best version of yourself once you fully accept your flaws and positive traits.
