5 Ways to Love Your Body This Week
When I was competing, I looked at my body all the time. I took selfies almost every day, zooming in to see if I could find new veins or ab lines and I diligently took progress pictures every weekend.
But I was looking at it on the surface level & as pieces of me, rather than as a whole.
As I transitioned away from that lifestyle and towards one of body acceptance, I gained weight.
I struggled hardcore with this, something I’ve talked about often. During this time I avoided looking at myself in the mirror.
I stopped taking progress pictures, I stopped analyzing myself.
Which was good, but also not good at the same time.
Because in this process of avoiding the mirror, I never learned to appreciate the beauty of my body. I often avoided looking at myself naked, because if I just avoided it, I wouldn’t have to deal with it.
This is a bit personal, but I'm gonna share it anyways. When my husband sees me coming out of the shower and I’m naked he always compliments me, he tells me how beautiful I am and in his eyes, I can see how much he loves me. In those moments I sometimes feel kind of embarrassed and ashamed in my body. I don't radiate the same kind of confidence as I do fully clothed. When I realized I felt like this I started to really become conscious of it.
I'm at a place now where I’m able to look at my body and feel completely neutral with my body. The shape or size of me doesn't define my worth or stop me from chasing my goals. I'm able to work out and be healthy without being obsessed.
But I can see that the next step for me is falling more in LOVE with myself, which includes my body on another level. & I know that by doing this, it will further my personal transformation AND strengthen the relationship I have with myself (which then affects all other relationships in my life, like my marriage).
Before we get into the 5 ways to love your body this week, I want to connect the dots for you a bit more about why this is a necessary step.
Your body is your home. It’s a vessel that transports your soul around in this lifetime. When you don’t feel fully SAFE in this vessel, you’re unable to fully embrace your authentic self.
For those of us who have struggled with our bodies our whole lives and felt that a smaller or leaner body is what will bring us happiness, BEING in our bodies feels traumatic. We want to be anywhere but HERE.
If you want to be anywhere but in your home, do you see how this makes it impossible for you to get to know yourself? How the heck can you even be authentic if you don’t wanna be in your own body?! How are you going to pursue your purpose or your passion from this state?!
So you can see why this is an important part of your personal evolution to becoming your highest self.
So here are 5 ways that you can love your body this week! Some of these I’ve been doing and some are new for me that I’m going to integrate in (like number 3!). I hope you’ll join me for one or all. Let me know which one you plan to do :)
Learn to have acceptance and neutrality, before moving straight into love. The journey of self-love is transitional, and you can love your body more just by seeing it as neutral rather than lying to yourself that you love it. As you look at your body say something like > ”I have legs and a stomach” vs “My legs and stomach are huge”.
Getting a massage. & I’m not talking about the 30 min one in a chair at the mall (lol I do this one all the time), but an actual one where you get naked. Get bougie and make it a thing! Having another person perform bodywork in a professional environment helps you become comfortable with your body. Something I haven’t tried yet but will be doing soon is getting a full body scrub at the Korean spa- you have to be fully naked for this treatment. I’m excited and nervous lol.
Make a ritual out of putting lotion on your body or dry brushing. Spending alone time with ourselves naked & doing something physical like this is a big step towards acceptance & feeling safe.
Buy yourself some sexy underwear or pajamas, FOR YOURSELF! Yep don’t do this for some guy, your partner or husband, do it for you so you can feel good. I recently bought these silk sleep camis & I love the way my body feels in them. Its a small thing, but has made a huge difference in how I FEEL. I feel sexy!
Stand in front of the mirror (you don’t have to be naked), look at yourself in the eyes and tell yourself “I love you. You are enough. You are worthy of love, success and whatever your heart desires.” This one sounds easy, but looking at yourself in the eyes is super vulnerable. By doing this exercise you are fully SEEING yourself. Which is what we all truly crave as a human - to be seen, to be accepted and to be loved.
What are some ways you show love to yourself your body? Share with me down in the comments!
xx
Chanee