Body confidence is the sexiest thing you can wear. It fits every shape perfectly, has just the right allure and makes you a whole lot happier. So, where exactly can I purchase this body confidence outfit you ask? You already have it… it’s just buried under social media pressure, comparison traps, pointless negative thinking and misguided notions of ‘perfect’. It’s time to pull it out and own it!
The way you see your body is a precursor to any successful body transformation. However, body confidence doesn’t come from how you look, it comes from how you feel about yourself. Here are 8 helpful tips to help you change your expectations, emotions and behaviour around your body confidence.
1.Focus on what you like about your body (and yourself)
Have you ever noticed when you look at a photo of yourself you instantly pick out the part that you’re unhappy with? We all do it and it’s perfectly normal but that doesn’t mean it’s useful! Neuroscientists have identified that our brains scan (and dwell) on the negative while overlooking the positive. Meaning we are always battling a natural negative bias. Here is the power of knowledge at work…now that you know this, you can combat it to improve your body confidence. Recognising and noting any positives, no matter how small, will build your neural pathways that seek and expect positives! Start now…name three positive things about your body. The key here, you need to repeat this often to really pave those positive pathways.
2. Stop comparing
We completely understand that this is easier said than done! With the highlight reel of people’s lives splashed across social media, it is hard for even the most body confident person to avoid evaluating your own life against this. But comparing yourself against others puts the focus on the wrong person! If you catch yourself comparing your body to others, remember their picture is about THEM, not you. The easy fix here, compliment don’t compare. Bolstering others’ body confidence makes you more receptive to a body confidence boost. Win-win!
3. Be your own perfect
As teenagers we giggled at the fashion of our parents at our age. Then as young adults we found ourselves wearing a rehashed version of the same trends we had mocked. Body trends are no different!
Fitness professional Casey Ho photoshopped her body to show what she would look like through history with the ‘perfect’ body trends. Her insight at the end of the project made the point that we need to celebrate our own perfect! Casey remarked “I thought that I might secretly like one of the [photoshopped] results… I actually much prefer my body just as it is. Sure, I’ve got a small butt, small boobs, a soft belly, and hip dips, but I’ve also got powerful legs, strong shoulders, and a figure that is all mine – unlike anyone else’s.”
Trying to follow body trends will never result in body confidence. Being unique is a strength. Be your own perfect and celebrate your uniqueness.
4. Impress yourself
Body confidence has more to do with how you feel on the inside than how you look on the outside. Essentially, how you feel about your body may be influenced by others, but it is under your control. Your body is purely your vehicle for living a life that you value so it’s important to treat it well. Just like you would service your car regularly to keep it in good running order so too should you service your body. The best way to do that is to be mindful of what you put into it and how you rev it up!
Of course, eating healthy and maintaining a good exercise routine is important for how it functions but what you ‘think’ is equally important when it comes to body confidence. Think for a moment about your strengths. Are you smart, funny, athletic, compassionate, strong, ambitious, dedicated? Celebrating your skills and strengths is the fuel for your body to run well. When this happens, your body confidence shines.
5. Silence your inner critic
Your inner critic is sneaky and manipulative. It will play on your vulnerability and exploit any weakness you have. Most of our internal dialogue is on autopilot. If you pay close and conscious attention to your thoughts you will notice how quickly your inner critic jumps in, even when something good happens. For example, let’s say you’ve been aiming to lose some weight. You work towards eating well and exercising and realise you have lost a few kilos. Go you! But suddenly your inner critic is saying ‘It’s only water weight, you’ll regain that over the weekend!’. That seed planted by your inner critic then grows into more negative thoughts, chipping away at your body confidence.
Next time you catch your inner critic chastising yourself attempt to reword the thoughts as if you would deliver it to a friend. You would never want to undermine a friends’ body confidence, so don’t do it to yourself!
6. Sweat your way to body confidence
We will never get sick of saying this one because there are so many benefits to regular exercise! Conquering challenges, getting fitter, pushing through barriers, improving your health, feeling energized, enhancing your hormone function, better sleep, improved metabolism, decreased stress, self-pride … these are all features that lead to boosting body confidence. People who make exercise a regular part of their life become more confident with their time, their appearance and their ability to face challenges in everyday life and work.
7. Do more cool stuff
Are there things you sometimes do that make you feel like a rock star? Is it dancing around the house in your pyjamas? Nailing a HIIT session? A luxury retreat? Hula hooping with your friends? Cooking a nutritious meal for family? Volunteering at a charity event? Then, do more of that! The more you engage in activities that feed the release of positive hormones, the better you feel about yourself as a whole person, body confidence and all!
8. Practise body confident posture
When we talk about wearing your body confidence, there is nothing more revealing than your posture! Research suggests that good posture (especially in the face of stress) reduces negative moods and maintains positive self-esteem when compared to a slumped posture. Your posture, whether good or bad, is often a habit you have fallen into and often reflects your body confidence. So, you will need time and effort to change from slouched to confident. A fun idea is to set an alarm on your phone for every few hours to remind you to adjust your posture. Sit, stand, talk confidently and your mind will follow.
Are you ready to dig out that body confidence outfit?
It will take some work to clean-out your mindset wardrobe. These helpful tips are starting points that need consistent action for you to boost your body confidence. At Active8me, we believe so strongly in the power of your thoughts to create your reality that we’ve incorporated mindset lessons and reminders into your health and fitness journey. Remember a healthy body starts with a healthy mindset. Not sure where to start with either? Work on your body confidence and see lasting changes with one of the Active8me programs. All of your nutrition, workout and mindset needs in one app. It’s like having a personal trainer, dietician and life coach in your pocket!
