How To Love Your Body While You Lose Weight — 13 Tips For Mindful Self-Healing
It goes so much deeper than you think.
Unsplash Obesity is at an all-time high in the US. More than one-third of adults are extremely overweight and the number is growing at an unprecedented rate.
It’s a serious concern because it is associated with poorer mental health outcomes and an overall reduction in quality of life.
If you, or someone you love, is making the hard-fought effort to regain their health and wellness because of obesity, kudos to you!
It’s high time you recognize and acknowledge that you are amazing and beautiful wherever you are in your journey. Learning how to love your body while losing weight will be a game-changer in your efforts to succeed.
Here are 13 tips on how to heal yourself and lose weight with self-love:
1. Be mindful of what you're thinking
Your body is a direct reflection of what’s going on in your mind.
If your weight loss is fueled by negative self-talk, it will work against you by becoming a spirit-crushing punishment. Let feeling good about yourself, and believing that you are worth the effort, be your motivation to continuing your journey to living a healthier lifestyle. Nothing about you is ordinary.
2. Learn to eat well.
How you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future, to a great extent will depend on your daily food choices.
Eating a balanced diet from a wide variety of nutritious, whole foods is vital for your overall well-being. In order to take your physical and mental fitness to the next level, give yourself permission to spend your money on only the very best food choices.
3. Use natural or holistic means to help you.
If life’s daily struggles and uncontrollable chaos are draining you of physical and emotional health while you’re trying to lose weight, it may be time to try a more holistic approach.
By incorporating a regular yoga practice into your life, you can guide your body to self-healing in a natural way. This centuries-old practice provides many undeniable benefits. It can be very effective in developing coping skills and reaching a more positive outlook on life.
4. Set realistic goals.
Don’t wait until everything is just right to begin loving your body because it never will be.
Appreciate yourself for where you’ve been, where you’re headed and where you are in your journey to well-being.
Focus on the things that make you your happiest, healthiest self. Continue to explore your passions, reach for your goals, and achieve your wildest dreams.
5. Don't let your relationships suffer.
Loneliness and social isolation are just as much a threat to longevity as obesity.
Studies reveal that if you want to live a long and healthy life, maintaining strong social relationships filled with good friends will lead to a longer lifespan. It has been proven to have a positive impact on both physical and mental fitness and can be the key to a lifetime of wellness.
6. Make sure you're speaking kindly to yourself.
Healthy comes in all shapes and sizes; life is too short to waste a single moment being in a hate-state with your body.
It’s time to stop beating yourself up and start being your body’s best friend instead of its worst enemy. Be grateful for who you are, where you’re at, and where you’re headed in your journey. Take time to reflect on your blessings rather than your blemishes.
7. Start each day off on the right foot.
In order to receive the best that life has to offer you, it’s essential that you get off on the right foot.
Because your morning rituals can and will impact your entire day, you must set the stage for how it will unfold. Every morning when you wake up you have 24 brand new hours ahead of you. Use this opportunity to begin your day fit and focused; enhancing the quality of your life and setting yourself up for success.
8. Don't focus on numbers!
Forget about your dress size, it’s not what should be dictating your self-worth—feeling authentic and beautiful should.
When you feel confident you will be at your best. Notice how you stand taller, smile brighter, and move through your day with purpose and intention. Or as Diane von Furstenberg put it, “Confidence. If you have it, you can make anything look good.”
9. Learn how to practice mindfulness.
Millions of people are realizing the life-changing benefits of a mindfulness practice and you can, too.
Comparable to the way fitness is an approach to training the body, mindful meditation is an approach to training the mind. Research confirms what many religious and philosophical traditions have claimed for years; you will experience your greatest joy when you are present and attentive. Practicing mindfulness will make it easier for you to be fully engaged and enjoy life’s pleasures.
Live your life with greater consciousness and use this mind-body approach to boost your mental and physical health.
10. Change how you approach weight loss.
Jumpstart your journey to wellness with physical activity.
The sooner you shift into action, the sooner you will see and feel the results of a regularly scheduled workout. I have never known anyone, who after a workout said: “I wish I hadn’t done that.” Or after they began to get stronger, more toned, and realized weight loss said: “Boy, that was a waste of time.” Getting healthy is a slow, steady process.
It should not be your destination, but your way of life.
11. Don't let numbers fool you.
Don’t expect to be happy just because you have reached a certain weight; the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
The scale will only tell you the numerical value of your gravitational pull. It will not tell you how beautiful and sexy you are, or how much your family and friends cherish you.
Let the weight you lose be what’s lifted off your shoulders when you embrace and love your body.
12. Tell your inner critic to hush.
Everyone experiences life’s obstacles and it’s easy to let the daily grind bring you down.
While you can’t always control what comes your way, you can control how you react to it. Make a sincere effort to silence your inner critic. Stop listening to that voice that tells you that you’re not good enough, smart enough, or thin enough. If you wouldn’t say it to your best friend, don’t even think about saying it to yourself.
13. Remember to be thankful for everything you have.
You must never let the things that you want to achieve lessen the awareness of the things that you already have.
If you can’t be grateful for what you have accomplished so far, what makes you think you’ll be happy when you reach your goals? Be thankful for the struggles you have overcome to get to where you are, because without them you might not have ever stumbled across your strength.
Roll with the punches, stay positive, and live with an open mind and a kind heart. Falling passionately in love with the life you have will be the secret to your happiness.
Don’t allow perfectionism to steal your joy.
Stop being your own harshest critic and start practicing how to love your body while losing weight. A little self-love can change your outlook on life and help you be proud of who you are in the present moment.
Learn to love and appreciate your body as it is today. Because even when you reach your goals, you will continue to be a work in progress.
Accept and be mad about the person you are right now and you will become all you dream of being.
Judy Molinaro is a wellness coach and master yoga instructor at JudyMolinaro.com. If you want to learn more about loving your body and living the life of your dreams contact her today.