Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought, “if I could just lose this weight (or look a certain way), then I would be happy”? I am sure at some point in our lives, we have all been there. Having weight loss or body image goals are not necessarily a bad thing, but putting all of your emphasis on appearance will likely leave you disappointed and unfulfilled. Your wellness goals should be motivated by feeling your best, not by the way you look.
You see, what happens when we put all of our emphasis on our appearance, is that we often give up when change doesn’t come immediately or in the timeline we had hoped. You must shift your mindset to believe that it is okay to step on the scale and have not lost any weight. It’s also okay if your “skinny pants” still don’t fit, what truly matters is that you feel good, you feel healthy, and that you stay motivated. When you experience that mindset shift, your goals often times become easier to reach, and things you may have said, “I can’t” to in the past, now become the things that empower you.
I want you to take a moment out of each day to try something new. It may feel silly and it may feel useless, but it could change your life. Every morning I want you to get up and look at yourself in the mirror (preferably a floor length mirror) and say out loud, “I love my body and I’m thankful for everything it is capable of.” I want you to repeat this to yourself every single day, no matter how silly or unbelievable it feels, keep saying it. When we repeat mantras like this to ourselves everyday, no matter how cruddy we feel, or how insecure we may be, eventually, we start to believe it. This, my friend, is the beginning of your path to contentment.