10 Tips for Staying Body Positive

Say goodbye to insecurities!

10 Tips for Staying Body Positive

Ideally, every day would be a body positive day, and we would always feel strong, sexy, and powerful. Nevertheless, in a society where we’re constantly help up to impossible beauty standards, it’s difficult to feel confident 100% of the time. This is especially true when we’re pressuring ourselves to get in shape or lose weight.

These 10 tips for staying body positive are great for getting yourself in the right mindset. Combat insecurities by practicing self-love and learning that you don’t have to be perfect to be worthy.

10 Tips for Staying Body Positive

1. Start appreciating beauty in others.

To see beauty in yourself, start by seeing it in others. From childhood when all the good cartoon characters are pretty and the villains aren’t, we are conditioned to connect certain traits with goodness. We might see an overweight person and subconsciously assume they’re lazy and poor, but these assumptions are rarely ever right. Do your best to hold off judgement, or try to focus on a person’s positive traits. Before long, this mindset will transfer to you.

2. Gussy up once in a while, even if it’s just for the grocery store.

This tip might not be for everyone. Some people feel more confident in jeans and no make-up. However, many just don’t bother with their appearance because they’re busy, stressed, or used to it. Try dressing up in clothes that make you feel confident and sexy. Heels, cat eyeliner, a bouncy perky bun, whatever works for you!

Need some inspiration? Get creative and have fun with your makeup! Check out these 10 Clever Makeup Tricks You Need to Try, or these 4 Makeup Tricks to Make Your Eyes Pop. Try something new, and have fun with it!

3. Pamper yourself.

Treat yourself. In order to feel better about your body, take good care of it. Indulge in a bubble bath, give yourself a manicure, or take a long nap. Give your body and your mind time to recover.

Treat yourself to salon-quality pampering at home, with simple ingredients straight from your kitchen! Check out these 10 DIY Beauty Treatments from Your Kitchen. And if your hair is in need of some loving, get those silky smooth locks you desire at home with these 3 DIYs to Get Softer Hair.

4. Have fitness goals that have nothing to do with appearance.

Forget the scale and the measuring tape. If all you’re focused on is your looks, of course you’ll be disappointed when they don’t match up to what you see on television and magazines. Fitness is a great way to feel strong and powerful, but not if you’re tearing yourself apart over a little thigh jiggle. Aim to squat your highest weight, run your fastest mile, or bike your longest distance. Seeing your body accomplish these incredible things will make you truly proud.

Don’t know where to start? No problem- Skinny Ms. is here to offer you a bit of motivation! Try challenging your body from head to toe with these awesome Top 10 Fitness Challenges– take on as many as you can!

Staying on track for success in attaining your fitness goals is easy by recording your progress in a journal. This 30 Day Fitness Journal Challenge will definitely nudge you towards progress and improvement.

5. Step away from others’ criticism.

Even if it’s not directed at you, judgmental comments can still bring your self-confidence down. They’ll teach you how to look at your body critically instead of lovingly. Distance yourself from that kind of comment. This often means you’ll have to distance yourself from negative personalities.

6. Listen to a powerful song.

Get lost in a feel-good song. Music has great power to influence our emotions and opening ourselves to its influence can work in our favor. Next time you’re feeling down, play a song that you love.

The right songs can also give you the motivation, and uplifting spirit you need to power through a workout. Here are some awesome Workout Songs to Get Your Body Moving!

7. Be wary of messages in advertisements and media.

Eating disorders and body dysmorphia is on the rise. One of the main contributing factors are messages sent through ads and social media. If your Instagram only shows fashion and fitness models, perhaps it’s time to follow some more body positive accounts. In the fashion world, body positivism is also starting to show more. Some brands are making headlines for choosing not to retouch models and for using models of all sizes. Actively supporting these brands is a good way to work towards a more body positive society.

8. Focus on things you love about yourself.

Focus on the positive, not the negative. It’s easy to spend too much time thinking about the parts of our body we want to change. In no time we forget that there’s also parts of our bodies we love. Think hard about the things you really like about yourself, whether it’s your hair, your lips, or your legs. Focus on this the next time you look in the mirror.

Having a positive outlook on life will give you more faith in yourself, and significantly impact your everyday decisions and encounters for the better. Check out these 10 Positive Thoughts to Boost your Confidence for some uplifting inspiration!

9. Appreciate the variety among people.

Comparison is the thief of joy. Diversity is a wonderful thing. The fact that people can look so different is cause for celebration. When you compare yourself to someone else, you’re holding yourself to impossible standards. You don’t need to look like people on television to look beautiful. In fact, beauty is more easily achieved through self confidence and from owning your body as it is.

10. Don’t compare yourself to a previous version of you, either.

Our bodies change as we grow and age. This is completely natural. Our muscles, weight, and fat distribution changes, but that doesn’t mean the previous version of us was better. If we’re constantly striving to look like our 18-year-old selves, we’re chipping away at our self-confidence. Part of being body-positive is loving your body at every age.

If you’re interested in more self care tips, fitness routines, clean-eating recipes, and more, be sure to follow us on Pinterest!

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Sofia Lopez

Sofia received her BA from Cornell University and her MFA from San Francisco State University. She creates workouts and fitness challenges. Her hobbies include running, hiking, and listening to audiobooks from the exercise bike.

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