• Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Pixie Booth

  • Home
  • Cardio
  • Fitness
  • Health
  • Nutrition
  • Strength
  • Workouts
You are here: Home / Health / Disliking your body a little less

Disliking your body a little less

By Pixie

“Ugh, I hate my thighs.”

“I hate seeing this flab on my stomach.”

“I need to work out more because I hate how my arms look in tank tops.”

Ask almost any woman if there’s a part of her body she’d like to change or improve and you’ll likely receive an immediate reply. Perhaps you’ve said something similar to the comments above about your body at some point (or even today).

Do you want less fat, more muscle definition, to fit into that favorite pair of jeans?

Start by disliking your body a little bit less. Sounds crazy, I know. But it works.

To build a better-looking body, or one you simply feel great occupying, the magic happens when you change your perspective from what most people do to something that’s actually helpful.

When you transition from thinking things like this: “Ugh, I have to work out more and eat better because I hate how my body looks.”

To thinking like this: “I’m going to work out and eat well to feel incredible, to get stronger, and to invest in my health.”

Transitioning from the former mindset to the latter makes the process of building a healthier, better-looking body enjoyable. Working out and eating well becomes something you get to do and is no longer something you have to do. What you do to feel good instead of what you do because you dislike your body.

Many women dive headfirst into a bottomless pool of body hatred — they think hating the fat on their butt or thighs is useful fuel to transform their body. But it’s not. Trying to “hate your way” to a better body turns exercise into punishment and can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food from trying to avoid “bad foods” and vowing to eat only “diet-friendly,” good foods.

Self-improvement is good. Trying to hate your way there is not.

You’re entitled to feel good about yourself. Reaching a particular body shape, size, appearance you desire isn’t a prerequisite.

Remove all disgust and dislike from the equation. Rephrase the statements you make about your body.

Go from this: “I’m very weak.” To this: “I’ve got great potential to get a lot stronger.”

From this: “I need to lose a lot of fat.” To this: “There are a couple changes I can make that will lead me in the direction I want to go.”

From this: “My genetics suck and make achieving any results extremely hard.” To this: “I know it’s tougher for me to get the results I want, but knowing that is good so I can take action. With patience and persistence I can make excellent progress.”

Think about the self-talk you engage in. What do you frequently say to yourself about yourself? How can you rephrase those comments into something helpful and productive? If you’re accustomed to the not-so-nice self-talk, meaning, you’ve been saying unkind things about your body for years, or decades, this isn’t a quick fix. Be vigilant in catching these comments, and immediately rephrase them.

If you feel like you’ve been fighting against your body, adjust your perspective so you can more effectively get positive results. Forget about trying to get rid of the fat on your stomach or legs or other parts you may dislike and focus on doing things that are enjoyable, or at the very least, empowering.

Go to the gym to get stronger, not to burn calories.

Eat more of the foods that make you feel great and give you energy and help you recover from workouts; don’t obsess over foods you should eat less of or vow to avoid foods that can be enjoyed in moderate amounts.

Ditch the avoidance mindset that accompanies most diets (“I shouldn’t eat that”) and choose to focus on eating more lean-protein sources, more lower-calorie, high-volume foods like veggies, fruits, and whole grains.

Celebrate all victories along the way instead of glossing over them and obsessing over how far you still feel like you have to go.

You’ve likely discovered how ineffective fighting against your body can be. Why not try something different? Something empowering.

Filed Under: Health

Sharing

facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedinmail

Remarkable “Before & Afters” That Have Nothing to do With Fat Loss

July 13, 2015 By Nia Shanks

What do the majority of women’s fitness before and after photos have in common? They’re all about weight loss—someone was “bigger” in the before photo, and they’re smaller (or at least leaner) in the after. Not that there’s anything wrong with people wanting to lose weight to improve their health, feel more confident, or to […]

How to Make Goblet Squats Harder Without Adding More Weight

July 13, 2015 By Nia Shanks

Goblet squats are an excellent exercise. When executed properly, they train the legs, glutes, and abdominals in one efficient squatting movement. Goblet squats are my go-to exercise for teaching the squatting movement to strength training beginners. Once a trainee gets quite strong with goblet squats, however, their one glaring drawback is revealed–the awkwardness of progressively loading […]

Latest Homary Deals & Specials

July 18, 2012 By Pixie

Country Inns & Suites

May 13, 2011 By Pixie

Disliking your body a little less

July 13, 2015 By Pixie

“Ugh, I hate my thighs.” “I hate seeing this flab on my stomach.” “I need to work out more because I hate how my arms look in tank tops.” Ask almost any woman if there’s a part of her body she’d like to change or improve and you’ll likely receive an immediate reply. Perhaps you’ve said something […]

JibJab Deals

March 28, 2000 By Pixie

Holabird Sports Deals

April 2, 2001 By Pixie

The Huge Problem With Guilty-Pleasure Foods

July 13, 2015 By Nia Shanks

“What are your favorite guilty-pleasure foods?” the interviewer posed. “I don’t have ‘guilty pleasures,’” I retorted before continuing, “I refuse to experience guilt or shame from eating food.” My answer was received with a stunned silence. Clearly this wasn’t a response she’d ever received to the common, playful question. And I had just sucked all […]

Latest Vitamin Shoppe Deals

July 18, 2012 By Pixie

The Chocolate Protein Shake That Actually Tastes Like a Milkshake

July 13, 2015 By Nia Shanks

How many times have you tried a “healthy” recipe that boasted it tastes just like the real thing! only to be immensely disappointed…again? My list of never-make-this-food-abomination-again recipes is a lengthy one; I don’t care if it’s healthier than the original recipe it impersonates because if it tastes terrible, it’s not worth eating. Plus, that perpetuates the […]

Copyright © 2022 · Metro Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in