The First Step to Body Confidence

Healing our body image is HARD work! It may seem impossible at times. Or you may be thinking: only when I reach my goal weight then I will have a good body image. The truth is, body image has nothing to do with our body. Body image issues has to do with you perception of our body.

We are not born with a negative body image. We learn it. Over time, we learn that our body is not good enough, not adequate. We learn that we need to change our body to meet an unrealistic standard. We learn that our body is unlovable unless smaller, fitter, thinner, etc.

If this is your experience. I am so sorry. It is not easy to live in a body we deem inadequate. It is really painful.

The good news is, everything you were told, everything you learned is NOT true. Your body is perfect the way it is. There is nothing wrong with your body.

Changing that old belief pattern is hard work. Healing your body image is HARD WORK. It is totally do-able though. Anything learned can be unlearned. Give yourself time and space to heal the relationship with your body.

HEAL YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD AND YOUR BODY – ONLINE PROGRAM. LEARN MORE HERE.

The first step to increase your body confidence is to STOP focusing on how your body looks and start expressing gratitude for how your body functions!

Our bodies are AMAZING. They are always working soooo hard to support us in everything we are doing. When we shift our focus to our body functions, we start finding a new appreciation for our body.

Think about everything your body is doing for you. Breathing, digesting delicious foods, growing hair/nails, detoxifying, keeping you safe, recovering, thinking, moving, etc.

Now start writing down 1 thing you are grateful for about your body DAILY. I suggest doing this in the morning so you can focus on that one thing if you start having bad body image thoughts.

This is a HARD exercise. Especially if you have been hating-shaming-abusing-hiding your body for a long time. Here is a list of body gratitude to help you:

I am grateful for:

• My body’s ability resilience.
• My body’s ability to transform delicious foods into energy.
• My legs for supporting me every step of the way.
• My arms for allowing me to hug my loved ones
• My skin for protecting me from the outside world.
• My body’s ability to heal itself when it gets hurt
• My eyes for allowing me to see all the beautiful things in this world
• My smile because it makes other people happy.
• My body’s ability to detoxify itself.
• My heart for pumping blood to every cell in my body
• My brain for allowing me think, imagine, analyze, etc.
• My hands for allowing me to do everything- hold a loved one, eat foods, type an email, write a letter, paint, draw, put on makeup, etc.
• My body always supporting me even when I did not support it.
• My body’s ability to feel pain – to let me know that something needs my attention
• My body’s ability to fight off a cold.
• My feet for allowing me to walk/run and taking me to where I want to go.
• My body’s ability to poop!
• My body’s ability to repair itself when I sleep. (My body is ALWAYS working for me!)
• My ability to smell flowers and freshly baked cookies
• My ability to taste different foods.
• My skin for allowing me to feel the touch of others.

I hope this brought you value! Remember, your body is amazing just the way it is. There is nothing wrong with it.

If you need more guidance and support to heal your relationship with food, I got you! Check out the online program >> CLICK HERE.

Stay Healthy, Stay Home, Stay Safe.

The Balanced Practice is a team of professionals specialized in eating disorder outpatient treatment. We strive to provide evidence based nutrition counselling to support you, or your loved one, in achieving full recovery. Schedule a connection call now.

Marie-Pier Pitre-D’Iorio, RD, B.Sc.Psychology
Lead Registered Dietitian at The Balanced Practice