Having the Body You Want Begins with Loving the Body You Have

One of my favorite ways to love my body is to MOVE IT

In this post I have shared a “no makeup selfie” of me on a hike out in the Southern California mountains. This is one of my favorite ways of loving myself, and my body.

I love to venture out and connect with nature.

I love the combination of being out in nature listening to the wind, birds and some of my favorite motivational tunes, while moving my body in fun, simple, playful ways.

I am not timing how fast my hike is, or seeing if my butt is getting toned along the way, (LOL).

I am simply enjoying the gift of life in this beautiful temple and chalice for my soul and what it feels like to be ALIVE and VIBRANT in my beautiful body.

Loving yourself exactly where you are

The first step in increasing your self-confidence is to begin by loving and accepting yourself exactly the way you are right now.

I know you might be thinking “easier said than done,” especially with how much and how often we are bombarded with media images that suggest we are flawed and need to be fixed to be good enough and lovable.

But the ability to love oneself unconditionally occurs one little thought and baby step at a time.

This next tool I will teach you has helped many coaching clients I’ve worked with go from being very self-critical to cultivating more self-acceptance and self-love.

• First, begin with imagining someone or something or a pet or animal you truly and easily love unconditionally.
  
• Bring to mind and then into your heart how this feels, and how easy it is. Even though I’m sure this person, thing or animal is not perfect, right?
  
• Now, begin to turn this same love and attention inward by focusing on one tiny little thing you can accept about yourself. Something you even like or can possibly love about yourself. It can be your little toe, or the curve in your neck or your freckles.
  
• Allow yourself to focus on that ONE thing and fill your heart with love and acceptance.
  
• Now you can notice the parts of you that for whatever reason you have been programmed to believe are flawed, whether they’re true or not, and allow the energy of love to fill all of your mind, body, and soul.
  
• Like a balloon, with each inhale fill yourself up with an energy of love and gratitude for yourself, your body, and the many gifts that God has given you.

Image your body is like your best friend.

You would never allow anyone to speak negatively about your best friend or put them down, right?

Well, when you hear your own inner critic speaking negatively about yourself or your body, imagine your critic was saying those things to your best friend. How would you feel, and what would you say to defend your friend?

Be your own best friend, and speak to yourself with love and kindness.

Once you have more acceptance for who you truly are, you can begin to love yourself right where you are.

You can then shift the energy from fixing your flaws and whipping yourself into shape in a slave-driving, punishing way, and instead you can love, nurture, and honor the body you’ve been gifted right now.

Many clients I work with get scared to accept their body the way it is, because they believe it means that maybe they won’t change, or they will become complacent. But the body responds to positive reinforcement more than the negative reinforcement.

So, let’s treat our bodies like it is the love of our life.

The body is a gift, and the best way to express gratitude for a gift is to love, nurture, honor, and cherish it as the gift it truly is.

I am simply enjoying the gift of life in this beautiful temple and chalice for my soul and what it feels like to be ALIVE and VIBRANT in my beautiful body.

And one of the best ways to discover how to nurture, honor and cherish your body temple is to explore the Vibrant Healthy Woman Coaching Program. It’s a powerful, proven system that will help you feel more confident in your body and alive in your life, so you can truly LOVE the person you see in the mirror! To learn more or to schedule a complimentary Strategy Session, click here.

And please share with me one of your favorite simple practices to love your body in the comments below. I love to hear from you!

To your Vibrant Health,

Jennifer Joy Jiménez