“One small thought in the morning can change your whole day”
All throughout college I was a size six. I’ve always been a size six. It wasn’t until I started dating Chandler (not blaming him at all) and all of the eating out + my first 9-5 job that I gained weight. My body was so used to always being active, that when things slowed down, it wasn’t ready. I didn’t change my eating habits because I didn’t know I had to until it was too late. I didn’t know I had poor form with some of my workout moves which led to a back injury that slowed down any progress I had made. I have been working hard for a while now to lose the weight and it didn’t really start to happen until the second half of 2017.
Losing weight is a hard thing. Being comfortable in your own skin during that process is even harder. I wanted to talk about body positivity today because I felt it was very important that every woman know that they are beautiful and that it is okay to struggle with that thought at times. I can’t tell you how many times Chandler has said “you’re beautiful” and I didn’t believe him. We all have those days. However, we need to work harder to combat those thoughts because ladies they are so not true.
The quote I shared at the beginning really does work. If you start your day with a positive thought, you can immediately put yourself in a happy mindset which will boost your mood for the whole day! I mean, how great is that! Pick one thing about yourself that you love and it doesn’t have to be a body part, but it can be!
For instance, I love my hair. It’s long, strong, thick, and the color is natural. It keeps my neck and shoulders warm in the colder months and it makes me feel beautiful when it’s down in curls or straight. I love my hair.
What do you love about yourself?
I mentioned the Tone It Up Love Your Body Series the other day and I wanted to touch on it again in this post. This series is all about taking the time to really love all that your body does for you. Everyday that you wake up is because your body was like “yep, Caitlin, you’re here and it’s going to be another great day.” Think about everything your body has been through. As I mentioned above, my body has been through an injury and here it is, still standing. People break bones and they heal. Your body got through that. You did your best round house kick in your kickboxing class the other night. Your body got through that!
Our bodies are such incredible machines that don’t get enough credit. How we fuel them, love them and talk about them makes such a difference.
One important thing to note is every body is unique and special. One body type is not like the other and one person is not like the other. So why compare? When you compare yourself to someone who is at a different fitness level, skill level, or just anything, how does that help you? It only helps if it motivates you in a positive way. However, so often we compare ourselves in a negative way. We’ll say “man, I wish I was a size zero” or “I wish I had a thigh gap.” Screw the thigh gap! It’s not a body requirement. If you have one great, if you don’t who cares?
Every body was specially designed for each person. What your body looks like doesn’t define who you are. What you do with it and your life is what matters. Who you are as a person is what matters. You can’t do something with your life if you are constantly sitting upset, thinking about how great someone else’s life is or how your life should be like theirs. That’s not how it works!
P.S. You never know what the other person is going through. Things are never at all what they seem.
So today, I want all of you to think about what you love about yourself and it doesn’t have to be one thing! I hope you have a list as long as Santa’s! Haha! Thank your body for all it does for you, fuel it with what it needs to keep going, and most importantly, love everything about it.
I would love to hear what you love about yourself in the comments below and I want everyone who reads this today to tell a friend, family member, or complete stranger something they love (or like/notice if they’re a stranger) about them. I promise, you’ll make their day. 🙂
