As you feel safe in your body, the image of how you “should” look and feel (all expectations you’ve created) begins to diminish. You don’t have to perform, to keep up, to change with the trends, and try what others are telling you is best for you. Culturally speaking, you are inundated with many forms of self-image trends and those inputs you are constantly exposed to create a tendency for negative self-talk.
Rather than divulging in the (often subconscious) negative thoughts/words you speak to yourself, choosing to listen and tune into your body allows you to feel the real cravings that come from within. Be open to the physicality of it all and the important notion that the body is so beautifully interwoven with the mind and soul. You know what feels best when you slow down and become intentional about your needs.
It is so important to give yourself permission to want to look and feel beautiful. There is absolutely nothing wrong with standing in your individual beauty and emanating that in ways that make you feel extraordinary (cue lion/lioness vibes!). We are all born to aesthetically exude what is great about our bodies. It’s human nature.
However, do this for you…not for anyone else! Don’t belabor the small things you don’t give yourself enough grace for. What makes you feel attractive and healthy? Find those pieces of joy and divulge in what makes you feel amazing…not what everyone else says that to be.
It becomes necessary to ground into your sensual energy. Sensual is not just sexy, it is connected to the five senses. Ask yourself, what emotes in essence? What thoughts and actions make you most alive in your body?
Resonate with the divine feminine or the divine masculine to help in this process.
Allow for small moments to feel your physical self; moments to date yourself throughout the day. What is soft and a genuine part of you that brings you home to yourself.
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So much of our general body awareness/self-image is wrapped up in weight. Maintaining a healthy body weight serves our self-confidence well. We do, however, need to give grace in every age and stage. We are not going to look the same at 28 as we did when we were 16. We will not look and feel the same in our body at the age of 46 as we did when 32. Our bodies do so much FOR us, we fail to give it thanks. Rather, we harp on what seems to be wrong or ailing. It is worth stating that what we give energy to, ensues.
When your imperfectly perfect body is at a healthy weight, functioning with good vigor, and is working pretty damn optimally, listen in and routinely act in ways that nourish it. Most often, I recommend the 80/20 rule. You can look at this in a few ways, loosely based on the economic Pareto Principle. Related to diet and lifestyle, 80% of the time a nutrient-dense, whole food diet + mindful movement/activity outcome-driven approach allows you to live a balanced life, in so as 20% of the time you can eat intuitively and enjoy some less healthy options and total relaxation. It is also said, that 80% of your health goals are achieved through nutrition and 20% through exercise (but that’s just one theory, and for another day).
Avoiding deprivation and allowing for some flexibility is the integrative way. When you maintain weight, you are choosing daily what works best for your body. Each daily choice becomes the long-lasting sustainable way to stay healthy and keep forms of chronic illness at bay. Each person is inherently different, so choosing to listen to your cravings will help you determine what foods to eat. This concept guides general health and happiness. It takes the mind games away and creates harmony. Honing in on cravings and reducing the constraint (mental, social, emotional…all attached to your relationship with food) becomes your body’s solution for any underlying imbalances. Your body is your guide. You are not meant to be robotic about your food intake. Enjoy it, use your senses, create experiences around cooking and the nutrients you feed your body.
All of this said as a simple reminder that everything is connected! A day at a time, a choice at a time. You are beautiful.
xo,
AC
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