5 Keys to Loving Your Body and Yourself

5 Keys to Loving Your Body and Yourself

By Annie Berryhill

You have proper nutrition, do regular Crossfit or other consistent, effective workouts, you wear sunscreen, take health-promoting supplements,..yadda, yadda, yadda, all the right things to be fit, healthy and lean.

So with all that being said, how do you feel about your body?

Do you accept it, like it, LOVE it?

Our society is so fixated on perfection, it seems that there is barely room for anything less than that!

It's so easy to get caught in that trap, but that is what it is, a trap.

So, do you want to know how to get OUT of the trap, to live free and to LOVE THE body you've got?

1. Stop setting unrealistic goals. Losing 50 pounds in 6 weeks is RIDICULOUS and unhealthy. If you are overweight, you did not get there overnight, you won't lose it in 6 weeks and if you do, it won't stay off. What would be the point?

2. Stop comparing. Does it make any sense at all to expect yourself to be as run as fast as a former track athlete, or lift as much as a former power lifter? It does not serve you, it only serves to feel disappointed in your gifts. It makes more sense to use the gifts and strengths you do have and maximize those!

3.Do something loving for yourself. When was the last time you did something for yourself? Maybe you need to pamper yourself, spend a day in the bookstore, go on a long, easy bike ride on a sunny day, or even sleep in for once? You may want to spend time with someone who makes you feel loved too! It's okay to do that, I give you full permission to love yourself and embrace who you are, warts and all.

4. Write down 3 things that you have improved upon in the last 6 months or a year. Did you add an extra workout every week? Complete a challenge? Eliminate a problem food from your diet? Congratulations, you just went the extra mile for YOU! Sometimes in the craziness of life, we forget how far we have come so reflection is powerful!

5. Volunteer to help someone who is physically limited. There's nothing like some in-your-face perspective to make you appreciate what you've got!

Please don't misunderstand, I am not talking about narcissism, or being a completely self-centered knucklehead, that is taking it too far. It simply may be just a matter of enjoying the journey instead of always focusing on the destination.

Love your body and yourself a little bit more everyday, and watch the amazing way your world begins to change!

Anne (Annie) Berryhill is a Crossfit Level 1 Trainer, athlete and competitor who owns and operates OC Fitness Revival in Orange County, CA.  

Her services include personal and group training, online nutrition classes and counseling, as well as providing incredible health-improving supplements to help people  to make the most out of what they've got. For more information, contact her via email anne@anneberryhill.com