20 Ways to Love Your Body
Courtesy of NEDA and Margo Maine, Ph.D.
- Think of your body as the vehicle to your dreams. Honor it. Respect it. Fuel it.
- Create a list of all the things your body lets you do. Read it and add to it often.
- Become aware of what your body can do each day. Remember it is the instrument of your life, not just an ornament.
- Create a list of people you admire: people who have contributed to your life, your community, or the world. Consider whether their appearance was important to their success and accomplishments.
- Walk with your head held high, supported by pride and confidence in yourself as a person.
- Don’t let your weight or shape keep you from activities that you enjoy.
- Wear comfortable clothes that you like, that express your personal style, and that feel good to your body.
- Count your blessings, not your blemishes.
- Think about all the things you could accomplish with the time and energy you currently spend worrying about your body and appearance. Try one!
- Be your body’s friend and supporter, not its enemy.
- Consider this: your skin replaces itself once a month, your stomach lining every five days, your liver every six weeks, and your skeleton every three months. Your body is extraordinary–begin to respect and appreciate it.
- Every morning when you wake up, thank your body for resting and rejuvenating itself so you can enjoy the day.
- Every evening when you go to bed, tell your body how much you appreciate what it has allowed you to do throughout the day.
- Find a method of exercise that you enjoy and do it regularly. Don’t exercise to lose weight or to fight your body. Do it to make your body healthy and strong and because it makes you feel good. Exercise for the Three F’s: Fun, Fitness, and Friendship.
- Think back to a time in your life when you felt good about your body. Tell yourself you can feel like that again, even in this body at this age.
- Keep a list of 10 positive things about yourself–without mentioning your appearance. Add to it!
- Put a sign on each of your mirrors saying, “I’m beautiful inside and out.”
- Choose to find the beauty in the world and in yourself.
- Start saying to yourself, “Life is too short to waste my time hating my body this way.”
- Eat when you are hungry. Rest when you are tired. Surround yourself with people that remind you of your inner strength and beauty.
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
i love this list – some things seem so simple, but little reminders can make a huge difference in your attitude and perspective!
Thanks for sending me this! I especially love #20!
i agree, this is a really awesome list!
This list fits well with my personal mantra: “My body is a gift from the gods and will be cherished and nurtured.” I am strong and like to play hard, something I couldn’t do if I was a size one.
I am adding this to my list of inspirational quotations. I love it absolutely.
On a side note, this list is wonderful and I’m implementing it in my life ASAP. I’ve already done some of them without realising it and I’m going to continue. Thank you so much!!
wow thats so nice that there’s ppl who care about REAL beauty…not the unreachable perfection we strive for..
<3 it!
Great list, thanks!
Every one of you is beautiful
No matter HOW creepy that sounds from a stranger XD
To me, that’s not the least bit creepy at all. Thank you. You’re beautiful too. The fact that someone who doesn’t know anything about you is STILL calling you beautiful makes my day!
I’m going to post one of these saying on FB each day for twenty days just as a reminder to all my Family and Friends! Thank’s for sharing
I love this!! This made me feel so happy and positive, I’m going to write a post about it and try and encourage others to read it.
I’ve been having some low self-esteem issues lately and this really helped to lift my spirits
Thank you!
I just printed a copies of this list for my office, gym bag and day planner. It’s such an uplifting, positive list– perfect for when I need a reminder about true beauty.
Thank you!
what happens when your about 7 months pregnant, and you dont feel pretty anymore because you’ve gotten cellulite and gained about 20 pounds?
what’s the advice for someone like that?
I actually have a guest writer who will be sending in a post about being pregnant. It should be up in a few days so stay tuned! But remember you are beautiful because you are creating life – that is the most amazing thing your body will ever DO!
I really like this list but I actually found it really, really unhelpful.
It’s about time we changed our outlook on our current culture.
I am very self-conscious & this summer, I decided to be ME. I’ve started wearing a bikini & anyone who has had anything negative to say to me has received a “I love myself the way I am.” Ive started eating healthier & Have started drinking water more than ANYTHING else & I feel A LOT better. This is a wonderful website to help me with my self construction. Thank you.
Love this list, it’s so supportive and honest. And some other things I think are so important, and have taught me to love my body:
- take time everyday for you, for your body. this is why I love fitness. it is only for me, for my body. sometimes me time is during a meal, where I eat slowly and enjoy every bite, or lying in the sun for a little while. or browsing through a store, or treating myself to a little something I love. or journaling.
- also surround yourself with people that make you happy, and activities that make you happy. I love learning language and work hard every day to feel successful. but when I am not, or when I don’t want to work out for a week, I’m not hard on myself. I treat myself to chocolate and love myself anyway. we’re always striving to be perfectionists that we forget how much we’ve already done!
- also, my boyfriend has taught me to love myself, because he loves me so much, and vice versa. we have become much healthier (and look better!) since we’ve gotten together, because we’ve learned to love ourselves through loving each other. and whether it’s romantic or with friends, surrounding yourself with people that love you make you realize how awesome you are
Thank you, thank you for this great site. What a powerful list. Each day I will try to live by it, and most important be an example to all women and yes men too, by trying to practice what you preach….! I sent this site to all my nieces, friends, sisters and coworkers. We need more of this kind of reinforcement instead of trying to live up to hate, punish and despise our bodies. Once again, may God bless you by creating some REAL MEANINGFUL BEAUTY in our world!!!
I am miserable. I read all these things and want to cry because i could read them and study them 1000 times and believe them for everyone else but myself. I know im a pretty girl, only because i get attention from males,. but on the inside i feel like im better off dead, and have for a while. its an everyday struggle not to just end it all and theres no one i feel safe talking too..i hate myself and cry everyday. no one else knows it though because i always have bfs and frieds around me..Iv already had one failed attempt at ending my life.. i wish i did it but my friend found me passed out and called 911.. i want to love myself and not need to feel like i need men, or anyone… what do i do?
Are you in high school or college? If so you have access to free counseling and PLEASE take advantage of it. If not, please look into seeing a therapist. Depression is a very serious problem and you NEED to reach out to a professional.
Alternatively, please consider calling a hotline to speak to someone who can help you: http://www.spsfv.org/hotlines.htm
You are worth it.