5 Self Love Hacks to Up Your Body Confidence

So, you've been staring in the mirror all morning thinking about how much you hate your hips, your arms, your stomach, and now you've landed here wondering what you can do about it.

First off, good on you for not looking up how to lose 5lbs fast or any other bullshit about changing your body. You don't need those things. What you need is a healthy dose of body confidence.

I used to be exactly where you are now. I did the stupidest things hoping to make myself feel better about my body and look a certain way. I would Saran Wrap my stomach the night before going to the river in the hopes that my stomach would look different after a night of suffocation and sweat. I would starve myself in the hope of looking different for an event only to get home so exhausted and hungry that I would end up binge eating whole pizzas and apple pies. (I wish I was exaggerating.)

What I didn't realize is that although I did want to become healthier, that all of it was a mindset. Seriously, after working out semi-consistently for a month I thought I looked like hot shit! Why? I hadn't actually changed that much...

What happened was my mindset shift. A mindset shift into choosing me and falling in love with me. I felt better about my body simply because I was being nicer to it and saying nicer things to it. I was swapping phrases in my head like, "You fat, lazy, POS" for phrases like, "I'm working on me right now." Just something that little can so quickly have a drastic impact on your life and the way you view yourself.

4 years later, I have finally started to figure out the secret to putting my inner mean voice in my back pocket and stop comparing myself to others. So today, I'm bringing you my top 5 self love hacks to instantly boost your body confidence.

#1 Remember that the beauty and cosmetic industry want you to be insecure about yourself. They want you to feel like your lips aren't full enough, your eyebrows not thick enough, your hips not thin enough, your ass not big enough. That is the game. If they can keep you unhappy, they can keep you buying.

On my low confidence days I like to imagine myself as a freedom fighter, unabashedly rocking my meat suit and liberating all the other people from the shackles of the "not good enough" industry. I mean seriously, have you looked at the stats on this?! If all of us stopped buying crap we think we need in order to be confident and beautiful, then the entire economy would collapse. Like big time.

Just remember that you are battling years of learned body hatred that have been passed down through many generations. You may need to face it til you make it at first, but you are a warrior.

#2 Stand in front of the mirror and tell yourself what you like about your body.

Examples:

-I like my eyes

-I like my smile

-I like my laugh

-I like my boobs

Whatever it might be! Now go through your list again, but this time say "love" instead of like. Personally I do this practice butt-naked in front of a mirror (normally right after a shower, I'm not stripping in the bathroom in the middle of the day) and really try to thank this body shell I call home. If that's too intense for you that's okay, the nudity is 100% optional.

#3 Eat something yummy. I know this can seem completely counterintuitive, like, why would you eat if you are feeling bad about your body? But, hanger is a real fucking thing. You may be hating on yourself and in an irritable mood because you've been attempting to starve your body. You don't need to gorge yourself, but have something that feels good in your tummy. I love drinking chocolate protein shakes when I'm in this head space because I feel responsible, but also, chocolate. I am always talking about communing with your body in my FitKind community. By feeding your body regularly, consistently, and with balanced wholesome foods, you both can feel better about each other, as well as have a greater understanding and appreciation for one another.

You can follow this link for my favorite PB&J protein shake recipe! https://www.instagram.com/p/CIy8ApIgN9P/

#4 STOP THE MEAN TALK. You have got to stop it with the mean self talk. I really mean it. If I could reach through the screen and slap your inner mean voice, believe me, I would. As soon as you hear that bitch in your head talking bad to you I want you to say, "NO BODY ASKED YOUR OPINION PATRICE!" And then force her to say something nicer.

Examples:

-"You're so ugly" - NOBODY ASKED YOUR OPINION PATRICE - "I am a beautiful badass."

-"You're so stupid" - NOBODY ASKED YOUR OPINION PATRICE - "I am working on becoming the best version of me."

-"Ugh, ______ is so attractive, and you're not." - NOBODY ASKED YOUR OPINION PATRICE - "I am uniquely me, my beauty cannot be compared."

#5 Have a dance party! I know this might sound super lame, but trust me when I say, "This shit works."

Turn on your favorite song, something poppin' that makes you smile! I don't care whether that's Cardi B's WAP, La Vie Boheme from the musical Rent, or Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield, just pick a slapper and dance your mfing heart out to it! Once song can elevate your mood and confidence 10 fold. Make it a daily practice to dance it out! Yes, that is a Grey's Anatomy reference. The creator of that show, Shonda Rhimes, explains in her book Year of Yes, how this is a practice she's been doing for years. Some times the best thing to loosen up, forget the world, and step into your power, is to just dance it out.

Keep the momentum going by pumping your jams while you get ready. Nothing will have you feeling like a badass quicker than a good twerk playlist, or whatever you jam to when you get ready. (Please tell me I'm not the only one with a twerk playlist! Let me know if that's something you'd be interested in listening to.)

Overall, just remember, you are your own harshest critic. You are strong. You are amazing. And you are capable of doing anything you set your mind to.