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The 5 Secrets of Women Who Love Their Bodies

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The 5 Secrets of Body-Loving Women

by Jamie Dougherty

You’ve done the healthy diets, followed expert advice and are all about organics.  And though you are a consummate kale consumer you still struggle with thinking, “My belly is going to pay for that bar of raw chocolate”, “You call that fit?”, and “There’s no way he’ll be into me without thin thighs and a flat stomach.”  Isn’t it amazing what we tell ourselves? No wonder kale hasn’t fixed it all!

Here’s the inside scoop.  Each body-loving woman knows there are TWO parts to bringing the body love full on.  With today’s plethora of health information, it’s easy to believe green smoothies are the best source for body love.  And though greens are great, it leaves out a significant piece of the body puzzle.  To fully integrate into body-loving bliss you’ve got to change the way you think along with the way you eat and drink.

Here are the 5 secrets to make you a fully-fledged, body-loving woman.  Keep these close to your heart and nothing is beyond your grasp.  Honest.

Loving Your Body Secret #1: Get In Forgiveness Mode

I know you don’t want to forgive your body.   You simply want her to be the way you’ve always imagined her.  Here’s the problem. The impossible standards you, your mother and the media have put on your body aren’t possible for her to achieve.  Why?  Because she, like every other human body, is imperfect and unique.  To get into forgiveness mode, start by forgiving one piece of your body that has never been up to snuff.  Then move on to another.  As you begin to forgive, your desires for what you want your body to be will blend together with who she actually is.

Loving Your Body Secret #2: Pass On Perfection

 

You believe perfection keeps you striving and pushing.   You may even think it’s what’s gotten you this far.  News flash.  Perfection is nothing but a self-imposed box that keeps you doubting, questioning and bashing your body.  There is no such thing as perfect.  Not in your work, not in your relationships and certainly not in your body.  Perfection makes you desperately cling to a rigid outcome yet bodies inherently change and shift.  They are never static and as such are impossible to control and make perfect.  Practice letting go of “perfect” and notice how everything becomes easier.

Loving Your Body Secret #3: Live With Bite & Devour It All

I’m not talking about downing the container of coconut milk ice cream you’ve got in the fridge for that, “Need.Comfort.NOW” moment.  Rather, it’s time to live with gusto and devour life in its many forms.  How often do you use food for freedom, joy, passion, excitement?  Yes, food can be all those things, however using food as your only source of pleasure is an extremely narrow way to live.  I know you are grander than that, my love.  How else can you experience joy and freedom?  How else can you feel passion and excitement?  I want you to dance, sing, skip and be a 5 year old again.  Let life in, eat it by the bowlful and notice those nasty, body-bashing thoughts shift.

Loving Your Body Secret #4: Be The Mama You Need

We’ve already established you are harder on yourself than on anyone else.  In fact, you probably say things to your body you wouldn’t say to an enemy, let alone a dear friend and as it turns out, your body is the dearest friend you’ve got.  What would it feel like if instead of berating your body, you consoled her like a mother does a child?  By wrapping your body in unconditional love (Yes, you must start adoring thighs), you foster the inner confidence to change and flourish rather than talking mad smack then shutting down and numbing out.  Remember the old adage, “You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar’’? The same applies to your body.  The more you love, console and tenderly encourage your body, the more quickly she will become all that you envision for her.

Loving Your Body Secret #5: Thank The Little Things

Be grateful for what you’ve got, darn it!  When your legs walk you to the bathroom, thank them.  When your arms lift your child, maneuver that suitcase or carry in the groceries, bless them.  When your stomach dutifully digests the 3,000th meal you’ve served it, thank it for a job well done.  Though these actions are done without conscious thought on your part, the body does them thanklessly as her way of caring for you.  Thanking your body for all her many duties floods your system with appreciation and reminds you that she and YOU are wonderful and worthy of love.

About Jaime G. Doughtery

Jamie G. Dougherty, Food & Body expert and founder of JamieLiving.com, empowers mission-driven women to get their bodies on board for their big plans. She has been featured on Martha Stewart Radio, Crazy Sexy Life and is the author the delicious, digital cookbook How to Savor the Holidays While Saving your Waistline and Sanity. To get Jamie’s Holiday Survival videos and learn how to make this the tastiest holiday ever, sign up for her free updates at JamieLiving.com.