A relationship of love and respect with your body is a lifelong process.
It’s one thing to a make a broad statement like that and another to think about and act upon the thoughts and actions that make up that process.
Hearing “love yourself” is one thing, but a lot of women I connect with want to know what that would mean for them.
What does that look like in day to day life? Where do you even start?
Does it have to be serious and reflective? Can it be fun?
Yes and yes.
Here are five ways I know of that have helped me and the women I’ve worked with over the years grow in that confidence and love for their bodies and the way they live their lives.
I’ve personally tested all of these out in the lab of my life : ).
Here’s what I can offer you:
#1 – What does your body give to you? I want you to ask yourself this and write down your answers so that you can see them.
Instead of focusing on what it’s not able to do or how it’s fallen short, focus on the miracle of it and appreciate the gifts it has offered to you. Get as broad or specific as you want:
- my body gave me my child
- my body gets me from room to room, place to place — I choose not to take my mobility for granted
- my body feels energetic and alive when I am laughing
- my body helped me climb thousands of steps in Positano
#2 – Straighten up. Shoulders back. Posture is a game changer; you can create a physiological shift with it in less than five seconds. When you stand tall in your body and roll those shoulders back, you are open and regal.
You carry yourself differently — it’s physically observable and the effect also has an impact on your mind, since it becomes conscious of your body’s stance. Your breath changes. Your stride changes. Good things.
#3 Listen to music and dance, if at all possible. As much as possible. I have been doing this since I was a tiny girl and STILL do it to this day as a grown girl : ) .
I’ve danced in every bedroom I’ve ever lived in. I’ve danced in streets. At concerts. In gyms. At weddings. In the car (more on that in a moment).
I believe the combination of hearing a song you love and dancing is the pinnacle of freedom.
It’s not the same as being in a gym with music and doing squats or burpees; dancing is joy-based (it’s definitely connected to fitness, too) and I believe it’s rooted in emotion and expression.
It will perk up the circuitry of your body and get your brain swimming in good chemicals that fuel conscious connection between your mind and body.
In short, dancing is your brain and body saying “I am alive!”
And as for the car dancing (or your desk), it still works if you have to sit and get your groove on. I do it every day in multiple venues — lol. Give it a try.
#4 – Get dressed. And do it with some purpose. It doesn’t matter if it’s your workout clothes or your work outfit; whatever you do, choose these garments on purpose.
Be conscious of how you feel when you’re wearing them. I hope you feel amazing.
And although I wear sky high stilettos and body conscious dresses any occasion I can, I am most often dressed in clothes I own that are comfortable for me AND embody my style and flair.
Right now, I’m on a transatlantic flight — by the end of today, I will have traveled for 12 hours. I have a solid, go-to selection of outfits I wear when I travel. Today it’s a top that’s a graphic black and white tunic; good quality, black leggings (no holes, and they hold their shape with all of the sitting, standing and walking or they’re out) and a pair of black flats.
I feel very comfortable and it exudes my style — it’s not a throwaway outfit just because I’m sitting most of the day.
In fact, I had one person at Charles De Gaulle airport tell me I was “stunning,”and another ask if was an “actress” before I handed him passport. That’s not completely random — that’s some body confidence.
#5 – Get naked. Stay with me now. I truly believe with all of my heart that a woman can develop a higher level of love and regard for herself when she becomes well-acquainted with observing her naked body AND her thoughts about it.
See what it would feel like to stand in front of a mirror, and instead of becoming attached to the judgments that pass through your mind, let them float in your brain. Just notice them. You get to decide which perceptions of yourself that you’re going to change.
And then notice that the naked body that you see before you came into the world EXACTLY as you see it — pure, perfect and looking for breath — and it never stopped breathing.
Don’t negate the gorgeousness of that.
And if getting naked just freaks you out, start out with getting down to your underwear and let those layers go over time.
Let yourself observe, appreciate and feel love.
It truly is a miracle that you see before you.
Like this stuff?
This is just a sample of the kind of work that I do when I work with my 1:1 clients and in my Body of Work six week program.
There are still a few spots left for the Fall 2016 Body of Work cohort and I’d love to have you.
You can sign up by going to www.laura-wagner.com/bodyofworkcourse.
AND, when you sign up, you also get a seat at the table of my live coaching event, a dinner called Lavish. That will happen on Friday, October 21st.
That means you’ll get the community and content of Body of Work with women across the country and get to come to a live event where you’ll meet up to 20 women who are there to express, celebrate and support one another dreams.
And I get to take good care of you in both of those realms — very exciting for me as your coach.
