Love your body.  Easier said than done, right? Sure, it’s easier for some than others, but in a world flooded with both ripped magazine models and their polar opposite, the average Western Adult, it’s rarely easy for people to love what they see in the mirror. But this article is NOT about loving what’s in the mirror, it’s about loving your body, and yes that is different. This is about loving what’s on the inside, as well as what’s on the outside. Sometimes you may love one more than the other, and that’s ok. By the time you are done reading this hopefully you will understand why loving what is on the inside will translate into loving what is on the outside.

The Inside

There’s more to you than what meets the eye. WAY more. Here’s just a small list of things about your body that you can’t see in a mirror:

• Mobility
• Modality
• Flexibility
• Immunity
• Balance
• Cardiovascular Health
• Stamina
• Metabolism
• Stress Level
• Joint Health

All of these are highly valuable components of overall wellness, yet none of these can be assessed by our outward appearance. If you are reading this and struggle with having a positive body image, or know someone who does, remember this and try to educate others that body image is not JUST about the body we see, it’s about the entire body we have.

The Outside

By loving what we have on the inside, we can start to love what we are on the outside. Are you overweight and dislike how you look in a bathing suit? That’s ok! If you have healthy joints, good mobility and pretty impressive endurance, those are all things to be proud of! Maybe you fit into a dress size that most women can only dream they could wear, but you still are not confident in your outward appearance because you think you are too thin. If that’s you, you should be proud for having a faster metabolism, or the ability to tie your shoes without a belly being in the way, or healthier blood pressure and heart health. Whatever the case may be, you should be able to love something on the inside about yourself. That appreciation for what’s on the inside will over time, if not immediately, turn into a desire to improve other areas of your health that will only enhance your positive body image.

Importance and Change

We have discussed how to appreciate what is on the inside despite what you think about the outside. You don’t have to love all of the inside, or all of the outside, because when you begin to love something about yourself, you learn why it’s important to take care of yourself. That feeling will eventually (again, if not immediately) expand into others areas of your body. This growth in body positivity will undoubtedly lead to an improvement in outward aesthetics, whether that’s adding muscle, losing fat, or maybe even gaining fat (there’s surely some people out there who could benefit from a bit of additional body fat). It doesn’t matter what the end result is, if you learn to love your body and begin to take care of it, you will love the results both outside and in.