Love Yourself, Love Your Body

This is my first post so I want to discuss something that plagues me day in and day out... the way I feel about how I look. I, like most women, have major issues with my body. My thighs are covered with cellulite, and I have trouble finding jeans that don’t make me feel like my legs will burst out of them. I constantly say I have the shoulders of a man and my arms are flabby, which means there are certain styles of tops I have to stay away from as no matter the size they will not fit me. My stomach is wobbly and I carry the dreaded “mummy pouch.” I have severe muffin top and pull my bottoms up as high as possible to cover this. Despite me feeling it’s large I have no bum no matter how much squatting I do. After loosing weight I now have no boobs and I often compare them to balloons you find 5 days after a party. I have many issues with my body and some days I find it hard to look at myself in the mirror... until tonight.

Tonight when I looked in the mirror, I saw something different. I looked in the mirror and as the usual sense of sadness, disappointment, and disgust started to overcome me I thought of something else. I thought of my daughter and how I never wanted her to feel like she is not good enough; how can I do this? By telling her each day how perfect she is and that she should always know she is good enough for anyone. How can I instill this in my daughter when my own self confidence is so low and I look at myself in such a negative way?

So when I looked back in the mirror, I decided on how I wanted to see my body. My thighs may be covered in cellulite but they have taken me up mountains and helped me climb rock faces, they got me through my Duke of Edinburgh, they get me through my CrossFit sessions, they take me on walks with my dogs and they took me down the aisle as I married my husband. I may have bingo wings but my arms can provide comfort for my friends and family by giving them a hug, they can lift great weights over my head, they have enabled me to complete kayaking expeditions and they can do a mean big fish little fish cardboard box move. I may feel like I have the shoulders of a man but they provide my daughter with such fun when she is riding on them and at times they can carry such a weight that is life itself. My stomach is wobbly and I do have a “mummy pouch” but it was home to my beautiful daughter for 9 months. I have no bum but I know how to shake it when the music is playing, in fact I was shaking my booty the night I meet my husband. And yes my boobs aren’t what they used to be but they nursed my daughter and gave her the best start in life. We can all be guilty of criticizing ourselves too much, I intended to teach my daughter every day that she is strong and beautiful in every way. To do this I must change my attitude and start to love myself more.