Okay, ladies. Summer is here and I’m on a mission. I want all of us moms to feel good about ourselves, to feel confident in our bodies. It’s time. Time to stop wasting energy on negative self-talk and start celebrating ourselves.
I read it daily on Twitter, I hear it at my moms’ groups, and out with my girlfriends. Moms talking about not feeling good in their bodies, feeling unhappy with the way they feel or look. Wishing they could “lose this,” “strengthen that,” “feel sexy again,” “feel comfortable in a bathing suit, and the list goes on.
After having kids, we change. Physically, many of us go through an adjustment as we acclimatize to our new body. Some bodies bounce back quickly; some take a little longer; and some will never be the same. But the reality is, our bodies have changed. It may be a shifting of the ribcage, it may be a widening of the hips, or it might be a complete redistribution of our weight. But there are many other things that change beyond just the physical: Our priorities; our inner strength; our capacity to love.
As a yoga and Pilates teacher, I work with women of all ages, shapes and sizes. And what has become apparent to me over the years is that, as much as we can talk about wanting to make physical changes, feeling good about ourselves and feeling confident has to come from within. It has to be a mindset. An internal belief. And we have to nurture the belief that we “feel good and confident” just as much as we need to eat healthily and get the exercise we need.
It’s not enough for someone to tell you “you look great,” or for you to fit into the pre-pregnancy clothes. It’s something you need to feel at the very core of you.
So this summer, I’m starting the Feel Good Project.
Every week I’ll offer small ways for you to FEEL GOOD. Some tips will be physical, some will be mental, and some will be creative and playful. I’m calling on all moms to join me this summer in feeling good, in celebrating yourself and your body, and in getting rid of old thought patterns that are dragging you down. It won’t cost you a thing. But I promise it will make you feel good.
So here it is. The first step, the first installment of the Feel Good Project:
Do this every day:
When you get up each morning, take a good look in the mirror and repeat to yourself: “This body is beautiful because it grew and gave birth to {insert name of child or children here}”
I mean, let’s get real – having created and birthed a life is in itself the most fabulous reason to celebrate our body.
And if you feel the urge to laugh or to turn to self-criticism, you tell that inner voice to take a hike and come back at it with, “I gave birth to {insert name of child or children here}”
Here’s to a summer of feeling good.
Namaste (which means,”I honour the light within you” or – in layman’s terms – I think you’re already awesome),
Annabel
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