January 08, 2016
The Incredible Power That Comes From Being OK With Your Body
Friends, partners, Pinterest quotes and even some big companies have been trying to get you to 'love your body' for years. But the notion of being ok with yourself can be kind of empty when it isn't made clear why you should work on this. What benefits come from learning to love your body?
There is a lot of wonderful things that happen when you begin to accept your figure and embrace your features, both perfect and imperfect. It is a process though and takes time. Being ok with yourself does not mean you will not have the odd negative thought about your hips/butt/thighs/belly every now and then. It is unrealistic to try and be totally positive every waking minute.
But loving who you are and feeling comfortable with the skin you were born in is so essential in life. Ridding yourself of your desires to change every inch of your figure is very freeing. So here are 3 reasons why you need to start being ok with yourself today to live a better tomorrow.
#1 Embracing your frame makes you physically healthier
It actually has been proven that people who are confident in the way they look (regardless of their weight) take fewer sick days and are generally healthier. This study by Columbia University involved over 150,000 participants, so it is pretty accurate. This means that your mental health and physical health go hand-in-hand, and the more positive you feel about your body, the more positive your body will respond.
[bctt tweet="The Incredible Power That Comes From Being OK With Your Body"]
#2 Women who embrace their flaws handle disappointment and setbacks better than those who don't
Waterloo University conducted a study on women who felt varying degrees of love and hate for their bodies. Those who accepted the 'flaws' of their figures were more likely to show resilience during times of stress. They were also less likely to engage in disordered eating habits, such as binge-eating or extreme dieting.
"There is something about a high level of acceptance and understanding of oneself that helps people not necessarily view their bodies more positively, but rather acknowledge their bodies' imperfections and be OK with them." explains lead researcher Allison Kelly.
#3 Body-hate can lead to obesity
Not liking the way you look can cause eating disorders and actually lead you to become overweight. The University of Texas Health and Science Centre conducted research on what causes many people to reach staggeringly high weights. They followed teens who believed they were overweight. The more hateful the teens became towards their bodies, the more weight they gained. Many became clinically obese within a year.
Another study showed that people who were not in the overweight category who experienced bullying and body shaming because of their weight were two and a half times more likely to become obese.
The key takeaway from all of this is that it is time to end body negativity and time to start being ok with who you are. Every single person on this planet (from overweight women to Victoria's Secret models have moments of body-hate. What is important to remember is that tackling bad body image habits starts with you!
Share your tips for being ok with yourself in the comments! What is one thing you love about your body?
Source: Greatist
There is a lot of wonderful things that happen when you begin to accept your figure and embrace your features, both perfect and imperfect. It is a process though and takes time. Being ok with yourself does not mean you will not have the odd negative thought about your hips/butt/thighs/belly every now and then. It is unrealistic to try and be totally positive every waking minute.
But loving who you are and feeling comfortable with the skin you were born in is so essential in life. Ridding yourself of your desires to change every inch of your figure is very freeing. So here are 3 reasons why you need to start being ok with yourself today to live a better tomorrow.
#1 Embracing your frame makes you physically healthier
It actually has been proven that people who are confident in the way they look (regardless of their weight) take fewer sick days and are generally healthier. This study by Columbia University involved over 150,000 participants, so it is pretty accurate. This means that your mental health and physical health go hand-in-hand, and the more positive you feel about your body, the more positive your body will respond.
[bctt tweet="The Incredible Power That Comes From Being OK With Your Body"]
#2 Women who embrace their flaws handle disappointment and setbacks better than those who don't
Waterloo University conducted a study on women who felt varying degrees of love and hate for their bodies. Those who accepted the 'flaws' of their figures were more likely to show resilience during times of stress. They were also less likely to engage in disordered eating habits, such as binge-eating or extreme dieting.
"There is something about a high level of acceptance and understanding of oneself that helps people not necessarily view their bodies more positively, but rather acknowledge their bodies' imperfections and be OK with them." explains lead researcher Allison Kelly.
#3 Body-hate can lead to obesity
Not liking the way you look can cause eating disorders and actually lead you to become overweight. The University of Texas Health and Science Centre conducted research on what causes many people to reach staggeringly high weights. They followed teens who believed they were overweight. The more hateful the teens became towards their bodies, the more weight they gained. Many became clinically obese within a year.
Another study showed that people who were not in the overweight category who experienced bullying and body shaming because of their weight were two and a half times more likely to become obese.
The key takeaway from all of this is that it is time to end body negativity and time to start being ok with who you are. Every single person on this planet (from overweight women to Victoria's Secret models have moments of body-hate. What is important to remember is that tackling bad body image habits starts with you!
Share your tips for being ok with yourself in the comments! What is one thing you love about your body?
Source: Greatist