Your #bodygoals should be #bodypositivity

Love yourself in sweats and when you’re feeling your outfit.

[ct_leading]Social Media is relentlessly being flooded with photos of super models, fitness models, and gorgeous girls with the #bodygoals captioned underneath.[/ct_leading] Personally, I am so tired of seeing this trend swarm my newsfeed. I don’t want to be told that I should strive to look like the girl in this photo. I want to be told to love myself. This is why I started the campaign “Your #bodygoals should be #bodypositivity”. Together we can start this new trend and empower one another and not continually compare ourselves to each other. Let me give you an understanding of my personal connection and battle with self-image issues. (Many who know me personally may be shocked by the things I share, but know I am in such a better place now).

Growing up as a girl is tough

There are so many boundaries and expectations. It is terrible that even in middle school girls are wishing for bigger boobs, a tinier waste, bigger lips, rounder hips, and the list goes on. Even though I have the most supportive family, who tells me regularly how smart and beautiful I am, I had to find it in myself for their words to actually mean anything. I am no doctor but I believe all of us females can agree that to some extent we suffer from body dysmorphia or self-image issues. We look in the mirror and hate what is looking back at us. We see and create “problem areas” on our bodies where none exist. Constantly, we stress over every bite and it doesn’t matter what the size on your clothes say, or what your reflection looks like, in your head you feel gross and that’s it! I lived like this for quite a long time. I created a self-made prison with tons of torture devices. I used to shower and change as quickly as possible just to not stare at my body. And, I dreaded wearing bathing suits, shorts, or tight fitting clothes. I have always been tiny and active but my mind saw differently than what I was being told body looked like. It was a constant battle not to cry when getting ready to  go out, or go shopping. I felt so crazy because I knew I was at a healthy weight and looked fine, but the negative thoughts would drown out anything positive. I could truly convince myself in seconds I was 20lbs over weight and needed to cut back on food. It’s scary the games your mind can play when you do not make it a priority to be in control. I would come home from the mall with sizes way too big for myself but, I truly believed that I needed those larger sizes. I struggled with this destructive mind set through most of middle school and high school.

I want to change this and that … you should too!

I knew a change had to be made, a healthy one! One that made me want to wake up in the morning, one that taught me to love myself day in and day out. Although, often I had contemplated unhealthy ways of getting “skinny”, I knew none of those options were beneficial in anyway. So why not fitness? Why not dive into something brand new that will not only push me physically but I could also gain control over my mental state. Fitness has fostered and manifested my self-love. I have learned to no longer stare at these pictures of girls and wish for their bodies. Instead, I have learned how to shape my body into its own unique figure and push it to new limits. I have learned to walk into the gym and change my thoughts from, “I want to change this and this about myself” to “I want to conquer this today, lift at this weight, and challenge myself”. Of course the physical changes I have experienced through fitness are lovely, but they are so miniscule in importance when compared to the mental change I have achieved. Trust me, I am human, I still have my bad days, and negative thoughts but I am absolutely free from that mental prison. Every day I get excited to head to the gym in my nice workout clothes and snap videos and pictures, because I seriously love myself inside and out. I feel so proud of my body; I want to achieve so much more with it but the success I have gained is unique to me and beautiful. I may not have the flattest tummy (link to flat tummy article), or roundest rum but I have tons of self-love. My body is taking on its own fit shape, conquering new exercises and reaching new limits. (All things doctors told me I probably wouldn’t be able to do due to my health crisis) 

I promise you from firsthand experience, physical changes cannot and will not come without a confident mentality to feed off. So, do me a favor, go to bed every night telling yourself how intelligent and beautiful you are and watch the positive changes you undergo. Together we can change the #bodygoals trend to #bodypsotivity. You should have no other goal than to look like and love yourself. Fuel your body with healthy means both mentally and physically. Be your own damn #bodygoals. No longer will we be told what to look like, we will be told to love how we look. Self-love is just around the corner anxiously waiting for you, I promise! Set forth on your own journey to find your self-love and own it! Flaunt who you are, and what you have to offer. No shame in being confident, and feeling self-loving. Send me your #bodypositive pictures and let’s change social media’s negative trends. No more self-made prisons, no more body dysmorphia or self-image issues, no more feeling unworthy and no more negativity!

#bodygoals should be #bodypositivity

I hope to see your pictures captioned with “your #bodygoals should be #bodypositivity”. You are not alone! Thousands of other girls out there feel too skinny, too fat, too flat chested, too thick, etc. You should feel just right, make sure your body is healthy both mentally and physically. Make necessary changes to save yourself. Let’s get on the self-love train and ride it for eternity!

 If you need any help, have any questions, or want to submit a body positive post just email me at Kristina@fitfunfiveone.com.