One Simple Tool to Improve Your Self Image

By Kim C. July 1, 2014

When I first started trying to be healthy, I was really just trying to be skinny. My “healthy” was a means to that end. During that time, I defined how healthy I was through negative language.

When discussing my “healthy” choices, I would say things like: 
– “I don’t eat X.”
– “I lost X pounds.”
– “I don’t skip workouts.”
– “I don’t eat more than X calories per day.”

The way I spoke to myself and defined myself was a symptom of the underlying problem, which was a fundamentally unhealthy view of myself and my body. But believing in that language and believing that definition of health validated those choices.

Now, I’ve thankfully moved beyond my obsession with weight, and I really am healthy (if I do say so myself). At the very least, I’m trying to be the healthiest and best version of me that I can be. This itself was a conscious decision, but I didn’t realize until I was writing to Davida that along with that decision came a shift in my language. Now, when I’m asked about healthy living (or when I’m blabbing about it to you all), I say things like:
– “I listen to my body.”
– “I eat nutritious food.”
– “I do workouts that I love.”
– “I treat myself with kindness.”

Doesn’t the second set of statements just sound happier and healthier? At times it’s a work in progress (for me), but I think there is a lot to be said for taking a hard look at how you define lifestyle and how you speak to yourself. Is your view of your life and the choices you’re making fundamentally negative? Mine used to be, and that negativity was toxic. Nothing about health should be a negative. Healthy living is about making positive, beneficial, enriching, and nourishing choices for your mind, body, and soul.

Language is powerful. Choose your words carefully, even if you’re only saying them to yourself.

Questions: How do you define healthy living? Do you believe in the power of language? How do you speak to yourself?

*This was originally published on Kim’s blog, Busy Bod. For more from Kim visit www.busy-bod.com!

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