Health & Fitness Because You Love Yourself

The idea of self love can be very difficult and even painful to think about for some people. This is Ok and it is not your fault if you don’t feel that you can love yourself. Let me explain why.

Unfortunately through its very nature the capitalist society that we live in encourages you not to feel self love. We are constantly told and shown that there is an optimum way to look. It does this because it benefits by us feeling this way and then consuming products/food/trying to earn more money to ‘find happiness’.

The problem here, and trust me on this, is that health and fitness done out of hate for your body will not work. It will not be sustainable because every one of us can only put up with so much punishment. This is what you are doing, punishing your body with exercise and excessive dieting. Some can sustain this for much longer than others but it will always end in a negative result for your physical or mental health.

So how can you change this? First be aware of the fact that you are a product of your surroundings. Those same surroundings are causing you to feel the way you feel, and I’ll say it again, it’s not your fault. This is really important to understand. If you become aware of society’s role, then think “I shouldn’t feel this way”, then you are just adding another negative emotion. Instead see it and say “Ahh that’s why I feel this way, and I can see that’s not my fault at all”. Only then can you move forwards in a positive way.

You are beautiful and worthy of love regardless of what you look like. Everyone is. The reason you should practice health and fitness is because you love your body and want it to feel healthier. You may think that the physical changes of less fat, more muscle etc are your goal.

They aren’t.

Think about it, you are wanting those things because you are constantly told you will be more worthy of love if you look that way.

So practice self love, find a coach or therapist or teacher who encourages this in you. You may not be able to feel this yet and that’s Ok too. Remember not to add a negative “I shouldn’t hate my body”. This will only make it worse. Accept why you do and that it isn’t your fault, then move forwards out of love.

Without addressing mental health, you will struggle to change the physical. I hope these words have made you think and please message me if you don’t understand, I will help you :)

-Derry

Brighton based specialist musculoskeletal physiotherapist and online fitness coach