The midsection. This is probably the most talked about, most examined, most desired, most exploited part of the female body. As someone who works with hundreds of women, I can say, without a doubt, that their midsection is often their most ‘troubled area.’ Today, I’m sharing with you some secrets, so I hope you are ready. Here are three ways to get the midsection you love!
Ignore the Images
Women are inundated daily with images of abs, midsections, waistlines, and more. From commercials to fit pro media pics to photo-shopped images, we are shown what the “public” deems to be the ideal tummy. Who made them the experts? Who gave them the power to say what is beautiful and what is not. WE DID! Ouch. As consumers, we give the supplement companies, fit pros, and diet plans the power to show us what’s acceptable because we buy from them. We share those images of perfect bellies. We envy them. We want them. We would do anything to have a flash-worthy tummy. Am I right? I mean, you have to admit that at least ONCE in your life, you worked really hard simply focusing on your midsection.
I hate to tell you this, but seeing all this images isn’t helping. And thinking to ourselves that those images is what perfection looks like is holding us back. And sharing those images isn’t helping anyone else, either.
Action to take:
What should we do? Ignore them. The fake image of perfection (I say fake because most images are edited and most fitness models do not walk around looking like that 24/7) is rotting our brains, destroying our confidence, and shutting down our self-esteem. The images of women pinching their bellies, waistlines, and hips and making disgusted faces further cement in our brain that looking a certain way is bad, wrong, unacceptable. Skip the posts, articles, and images. Hide, unlike, un-follow whatever shows you images that immediately invoke the notion of wanting to change your body. Do.it.now.
Watch Your Mouth
Nope. This section isn’t about what you put IN your mouth. It’s about what comes OUT of it.
Do you use these words to describe your midsection? muffin top, pooch, pudgy, flabby, jiggly, stretched, destroyed, ugly, fat, frumpy, gross, fupa, love handles, or any other word/phrase that demeans your midsection
If you do, STOP….immediately. Your body can hear you! And the more you use these words to describe your body, the more it will rebel. We spend a lot of time hating on our poor midsections. And it simply isn’t good for anyone.
Think about the words you use to describe your tummy area. Would you say those out loud to your son or daughter? Would you say them to your best friend or partner? Didn’t think so. Then don’t say them about or to yourself either! Hating on your belly won’t change how it looks. It only changes how you perceive it.
Action to take:
It’s okay to not be a huge fan of how your midsection looks, and it’s perfectly fine to not flash it every chance you get. What you do want to do is change your language. If you can’t think of something nice to say, then be quiet. I know we all heard that as kids, and it applies to your tummy, too. If you have stretch marks from having kids (my stomach has tiger stripes…no joke!), appreciate that your body created life. If you find your attention is drawn to your midsection because it’s your least favorite part of your body, ignore it for a while. Thoughts only have power when we give it to them. The most important part of this is that you can love your body and still work on changing it. Talking about yourself positively doesn’t mean you are giving up. It simply means you will be less miserable in the process. And isn’t THAT a win?
Honor Your DNA
I hate to tell you this, BUT….no matter how hard you try, you will not have abs like your favorite model, movie star, athlete, musician, etc. Why? Because you have your own DNA, and your body is made differently. No matter how much you eat for fat loss and train the midsection, it simply won’t look like hers. It will look like YOURS. Instead of lamenting the fact that you will never have her abs, get over it. Yeah, there’s some tough love for you. You can’t change your DNA and she can’t share hers.
Action to take:
Stop coveting other people’s bodies. Seriously. Unless you are coveting a body in the way that brings Channing Tatum to your door, quit wanting other people’s body parts. The more we focus on others, the less time we spend appreciating our own. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. The grass is greener where you water it. So shower yourself with appreciation. Find parts of your body that you love! For example, I love that I have my dad’s crooked pinky finger. And I love that I have my mom’s smile. Your DNA makes you who you are, from the inside out. Own that shit! There is no one else like you, so don’t worry about what someone else looks like, because they could never be YOU.
Your assignment for today is to find ONE thing you love about yourself. It doesn’t have to be physical. It can be the way you sing or the way you make people laugh. ANYTHING. Declare it and share it below in the comments section.