3 Surefire Ways to Increase Body Confidence

Every woman wants to walk into a room feeling like they are that chick. You know the one who everyone stares at because she is just so bomb. The one with the thousand watt smile and enough curves to make a Coke bottle jealous. But if you are like me most days you feel more like the woman by the buffet table grabbing an extra cheese puff than the belle of the ball. You may have one too many back rolls and hair that sometimes has a mind of its own. For a long time, I struggled with loving the woman in the mirror. In a society where slender figures and bone straight hair are considered “high fashion” and beautiful, I fought with my reflection when it refused to fall in line with these standards. Whether it was skipping out on my high school classmates’ pool parties because I was afraid of being seen in a swimsuit or refusing to try on clothes at the mall out of fear that nothing would fit, my middle school and high school years were plagued with low self-esteem and low body confidence. To compensate, I threw myself into my academics. While I may not have been the prettiest girl, I could definitely be the smartest.

Now don’t get me wrong. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with studying hard. But my hope is that by sharing my own struggles with low self-esteem and the 3 tips below you’ll start to make your own strides to an improved self-image. My contentment with my body didn’t happen overnight, it was the result of YEARS of intentional personal work. And to be totally honest, it fluctuates from day to day. But now when I walk into a room, I’m not looking towards the door waiting for THAT CHICK to show up. In my mind, I AM that chick, back rolls and all!

As much as you hate to hear it, you may never be a size two. We can’t forget that a large part of our outer appearance is dictated by this uncontrollable factor called genetics. Your family history plays a big role in your body composition. For example, my body composition is similar to my paternal grandmother’s side of the family. Almost everyone has a curvy figure. That means that no matter how much I work out the chances of me looking like a Victoria Secret swimsuit model are slim. But that’s ok. When I workout now, it’s not with the goal of being skinny but being healthy. I workout to live a long life and keep my body in its best physical shape. Make sure you are getting in the suggested 30 minutes of physical activity every day.

3. Find a support system.