“Will changing your body make you happy?”

When you look in the mirror at your naked body, what do you see? Do you first see the things you love about your body or do you first see what you don’t like?

Most of the women I talk to tell me that they first look at what they don’t like. Many then tell me that they find it hard to find anything they DO like at all.

One of my favorite books is “If Life is a Game, These are the Rules.” In her book, Cherie Carter-Scott encourages women, “Love all the parts of yourself, and if you can’t love them, change them. If you can’t change them, then accept them as they are.” Does this mean that you never try to improve your body? Absolutely not. I believe that if you were born with an able body, it is a gift and therefore your duty to continue to improve it, keep it healthy, and keep it functional.

It does mean however, that you need to stop criticizing and judging your body. It means that you love and accept yourself where you are at, on the way to where you are going.

Have you ever seen a really confident overweight woman who looks genuinely happy? Did a smaller midsection make her happy? Did slender arms and legs make her happy? Then why is she so darned happy? If you are wondering why an overweight woman would be happy in the first place, I suggest you evaluate your own thinking on happiness and contentment. If happiness to you means having a certain body, you could take a lesson from an overweight, happy woman.

Ladies, accept and love yourself, but always with the intention to improve. I had a client this week tell me that she’s afraid that if she starts to love her body the way it is she will not want to improve it. I told her that I believe the opposite is true. As you learn to love your body, you will learn to be more kind to yourself. When you learn to be more kind to yourself, you will learn to love yourself. And when you learn to love yourself, you will want to improve yourself, including your body. So, will changing your body make you happy? Try being happy first, then watch your body change.