How Epic Self-Love Taught me to Be-YOUtiful

this …

I never truly knew the concept of self-love growing up. It wasn't until I turned thirty that I truly knew the meaning of epic self-love. Growing up, I was surrounded by people who constantly checked themselves out in the mirror and were always worried about what other's thought of them. I would hear saying's from my high school friends like, "Well she obviously takes care of herself, look at all that makeup she wears and those amazing brand name clothes she buys." I went to a high school that was the epitome of an Abercrombie and Fitch poster board model campaign and my friends would compete to see how many days they could starve themselves the longest. Self-love? Not so much. As I got older and went through college hating my looks and every little or big roll on my body, I realized how much energy I was wasting hating my looks. I would spend hours agonizing over my looks in the mirror picking apart my every flaw, instead of celebrating my 500mm swim times or the fact that I booked the lead in the local theater show.  I would spend my nights hiding food under my bed and eating and eating until I felt "satisfied". I slowly began to realize that the food wasn't doing it for me and that I needed to find my love from the inside, not from someone else or some thing. I yo-yo dieted and would workout for week's on end and then stop and would feel like a failure. Then one day someone told me what a light I was to others and it hit me. I am a light! A powerful, strong, bright light and instead of staring at myself in the mirror all day, eating crappy food, I should take care of my body and tell myself daily mantra's about how grateful I am for my strong body. 

The first thing I do every single morning when I wake up is look in the mirror and say this to myself: "I am a strong, capable woman." Then, throughout the day I'll repeat other mantra's out-loud like: "I am so loved." and "Gosh, beautiful, you've got this." Saying these mantra's out-loud gets you out of your own head and works to solidify your belief system. Repeat any mantras that speak to you while you are in the car, or waiting in line at the grocery store, while you are running, whatever you are doing repeat those mantra's, especially in times of self-doubt. 

I do something every day that I love! I go running nearly every day. Running helps keep me sane and helps keep my keep my anxiety levels low. Running help's me feel beYOUtiful! I started running in middle school and have been doing it on and off for years ever since, but now I go running every day and I've really found my groove with it. I run outside because I adore nature and being outside in nature is one of the best feelings in the world. Everything is wide open and so freeing feeling. I put on my Momentum motivate wraps and run, run, run! I love every twist and turn of the trail, the sun on my neck, the crackling of the leaves under my feet, the sound of my shoes on the dirt trail. I love every second of it and I make sure to go running at least 3-5 miles nearly every day. 

Stop the compare game. Instead of looking at other people's Instagram feed's with self-doubt and wishful thinking, I look at other people's blogs and feeds as motivation for me to do and be better. I use to go down the compare game rabbit-hole trap, but now I find honor in other power women's feed's and it inspires me to be a better human. If we all work together to empower each other, we will be successful and feel better about ourselves! 

I thank my body for what it does for me every single day. I lost 155-pounds learned that food is medicine and that we can heal ourselves with the right food's and move our bodies while loving every single cell of ourselves. I learned that with eating healthy food's and being active, that I can love myself, no matter what size I am. My body does amazing things, my legs get me moving on hilly trails, my lungs help me breathe in fresh air, my arms pull-up to higher places, my eyes keeping me seeing everything wide open! Instead of tearing yourself down, constantly remind yourself of how badass and amazing you are! We are powerful human-being's and we need to envelop ourselves with as much powerful self-love as possible. 

I remind myself every day what a beYOUtiful powerful being my body and mind is and with every nook and cranny, I am a strong, capable, woman and SO ARE YOU!