Self-love is very important to help you strive for your better version. It is the power within that drives you to make crucial decisions. To go or not go, to start or to fall back, to continue or to give up, these are aspects that depend somehow on self-love. Are you feeling overwhelmed with your health journey? Don´t worry, I’ve been there.

How self-love is related to nutrition

Well, loving yourself and wanting to care of your body should not be vanity. It goes way beyond good self esteem. It is developing a conscience of living a good quality of life. If you love yourself enough, then you know you deserve to be healthy and happy. Eating healthy is one of the most important ways in which you will take care of yourself.

Nutrition and wellbeing

Nutrition itself is a science, but it’s also a way of boosting your inner wellbeing. Your relationship with food has psychological aspects. The way how you eat is an expression of how you feel. Also, the awareness you have about how a food can be helpful or harmful totally depends on how much you care.

It has been proven that overeating or binging on unhealthy foods, can be a self-defense mechanism of what hurts us inside and what makes us feel bad.

On the other hand, not eating at all, starving, can be related to be obsessed about something or being perfectionist. A clear example of this, is the case of anorexia or bulimia. Guilt becomes part of enjoying food, which is totally unhealthy and harmful to our wellbeing.

The truth about nutrition and emotions

There is also a hormonal factor related to food. We as women can tell how much this is true! During that time of the month when we get emotional and PMS starts to show its colors, we tend to eat differently to feel better or hide our emotions. The good things is that it is a completely normal stage and we shouldn’t beat ourselves about it.

Despite all those psychological aspects that influence our food crave, eating healthy is a decision fact. Making healthy and smart food choices depends on how much of self- love there is. It feels good and rewarding to see how your mood, body, self-esteem changes when you make positive changes. Mindful eating plays an important role in defining healthy habits and creating a wellness lifestyle we all want to achieve.

Food is part of our daily living, and as such, we should always aim to maintain a balance. Enjoying what we eat is also giving importance to develop positive emotions. Pleasure, delight and happiness should also be something to embrace. The way how we create a balance about the foods we choose is powerful. This depends on our mind strength. Is it difficult? For some people it may be. Is it possible? Absolutely, it is a process that requires stamina.

Fitness and wellbeing

Has it ever happened to you that you sign-up for a class at the gym, or joined a workout club, to quit in a matter of months? Trust me, I’ve been there. I used to be in the same vicious cycle of working out consistently for a few weeks, to then quit at the end. The reason is simple, lack of commitment and specific goals.

When your health goals are so clear in your mind, you decide to do whatever it takes to keep up the routine. This has to do with making long-term decisions. The day I decided I no longer wanted to workout as a hobby “once every two weeks”, I took up the exercise habit seriously, to the point that it became a lifestyle. To be honest, it is something that I don’t regret.

The fitness/ wellbeing effect

Fitness and wellbeing are very closely related. It has been proven that practicing exercise regularly is a powerful hack to control your emotions. Try it one day: if you feel down and not motivated, go for a walk or a run for 30 minutes. Your mood can significantly change in a matter of little time. When our body is active, the body releases endorphins and other hormones related to satisfaction and wellness.

Apart from the instant energy boost you feel when making exercise, you will also experience long-term wellbeing. If you do things consistently, you will notice your body changing, physically and emotionally. That body transformation will eventually boost your confidence, make you feel more charming and raise your self-esteem. This is a typical scenario when you lose weight, gain muscles or curves.

Practicing exercise regularly will mainly regulate your metabolism and help you to stay in shape. All of this, should help you feel motivated to continue until it becomes a habit. Remember that small steps each day make you create long term habits.

How to keep going

Do you often struggle to be motivated with exercise? Refer to my previous article here.

The best thing you can do is set your own goals and start at your own pace. Remember that everything is a gradual process, and achieving a healthy lifestyle does not happen overnight. It takes mindfulness, self-love and decision making to keep up with the routines.

Sometimes,, you might feel a need for an extra push of motivation. It happens to all of us with everything we do. Weight loss journeys are strongly mental. Your mind has to be set to get what it takes to continue in your process. Here comes the need to develop mindfulness, courage and self-love.

Finally,

Self-love is the key to achieve and maintain a healthy body and soul. Therefore, making mindful food choices will help to develop a positive relationship between emotions and physical wellbeing. Choosing healthy foods, especially plant-based ones, will enhance your results. Eating foods like fruits, nuts and vegetables, more often will not only nourish your body, but raise your immune system, give you more energy and provide a glowing skin.

Staying physically active will also help you obtain maximum strength, get you on the right mood and maintain a healthy weight. Don’t hesitate to look for methods to stay motivated, like finding a fitness pal or training your mind. It all depends on your goals. The most important thing is that you are doing this as a permanent lifestyle. Your body will thank you!

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