A Better You V.3 Loving YOU

Self Image & Personal Style

#1 Self Image
Cellulite, thick calves, wide hips, we've always struggled with some part of ourselves that we just don't love. I've struggled with myself for a long time. Before I was pregnant I had the BIGGEST calves. I was an avid bike rider and worked out a lot. I could do things you could never imagine a 5' 4" girl could do. I was always self conscious about them though, but now after I lost all my muscle mass I miss my thick calves! I wish I had them back so I can do some of the same things that I used to. If you have wide hips, some women with a different body type are probably wishing they have what you do! I've heard the the most beautiful people I know complain about how much cellulite they have! Every single body type is different. Isn't that refreshing? Not a single person is absolutely perfect. The media has totally distorted what a woman should look like. You don't have to have a stick thin body in order to love yourself. It's all about attitude! Instead of looking at what others have, we need be proud of what we have! We need to stand up for ourselves and say NO! Today I'm going to love my hips, curves an jiggly bits! You need to make the decision to start loving your body.

I love this quote from the poem Desiderata by Max Ehrmann, 

"If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; 
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself."

(I highly recommend reading the entire poem. It's SO inspirational.)

With my post pregnancy body I have had a lot of "I wish"'s about my body's changes. It gets hard at times, but I try ever day to only look at the positives and really love who I am and what I look like. 

#2 Personal Style

I'm really passionate about this subject and I hope you can leave this post with a renewed sense of self and style. Here are a few pointers:

1. Dressing up always makes me feel good! Even though I work at home, when I take time to look my best I always feel better about myself and in the end am more productive! You don't need an occasion, dress up just because! You're worth it!
2. I know some of you have probably gone through your closet as a new year resolution, but I want to ask you to take another look. If it doesn't make you feel like a Super Star throw it out! You don't need to wear things that make you feel any less!
3. Don't buy things just because they're "in". Doing this you will a)end up wearing things that don't flatter you. b) end up spending more money on some things you'll hardly end up wearing.
4. Find your style. Buying things that are the current style means the clothing you buy will only be in for short amount of time(as mentioned above). If you can find your own personal style that you love and feel good in, why would you ever want to keep up with what everyone else is wearing?! Remember to keep it unique, because guess what? It's YOUR style, make it what you want!
5. You don't have to spend a lot. I've found so many irreplaceable pieces at thrift stores, estate sales and so on. I can't imagine my wardrobe without some of these many unique pieces and it saves so much. If there is something you have to have that's regular price, don't feel bad! If it's something you're in love with and is going to last you a long time it's probably worth it!
6. Make sure you mix it up. I'm always finding completely new outfits just by layering or finding a new way to wear something. It's fun and a free way to find a new outfit!

I feel like I'll write a novel if I keep going so I'll stop at that, I'm really passionate on this subject as you can tell! I hope you take my advice on replacing negative thoughts about your body with positive. I need to be reminded of this every day! If you have anything to say about anything, I'd love to hear from you! xo -Liz