Here at Hip & Healthy, we’re all about encouraging you, our lovely tribe, to be the best versions of yourselves. Never will we preach a singular form of beauty, body, diet or workout. Instead, we make it our mission to inspire and encourage you to embrace who you are and choose to see what you love about yourselves as opposed to your self-perceived flaws. Whilst we know ourselves that doing so can sometimes be a challenge (and believe us, Victoria Secret supermodels even have their ‘bad’ days), this week we’ve compiled our top 5 ways to learn to love the skin you’re in. Read on for our prescription…

Accept yourself in the present

Arguably the most difficult thing to do, accepting where you are in the present is key if a happy and fulfilling life is what you desire. It doesn’t matter where you are in your health journey – just starting out or far along the road – sometimes it can be difficult to acknowledge just how far you’ve come and all too overwhelming to acknowledge just how far you have to go. If you’re yet to master the skill of self-acceptance, you will never be good enough for yourself, and this is really no way to live! In a nutshell, to make any lasting change you must accept where you are now. Just remember, it’s impossible to hate your body into lasting change. Practise this mantra: I love and accept myself unconditionally.

Find a workout you love

If you hate your current workout regime, its not very likely you’ll stick at it. If you hate running despite numerous attempts to get into it, try spinning instead. If you find yoga boring, switch to pilates. There really are so many options out there so whatever you do, don’t give up! Instead, shift your focus on getting fit doing something you love. Whether that’s dancing, yoga, powerwalking, whatever tickles your fancy – make it your mission to explore and discover the workout/s that you love and stick to them instead.

Ditch the diet

We dedicated an article to this a few weeks back (read it here) but it’s such an important point we think it deserves a special mention. Diets don’t work, period. Plus they’re mostly always boring, bland, repetitive and restrictive. Instead, learn to tune into your natural hunger and satiety signals and eat in a way that works for you. Whether you prefer 3 big meals, smaller meals interspersed throughout the day or a mixture of the two, it’s all about finding out what works for you! Also, if you have a sweet tooth it’s totally fine to have a small treat every single day! We mostly always treat ourselves to a few squares of raw chocolate or a homemade treat, and this is totally fine! Deprivation and restriction are the absolute worst things you can do when it comes to your diet so treat yo’ self!

Focus on the good

Sure, there are things all of us would like to change about ourselves, but it’s not going to do you any good to dwell on them. Instead, focus on the things you like about yourself, and don’t just make this body focused! For starters, the fact that you’re willing to become the best version of you will inevitably inspire all of those around you! Additionally, take into account the little things you do that make a difference in someone else’s life, shifting your focus from yourself to your impact on others. Do you make a conscious effort to give back? To support others in need? We’re almost certain that there are many things that you do that inspire, motivate and support those around you, so give yourself some credit!

Make a change

If a change is what you think you need, make sure you’re being realistic about it. As mentioned above, if you’re yet to master the skill of self-acceptance, feeling 100% content within your own skin will pose a bit of a challenge. If you’ve been slacking off on the workout front, Sunday food prep sessions are a distant memory and your grocery haul is lacking in the fruit and veg department, then it’s probably time to set some doable goals to get yourself back on track. Start with scheduling in your workouts like you would meetings, set some time aside to organise healthy lunches for the work week and make up a batch of energy balls to snack on throughout the week. For healthy recipe and workout ideas, check out the links below.

By Zsa Zsa Vella

HEALTHY RECIPES | FITNESS INSPIRATION