It's been so amazing to watch the body positivity theme rise to mainstream media over the past couple of years, with people like Ashley Graham, body positive activist, and Megan Jayne Crabbe (aka @bodyposipanda) at the forefront of it.

I know for many women, this is an exciting time. We're finally seeing more body diversity and representations of everyday real bodies like ours in the media. We are finally feeling like we belong; like our bodies aren't as wrong or in need of being "fixed" like we thought they needed to be.

But let's face it – as much as we would like to embrace body positivity and accept ourselves exactly as we are, some days that's going to be harder than others. Many people also think that accepting their body means giving up, throwing in the towel and getting even bigger as a result of releasing control. But in fact, various practitioners and studies have found that loosening up on yourself can actually bring you to your natural ideal weight. We have to remember, that the vicious cycle of dieting is what has brought you to where you are now – stuck, frustrated and unhappy in your body. So what if we started doing the complete opposite? Food for thought!

I'll be honest, even as an advocate of this kind of work, I still struggle with my body some days. But the difference between how I respond now versus how I used to respond in the midst of my disordered eating days is that I have certain tools and tactics to bring me back into alignment and not get consumed by those negative thoughts, which is what I'm sharing with you today!

8 Ways To Love Your Body Now

1. Fill your newsfeed with more body diversity

A lot of us have the tendency to follow accounts on social media that we idolize or aspire to be like. But in doing so, it makes us feel inadequate, not enough or inferior because we aren't quite "there". If you find a lot of negative thoughts coming up after you scroll through your newsfeed, maybe it's time to do a bit of a clean-up! Give those accounts that aren't serving you a friendly unfollow and instead, start filling your newsfeed with representations of your own body. You will be amazed when you discover how empowering this is and how it starts to shape your new ideal of what your body "should" look like.

2. Give your body credit for what it can do, versus what it looks like

How many of us go to the gym in hopes of looking a certain way or changing something about ourselves (i.e. less flabby arms, more toned abs, stronger quads)? It's actually very rare that we pursue exercise (or what I like to refer to as "movement") because of how it makes us feel. But I'm telling you, from both personal and professional experience, that shifting your mentality around exercise to how you feel versus how you look is one of the key secrets to embracing and loving your body.

When we focus on how movement makes us feel (i.e. endorphin-filled, energized, less stressed etc), we are able to celebrate our bodies for what they can do for us! Because when we focus on movement for the sake of calorie-burning, it becomes an obligation and all joy and pleasure is removed. More often than not, it ends up in negative self-talk like "why am I not there yet?" "what's wrong with my body?" So remove the scale, let go of the need to reach certain numbers and find a source of movement that makes you feel freaking AWESOME in your body, be it a walk with a podcast, CrossFit (hey fellow XFitters!), yoga or biking!

3. Develop a positive affirmation or response to your negative self-talk

Let's be honest, the negative self-talk is going to creep in every now and then. I still battle with it every now and then, but the difference is that I have specific responses that I use to turn that conversation around into a more productive one. So when I find myself naked in front of the mirror or in the shower noticing that my love handle is a bit larger than it used to be, instead of letting the negative self-talk creep in that involves me criticizing myself for what I ate, I immediately replace that with loving, compassionate thoughts.

One of my go-to phrases is "you are healthy, you are strong and you are enough" or "what my body looks like is no reflection of my self-worth or what I have to offer".The reality is that our bodies are going to change and fluctuate on a daily (heck, sometimes hourly) basis. Getting caught up in negativity is never going to serve us, but instead, lead us down the pipeline of feeling the need to restrict, which leads to feeling deprivation and usually binging of some sort. Start bringing awareness to your negative self-talk and find a go-to positive response you can use to reframe it!

4. Find 3 things

One misconception people have about body love or body acceptance is that one day you just wake up and feel like a supermodel, but it's far from (and honestly, for good reason!) As I mentioned earlier, somedays it's going to be harder than others to love and embrace the body you're in. But even amidst all of that, try to find at least three things that you like about yourself. Yes, perfectly manicured nail beds count!

5. Celebrate body diversity

Accepting your body also comes down to accepting your genetic makeup. Yes, I know of epigenetics and we have the power to change how our genes are expressed, but all that aside, the reality is that body diversity exists. This is the reason one person can eat, move and live a certain way and achieve X, Y, Z and another person can do the exact same thing and stay the same or end up the complete opposite.

But just as a person who wears a size 8 in shoes wouldn't expect to squeeze into a 6, it's unrealistic to have the same expectation about our body. The best (and more productive) thing we can do is accept it for where it is and not put unrealistic expectations on it to try and change. Straying from the diet mentality will always be difficult if you're constantly criticizing and unrealistic about your body.

photo credit: kacy johnson

6. Respect your body

When we're in the thick of diet mentality, it's easy to be overly critical of ourselves and even punish ourselves by over-exercising or denying ourselves of our basic needs. But doing so is how we label food as the enemy and form a broken relationship with food. By reminding yourself that your body deserves to be fed, to be treated well, to move comfortably and to be dressed comfortably, we are respecting our body which naturally is going to encourage us to respond and act more positively to it.

7. Wear the size that fits you now

One sure way of loathing your body for a long time is to continue to wear, or hang onto clothes, that don't actually fit you in hopes of being "X" size instead of your real size. I wrote about this previously over here, but when we hang onto these clothes to give us false hope or to use as motivation to fit that specific mould or size again one day.

Guys – there's nothing motivating about feeling your organs being pushed out from your jeans. Toss out the clothes that don't fit you and treat yourself to a shopping spree to invest in clothes that actually do. You will be AMAZED at what a difference this makes in your overall confidence and how you feel in your body!

8. Decide that you are OK just the way you are

When it comes to our health, very rarely are we given the option to select that we "OK" the way we are. If you think of how health intake forms are structured or the messages the media conveys to us, they are heavily centred around what's "wrong" with us or what needs to be "fixed."

But what if you actually are okay just the way you are now? If you feel like you're in good health and are not at risk of any major diseases, could you possibly be okay the way you are? Because here's the thing; if we let go of the feeling that we need to change ourselves, we can actually accept ourselves exactly the way we look now since that's the way we feel our best! It's a decision, ultimately – a decision to honour our own innate wisdom or continue to give into society's unrealistic standards and expectations. You get to decide!

Want more tips and teachings on how to embrace the body you're in now? Join my free private community, Fill Your Cup Podcast Community– a non-judgmental community for women to connect, share and support each other on their healing journey and ultimately make friends with food and peace with their body. Join over here!