3 ways to get more body confident
Date:
15 Oct 2022
Body confidence is the way that you feel about how you look. It can be hard to maintain; with the pressures of social media and judgement rife, it’s easy to compare ourselves to others and forget to love our body just the way it is.
Negative feelings towards your body can lead to low self-esteem, increased mental health issues and disordered eating.1 We’ve got a few words of advice to help you feel more body confident!
1 - Look after your gut
Looking after your gut can go a long way to making you feel healthier overall. Skin conditions, mental health conditions and digestive issues are all linked to an unhealthy gut, and all of these can make us fall out of love with our bodies.
Although improving gut health can lead to weight loss, it’s essential to try and maintain the mentality of “healthier, not skinnier” to truly achieve body confidence. Looking after your gut means including foods that fuel the gut and allow it to thrive, not limiting yourself or counting calories.
Probiotics are a great way to heal and maintain your gut health. Probiotics can be found in supplement form or fermented foods and add new strains of good bacteria to the gut, which increases the diversity and health of the gut. This can reduce bloating, excess gas, diarrhoea, constipation and discomfort.
2 - Wear clothes that fit
Don’t let clothes sizes scare you into choosing something that fits well, is comfortable and looks good. Each clothing store labelling as the same size can be vastly different; there can be up to 4 centimetres difference between the same size in high-street shops which can completely change the size you need.2
71% of people notice discrepancies between clothes sizes in high street brands and struggle to know which size they should go for. 63% of the people surveyed felt frustrated by this and found shopping an unpleasant experience.3
There should be no shame in clothes sizes; it really is just a number. If we can take the shame away and feel good in the size that looks good, shopping can be a far more pleasant experience, and body confidence can improve.
3 - Get used to your own body
Many of us avoid looking in the mirror and really looking at our bodies. The truth is, getting used to your own body and what it truly looks like can be helpful to boost body confidence for some.
Many of us hear a critical voice and feel uncomfortable looking at our bodies in the mirror. Research has shown that regular exposure to looking in a mirror can help to dampen that negative voice and improve body confidence, giving you a more balanced view of yourself.4
Some may find this a challenging and emotional experience. If you don’t feel ready or capable of looking in the mirror at the moment, then don’t. It’s your body and mind, and you know best what’s right for you. Perhaps just keep it in mind as a future useful tool if it becomes suitable for you!
Conclusion
If you are looking for ways to improve your mental and physical health, looking at your perception of and feelings towards your body can be a great place to start. Positive body image has been linked to a reduction in anxiety and depression.5
Body confidence is close to our hearts; we love to support diverse bodies across our social platforms. If you’d like to get involved, email us a picture of you to info@thegutco.com holding our products, and we will post you on our Instagram @thegutcoofficial - join our community!
If you liked this article, check out our article on National Plus Size Appreciation Day!
Reference
2: https://www.prima.co.uk/fashion-and-beauty/fashion-tips/a25358190/clothes-sizes-different-shops/
3: https://www.today.com/style/71-percent-today-viewers-say-clothing-sizes-don-t-make-t123538
4: https://tarawell.medium.com/dealing-with-body-image-issues-2652b82d268#:~:text=Individuals%20with%20prior%20mirror%20exposure,more%20balanced%20view%20of%20themselves
5: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25682474/
