From Brett Hoebel: Solving Your Body Image Issues One Mirror at a Time

This post by THE Brett Hoebel about how to improve your body image is a part of our fourth-annual Guest Bloggers’ Week. Check out all of the inspiring, informative, entertaining and life-changing posts here! And check out more of Brett on his website and by following him on the Twitter.

It’s one thing to want to look better naked; it’s another thing to be comfortable naked. It may seem as though the two are independent, but they are interrelated. The destination to looking better can only be reached by a bridge built with the confidence of knowing you can do what you set out to do. That means being comfortable naked may need to come first. When your looks don’t align with how you want to look, how do you get into a healthier mindset about your body image? Researchers call it self-efficacy; I call it willpower. To do all that you have to do to get the body you want, you have to visualize yourself at your destination. So how do you get the willpower to win the weight-loss battle? Get yourself a mirror. In fact, you need three. As you build the muscle of your willpower, reflect on these three things: your attitude, action and accountability.

1. Attitude: Stop Beating Yourself Up

Do you sell yourself well? In an interview, you probably think long and hard about how you can convince an employer to give you a job you really want. You’ll have to use the same energy to convince yourself that you’re capable of doing what you set out to do. Speak highly of yourself and learn to take compliments. Proof of your ability to do the weight-loss job is proven by consistent work experience, training and meeting goals. When you feel negative thoughts about your body image bubbling up, speak to that negative thought like you would an interviewer. Explain to yourself how you can do better. Remind yourself of the steps you’ve taken to lose weight. Brag about how you’ve learned more about eating healthy and working out. Taking these steps will help you build that muscle of willpower. As you use positive thoughts to fight doubt, your attitude will improve, and you’ll become more convinced of your ability to do what you set out to do.

2. Action: Do Something About It

Follow Brett Hoebel’s three steps to better confidence, body image — and results!

As you continue to improve your attitude, you’ll become more confident. However, that confidence will only last so long unless you take action. You can’t live off of the past too long when it comes to losing weight. Every day you have to do something to build your confidence. If a donut is your weakness, winning a few standoffs with eating that sugary junk will help you realize your ability to eat healthier. If you feel out of control, you have to exercise control consistently. That means facing your food and lifestyle demons head on. It’s not enough to become a gym recluse or hide behind a meal delivery plan. It’s about boldly making decisions in the presence of friends and family and in places you frequent to put your bad habits to shame. You have to proclaim your new lifestyle in word and deed. To really own your new lifestyle and make it stick, take steps that prove you mean business.

3. Accountability: You Hold the Cards

If taking action is so important, then why do so many studies point to keeping a journal as an important aspect of weight loss? The reason is accountability. No matter how much action you take, it won’t stick unless you track your progress. No home builder would start building a house without first determining the size of the home and the cost of the materials needed. In addition to keeping a journal, you have to create a personal blueprint for progress and stick to it. Meeting smaller goals consistently leads you to the ultimate goal. That means planning meals, working out regularly, tracking your weight loss and measuring your inches lost. How do you know if your actions are enough if you don’t track your results? Accountability will help you chart your path to weight-loss. As you lose weight, lose inches, and improve your fitness level and eating habits, you’ll give yourself a few more bricks to complete the road to the body you want to see in the mirror. And when you get there, the payoff will be that the body that you see will align with the mental well-being you’ve practiced from the start.

Sound off … How do you convince yourself to keep pushing before you actually see the vision you have in your mind? —Brett Hoebel