Day 6: TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR BODY
Welcome to Day 6 of Confidence Boot Camp. We hope you are enjoying the content and the inspiration so far and have started to implement some new tools and practices into your daily routine.
Today’s topic is all about the physical component of The Chemistry of Confidence.
There are many things we cannot control in our busy day-to-day lives, but there are some things we can control, and one of those is how you take care of your body.
Take a quick moment and ask yourself the following questions:
- How much sleep are you allowing yourself?
- Are you getting enough physical activity each day?
- Are you feeding your body the nutrients it needs so you feel your absolute best?
As women, we often think only of confidence in relation to our physical selves, as being how we look, being fit, being the weight we want to be, being made up, etc. I’ve heard people say, “I’ll be more confident when I lose 20 pounds,” as if you wake up one day, look at the scale and think, “Well, look what I’ve done. Now I’m confident.”
But the truth is, confidence is a natural byproduct of your regular physical activity, getting good sleep, and properly fueling your body. When your body feels good and is working at its optimal level, you can be happier, less irritable, more productive, and full of energy. Can you imagine how confident you can feel when your body is working in your very best interest? We can start by making it a regular practice to associate taking care of your body with how you feel and NOT only how you look.
BE ACTIVE
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY doesn’t have to be a dreadful event. My tip to women is to make exercise fun. If you don’t like to run, don’t run. (I hate to run.) If you don’t like to go to the gym, don’t go. Choose activities that you love to do and incorporate physical movement into your activity. I personally love to be outdoors so one of my favorite things to do to get my heart pumping is go on a brisk hike in the mountains near my home. I have a girlfriend who has little time to fit in a structured workout, so she gets her kids to join her in simple, kid-friendly exercise moves. The kids have a blast and she gets her exercise in. It may not be perfect but it works for her. The main take-away here is do something that you will enjoy, is easy for you to fit into your routine, and gets your endorphins going.
Grab your girlfriend's or your partner and hit the trails!
SLEEP. SERIOUSLY.
I think everyone can agree that SLEEP is a beautiful thing. That is, if you are actually getting it. To be fair, I agree that sleep can often feel very out of our control, especially, if you have young children, a new puppy, regular bouts of insomnia, or a partner who snores.
Take the control of what you do have and make the most of it. Set yourself a sleeping schedule and try to stick to it as much as possible. Get into bed 20-30 minutes before you actually want to be asleep, turn off the television, and leave your phone in your bedside drawer. Give your brain and body some time to really relax and shut off. If you are night worrier, or if the instant your head hits the pillow is when you remember all the things you were supposed to do that day that didn’t get done, keep a pencil and paper on your bedside table and write it down. Unless you are literally going to get up and get the task done at that very moment, it does you no good to stress about it.
DON’T EAT CRAP
My favorite thing to remind myself when it comes to my NUTRITION is this:
When you eat like crap, you feel like crap, and then you act like crap. Makes sense, right?
My philosophy is simple: Eat what makes you feel good and avoid what makes you feel bad. I’m not talking about what makes you feel good emotionally—like chocolate cake or French fries. That’s another post for another day. I’m talking about eating foods that actually make your body feel better and give you more energy. Do everything in moderation and don’t deprive yourself of things you really love, even if it’s the occasional piece of chocolate cake.
My advice here is to be conscious of what you are fueling yourself with and make sure it is working for your body and not against it. If your food choices have you feeling sluggish, foggy, or tired, that’s a good indication that choice is working against you. It won’t happen overnight, but listening and staying in tune with your body’s response to food can become second nature if you practice it. Try keeping a food journal for 30 days that records what you ate and how you felt. This can help eliminate problems foods for you. All our bodies are different and respond to things in different ways. Take time to learn your body and its signals.
Your assignment for today is to select ONE small thing related to ACTIVITY, SLEEP, or NUTRITION, and do that ONE THING today that will indicate to your brain that you’re in charge of your physical body. Some examples might include:
- Set yourself a bedtime and go to bed at that time tonight (even if you haven’t finished your list or your laundry).
- Choose the peach over the cookies for your afternoon treat.
- Take a brisk, 30-minute walk after dinner instead of binging on Netflix.
- Just ONE THING! Taking charge of your body tells your brain that what you do matters, and it raises your confidence level a notch each time you do something kind for your physical body.
Write in your journal (look back at Day 4 on journaling) what you did today to take care of your body, and go to The Villa Facebook page or Instagram page and tell us what you did differently today. We’ll be there to cheer you on!
Every little step you take moves you forward in your confidence journey. I hope I’ve sparked some new ideas for you and given you some good tips to help you keep moving.
We will see you tomorrow for another day of Confidence Boot Camp. You’ve got this!
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