5 Things Every Philly Woman Should Think About

I love to workout. I love feeding my body healthful foods. I apply both of these every single day of my life and I take great care of myself. Sadly, there are so many women here in Philadelphia and around the world who don’t have such a great relationship with themselves. Here are my five steps to loving yourself through thick and thin.

Get fit to feel good. I learned to love my body when I turned my focus from appearance to appreciation and respect for everything my body enables me to do. I am so fortunate to be able to Lithe, jump, run and ski without limitations, and every time I do something active, I think about how grateful I am to be able to do so. Try and change your mindset from getting fit to become skinny to being fit whether or not it makes you “skinny” and you’ll see how good being healthy and strong feels.

Be your own best friend. Talk to yourself like you would talk to your best friend. If your best friend missed a workout or gained a few pounds, you would motivate her to get back on track—not judge her, right? Do the same for yourself. If you fall off the horse, get over it and get right back on.

Realize that fitness is not about skinny-girl stereotypes.
I’ve never been “super-skinny” and I never will be. When I was younger, I struggled with that. True beauty is not about fitting into a cultural stereotype. That doesn’t mean we should stop trying to improve ourselves; it just means that our time is better spent focusing on building a strong, healthy, fit body and mind rather than trying to fit into a media induced, cookie-cutter mold.

Don’t compare your body. If you compare yourself with other women, you can most definitely create 20 reasons why you should dislike your body. Comparing yourself with others will always leave you feeling inadequate and unhappy, and you have a choice, so choose not to do it.

Accept your body type. I love my strong, powerful glutes and thighs. My athletic legs and prominent posterior have taken me from cheerleading to skiing, dance classes and hiking to climbing high mountains. Throughout my 32 years, my lower half has fit into a number of sizes. No matter the number, try and accept your body and all of it’s abilities and strengths.

Lauren Boggi is the owner and creator of Lithe Method. Read more about Lauren here.