The term body confidence has been thrown around a bit lately, and it seems to have taken the place of self-esteem. Given that I have been in the fitness game for about two years now (and a lil chubster most of my life), body confidence is what I’ve been contemplating and striving for for a long time.
Like many people, my body has fluctuated. With that, I’ve gone from not having any confidence in how I looked to kind of liking it, liking it, and not liking so much again. All of which have been directly tied to my physique.
Yes, self-acceptance is important, but I believe to an extent. If one fully accepted their body, then there would not be any motivation to change it.
Perhaps it’s not the healthiest, but I always feel a little bit of dissatisfaction. I constantly see room for improvement. The two don’t have to coincide, but that’s how I’m feeling.
Presently, my body confidence is not where it was about a year ago. Though, it’s not as low as it’s been earlier in my life. Why? Even though my physique is not where I would like it to be, I am much stronger than I used to be. Case in point: I can do 25 push up in row. That is HUGE progress for me. I’ve never been able to do that before, even when I liked my physique more.
As I’ve been on my fitness journey, my definition of body confidence has evolved. Instead of solely depending on how I look, it now includes what my body can do. I think more about how much I can lift, squat, deadlift, and one of my goals is to be able to do a pull up (currently still not possible). All of those achievements bring me more confidence in my body.
So where is the body confidence? Somewhere in the journey, hiding in the gym, in the kitchen, and somewhere in my resolve and determination. There is a point of overall peace and satisfaction with one’s body, even if you still want to improve. I was almost there once, and I’m working to get back there again.
Where are you in regards to your body confidence? How do you define it?
-Marisol
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