Self-confidence: You either have it or you don’t, right?
Wrong.
Self-confidence is simply built by a collection of habits over a period of time. To an extremely small population of people, these habits come as second nature. However, to the majority of us they don’t come as easy. The good news is that these habits can be picked up by anyone and can help kick start a lifestyle fuelled by self-confidence, given that they are applied rigorously and on a regular basis.
The festive period can be an overwhelming time for some people, and therefore it is more important than ever to dedicate some “me” time to develop the habits that will boost your confidence and self-esteem that should last all year round.
Healthy Body = A Healthy Mind
As your body gets older, working out becomes more of a necessity in order to stay healthy, both physically and mentally.
There is a recognised link between exercising and boosting your self-confidence. By participating in a regular exercise programme, it helps establish a positive mindset that should help you to feel able to accomplish tasks, makes your body look and feel amazing over time, reduces anxiety levels and helps you meet new motivated people.
Most importantly, by exercising on a regular basis, you are setting a constant reminder to yourself that ‘you can do it’ and you can set yourself goals and meet them. Exercise helps change your mindset to that of ‘doing’ as opposed to ‘coasting’.
If you manage to establish any habit from this list, exercising regularly should be the one.
Lucky for you, Curves offer a workout that combines strength training with cardio activity and stretching – all in just 30 minutes – that will not only help boost your self-confidence but help create lean muscle, raise your metabolism, burn fat and tone your body. It is safe, efficient and effective for women of all ages and fitness levels, and best of all, you’ll be exercising in an environment that’s comfortable and welcoming.
Take A Mindful Moment
Long gone are the days of meditation being only for ‘hippies’. Today mindfulness is used worldwide as means of exercising the brain and making it stronger. With that being said, you probably didn’t know that meditating after a workout can be one of the most powerful things that you can do to boost your self-esteem.
Even just ten minutes of meditation will help you to enjoy the benefits. Just throw on some comfy clothes, find somewhere that is quiet, sit yourself down and relax. Try focusing your attention towards your breathing or a certain area of the body that is perhaps experiencing some tension and let thoughts enter your mind through one ear and escape out the other without disturbing your focus.
This is the simplest form of meditation and is often referred to as a ‘body scan’. By taking a few minutes to stop and process how your body is feeling in that moment can be enough to benefit from the release that meditation offers. By disconnecting from technology and taking a few minutes every day to sit down and scan your body has an incredibly powerful effect on the way that you think about the world.
No longer will your thoughts just happen. No longer will your insecurities control you. You will be able to see thoughts for what they are: they are not real, just waves that just float through your brain. It’s your choice whether you entertain them or dismiss them as you will.
The more comfortable you become with silence, the less your brain will seek to fill it with unnecessary or unwanted thoughts.
Perfect Your Posture
Hitting the gym is a great start and mindful practice will definitely help you become more aware of your body. However, you’ve got to become the master of your own body. The simplest way to do this is to work on how you hold yourself. Here’s a step by step guide on how to perfect your posture:
- Stand in front of a mirror so that you can see your whole body.
- Close your eyes.
- Imagine a rope pulling your head towards the ceiling.
- Imagine there is magnet attached to the floor pulling your feet downwards.
- Let this imaginary tension pull you into a tall, perfectly straight posture.
- Open your eyes to examine your posture.
- Work on the little things, like having your head level and your shoulders square.
- When you have perfect posture, close your eyes again.
- Scan your body. Try to engrave this feeling into your brain so that it eventually comes to you naturally.
Now that you know what perfect posture feels like, you can call on it whenever you want. This is just the foundations of mastering your own body language. There are fewer things in life that are going to help you not just boost your self-esteem, but also project self-confidence towards others than being able to hold your body properly.
The Complete Package
By dedicating time to build these three habits into your daily routine you will hopefully notice a difference in how you feel over this festive period. Remember, if you’re struggling with staying on track or lacking motivation to workout, our Curves team are always on hand to help.
To start boosting your self-confidence today and for more advice on healthy living, contact your nearest Curves club or book a free consultation now!