Love Your Body:
Show Notes:
Summary:
In this episode of "Aging with Grace and Style," Valerie dives into the topic of body image and self-love, addressing the struggles and challenges many women over 50 face. Through personal experiences and insightful advice, Valerie encourages listeners to challenge unrealistic beauty standards, curate their media intake, appreciate their bodies, and embrace a loving relationship with themselves. She offers practical tips, including closet cleansing, speaking kindly to oneself, finding joy in movement, and seeking a supportive community to enrich the journey to body love.
Timestamps:
:00:00 Introduction to the struggle with body image and the importance of self-love
01:47 Challenging unrealistic beauty standards and curating media intake
04:24 Personal story of weight loss and the journey of body love
07:56 Choosing confidence-boosting clothes and doing a closet cleanse
09:06 Speaking kindly to oneself and using affirmations
10:25 Practicing joyful movement and finding joy in motion
12:25 Building a supportive community and finding your tribe
13:36 Embracing the ongoing journey of self-love and body acceptance
14:15 Conclusion and call to action to try one of the tips
Key Takeaways:
Key takeaways:
- Challenge unrealistic beauty standards by curating your media intake and seeking diverse beauty representations.
- Choose clothes that make you feel confident and empowered, and consider doing a mini closet cleanse to eliminate items that don't make you feel great.
- Shift your internal dialogue about your body by practicing self-kindness, using affirmations, and trying the post-it note method to promote body appreciation.
- Engage in joyful movement that celebrates what your body can do and brings you joy, instead of seeing it as a punishment or obligation.
- Find a supportive community that uplifts and accepts you, and journey towards body love together, one step at a time.
Connect with Valerie:
- Leave a voice message at pod.agingwithgraceandstyle.com
- Facebook, Instagram, and Threads @iamvaleriehatcher
- Email me at hello@agingwithgraceandstyle.com
Join Us Next Time:
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Stay tuned for more inspiring chats, tips, and stories about the midlife journey.
See you soon! Let's continue to age with grace, style, and a touch of sass.
Transcript
Each week, I bring you 5 practical and engaging tips on a
Speaker:specific topic. I hope you find them relevant and
Speaker:relatable, and we'll come back for more. Ready for today's
Speaker:episode? Then let's go.
Speaker:Hey girl. Welcome back to aging with grace and style.
Speaker:Today. We're talking about body image, a topic that
Speaker:hits home for many of us. We're bombarded with
Speaker:messages that were never quite enough, not thin enough,
Speaker:not young enough, just not enough.
Speaker:Well enough already of the not enough. I'm calling
Speaker:it. We're enough as we are. So
Speaker:grab your favorite drink and let's get into it.
Speaker:You know, I've spent countless mornings in
Speaker:front of the mirror, picking myself apart, critiquing
Speaker:every inch. We all have those voices
Speaker:telling us we don't measure up. Maybe it's a
Speaker:few wrinkles that we fixate on. Maybe it's stretch
Speaker:marks, whatever it is. These become
Speaker:our perceived flaws, but
Speaker:our bodies tell the stories of our lives. Shouldn't we
Speaker:honor them? You know, every
Speaker:week I drop 5 tips to help you and
Speaker:me navigate through a topic. So let's start with our
Speaker:first tip. It's challenge
Speaker:the ideal. So let's start
Speaker:by challenging the unrealistic beauty standards that
Speaker:were sold airbrush perfection and magazines and
Speaker:online. They're not our reality.
Speaker:Step 1 in our journey to self love is
Speaker:curating our media intake.
Speaker:Let's call it that I'm not picking on social
Speaker:media because I'm on there every day, By the way,
Speaker:if you aren't following me, you can do so at, I am
Speaker:Valerie Hatcher on all social media channels. But
Speaker:anyway, I digressed. If your social feed
Speaker:is filled with images that may trigger you to feel bad about
Speaker:yourself, Like, you know, maybe people who have
Speaker:flawless skin, like not one
Speaker:wrinkle, but they say they're 70
Speaker:and they look 30 or people who have long thick hair in
Speaker:your sustaining people who have maybe the best
Speaker:toned bodies and say they never work out. I know you get
Speaker:what I mean. We each have our own triggers.
Speaker:Then here's what I want you to do.
Speaker:Unfollow those accounts that skew these
Speaker:perceptions and seek out real
Speaker:diverse beauty. It's refreshing and it's far more
Speaker:relatable. Today in my pastor's
Speaker:message. He said something that has stuck with me. It said
Speaker:perception can be a deception, And
Speaker:that is certainly true. Let's talk
Speaker:about my story. So when I was having hip
Speaker:issues and I wasn't mobile, I
Speaker:gained weight more than I would have wanted
Speaker:And more than what made me feel healthy,
Speaker:I would lose a few pounds and then I'd gain it back. So
Speaker:fast forward, I had hip replacement surgery surgery
Speaker:in, 2022. And I just knew
Speaker:that after the surgery and once I was mobile and able to
Speaker:work out again, the weight would drop off. Well, it
Speaker:didn't. Part of the issue was hormones.
Speaker:Part was me eating the wrong things, not getting in
Speaker:enough protein, not drinking enough water,
Speaker:just a host of things. And I
Speaker:kept trying, but it has
Speaker:been a long, slow
Speaker:journey of losing weight, but it finally clicked
Speaker:and I've actually started to drop it.
Speaker:Okay. So we're friends, right? So let me be honest with you.
Speaker:Before I lost weight, I didn't feel good about my body
Speaker:at all. It affected everything, how
Speaker:I dressed, how I carried myself and at
Speaker:times even affected my attitude. I just,
Speaker:I mean, I wasn't happy with me. And then
Speaker:once I started to lose weight, I felt healthier. I
Speaker:had more energy. I liked how my clothes looked
Speaker:on me. My mood was boosted, but
Speaker:then new questions arose. I don't think that
Speaker:people realize how long I have been working
Speaker:on my weight and that while to them,
Speaker:it seemed like it happened overnight. To me, it certainly
Speaker:didn't. Sometimes the,
Speaker:you look so great. Comments actually made me feel insecure.
Speaker:Like maybe my former self wasn't
Speaker:worthy enough or that I really must
Speaker:have looked bad. So here's
Speaker:a good one for you. I had one person say,
Speaker:if I were to see you on the street,
Speaker:I wouldn't even know it was you because you're just
Speaker:wasting away. Wasting?
Speaker:Really. But the bad part was that these comments
Speaker:then made me question
Speaker:my weight loss. I recall I was asking my husband, I asked my
Speaker:son, I asked my hairstylist and I asked my friend, do I look
Speaker:sick or something since I lost weight?
Speaker:And this feeling was based on the reactions of
Speaker:people. Now what's funny is
Speaker:I'm really back to the weight I was 6 years ago, except a lot of
Speaker:these people who are making these comments, they
Speaker:didn't know me then. But what this has taught me is
Speaker:that body love is a
Speaker:process. It's not a destination.
Speaker:So here's the question for you. What's one
Speaker:part of your body that you struggle with.
Speaker:Maybe it's your stomach or your thighs.
Speaker:Now consider what does that part
Speaker:do for you? Our bodies just aren't
Speaker:meant to be looked at. They're
Speaker:incredible machines. So try focusing on
Speaker:what yours allows you to do. Tip number
Speaker:2, close as friends and
Speaker:not foes. So what we wear
Speaker:matters instead of clothes that make you feel blah,
Speaker:seek out pieces that boost confidence. This
Speaker:was one of my problems when I was unhappy with my weight. I didn't like
Speaker:the clothes that I wore. Most things were black. Cause you know,
Speaker:they say black is supposed to be slimming. I tried
Speaker:to camouflage what I saw and that I didn't like.
Speaker:So choose clothes that express how you want to
Speaker:feel strong, beautiful, bold.
Speaker:It's about feeling good in your own skin.
Speaker:Now here's the tip. Yes, it's a tip within the
Speaker:tip. How about doing a mini
Speaker:closet cleanse, donate the items
Speaker:that make you feel less than great.
Speaker:Tip number 3, speak kindly to
Speaker:yourself. Now, this is where I think that we can
Speaker:make a shift with that internal dialogue about our
Speaker:bodies. Have you ever noticed how you talk
Speaker:about your body to yourself?
Speaker:For some of us, it can be harsh. I've said this
Speaker:in a recent episode and I say it again here.
Speaker:We wouldn't talk to a friend the way we talk to ourselves.
Speaker:So why do we let the inner critic just
Speaker:run wild? Here's what I want you to
Speaker:Start noticing those negative thoughts when they pop
Speaker:up, question them or even reframe
Speaker:instead of, I hate my thighs. How about
Speaker:my legs are strong and they take me where I want to
Speaker:go for this. I'm grateful. Find
Speaker:one thing that you can appreciate about your body.
Speaker:Even if it's small, let that be your starting
Speaker:point. How do you feel about
Speaker:affirmations? I know they can
Speaker:feel a little weird or even silly,
Speaker:but I really think they can be helpful. Try
Speaker:something like I am beautiful inside
Speaker:out. I think affirmations can
Speaker:truly rewire your perception over
Speaker:time. Now here's something else to try
Speaker:the post it note method. I've seen people
Speaker:who write simple appreciation comments on a post it
Speaker:note and stick it on their mirror. Some
Speaker:add to it every day. So they may have a mirror with post it
Speaker:notes all around it while others may change out that
Speaker:post it note daily. But just imagine you're looking into the
Speaker:mirror. And when you look at yourself,
Speaker:you also read a positive post it note.
Speaker:Now I haven't tried this one since I shared the bathroom mirror with my husband,
Speaker:but I'm thinking I might try it on the
Speaker:mirror in my office. Why don't you join me?
Speaker:Tip number 4, let's shift
Speaker:gears to something. That's
Speaker:just not about what we see, but how
Speaker:we feel. So tip number 4 is all about let's call
Speaker:it joy movement. Movement shouldn't
Speaker:be a punishment for what you ate or an
Speaker:exhausting chase after a certain body type.
Speaker:It's about celebrating what your body can
Speaker:do. Finding joy in motion,
Speaker:whether that dancing in your living room,
Speaker:taking a leisurely walk in nature or
Speaker:practicing yoga to connect with yourself. It's
Speaker:time. We start moving for joy and gratitude and
Speaker:not guilt or obligation, listen to your
Speaker:body and let it guide you to the types
Speaker:of movement that make you feel alive and joyful.
Speaker:Finally, tip number 5, find your tribe
Speaker:journeying towards body. Love is more
Speaker:enriching with the supportive tribe. The battle is
Speaker:easier with allies, find women who
Speaker:uplift you and who you can be real with
Speaker:And they with you, it's transformative to have a
Speaker:community that mirrors the love and the acceptance that we're trying to
Speaker:cultivate. Now, body love
Speaker:won't happen overnight and that's okay. Progress.
Speaker:Isn't always linear.
Speaker:Body love won't happen overnight and that's okay.
Speaker:Progress. Isn't always linear. Some days
Speaker:it'll be easier than others. What matters is showing
Speaker:up for ourselves, being gentle and
Speaker:remembering how amazing our bodies are.
Speaker:And there you have it. Friend 5 tips to help you
Speaker:build a loving relationship with your body and embrace the journey
Speaker:of self love from challenging
Speaker:unrealistic beauty standards to finding joy in movement.
Speaker:It's all about transforming our mindset
Speaker:and actions to celebrate the incredible beings that we are.
Speaker:Remember loving yourself and your body.
Speaker:It's an ongoing journey. It's it's filled with ups and
Speaker:downs. I believe that every step you
Speaker:take towards acceptance and kindness is a step
Speaker:towards a happier, more fulfilled you.
Speaker:So keep challenging the norms, keep moving with
Speaker:joy. And most importantly, keep loving
Speaker:yourself fiercely and unapologetically.
Speaker:Here's what I want you to do this week. Pick just one
Speaker:of these tips and give it a try. Notice any
Speaker:shifts in how you feel about yourself. Share your
Speaker:experiences with me via voice message at pod dot
Speaker:aging with grace and style dot com until next
Speaker:time. Remember you are beautiful.
Speaker:You are strong and you are so worthy of
Speaker:love inside and out. Keep going
Speaker:girl. Thank
Speaker:you so much for joining me for 5 to Thrive Tuesday. If you haven't
Speaker:already done so, please subscribe so that you don't miss an episode.
Speaker:If you enjoyed this segment, please rate, review, and share it with
Speaker:a friend. Let's stay connected on Instagram,
Speaker:Facebook, and or threads at I am Valerie Hatcher,
Speaker:or email me at hello at aging with grace and style dot
Speaker:com. Until next time, let's continue to age with
Speaker:grace, style, and a touch of sass.
