Research has demonstrated for a long time that exercise improves circulation, helps balance hormone levels, improves relaxation and stamina. A study on the effect of exercise and body-image found that the simple act of exercise was enough to boost body-image and self-esteem. In other words, you don’t have to be fit or be an exercise addict to reap the emotional benefit from doing some exercise. “This is an important study because it shows that doing virtually any type of exercise, on a regular basis, can help people feel better about their bodies,” said Kathleen Martin Ginis, a kinesiology professor at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. When you feel better about your body you feel more confident.
In addition to exercise, try these six suggestions to boost self-confidence in all areas of your life.
- Give yourself positive self-talk. Tell yourself that you are strong. That you are beautiful exactly as you are. And that you have the right to relax and feel good!
- Identify people in your life who support you in feeling good, and spend time with them.
- Appreciate all that you do, even if no one else does.
- Be spontaneous, be courageous. For example, go some where out of the ordinary or take an art or performance class. “Novelty is the greatest aphrodisiac,” says Sandor Gardos, Ph.D., and founder of mypleasure.com.
- Dance with your eyes closed. This is very freeing and makes movement come from a deeper, more primal place.
- Keep a journal and write about those secret goals you have. When we put things down on paper it makes how we feel more concrete. According to the Center for Journal Therapy, “the writer can receive mental and emotional clarity, validate experiences and come to a deeper understanding of him or herself.”
Nothing is more alluring than self confidence. So begin your Valentine’s Day this week with exercise and have a wonderful day!
