*Collaborative post.

As teenagers, most of us were influenced by the body ideals our peers idolized. Yet, all of us have different body types and, as a result, it may be frustrating to find that it’s almost impossible to achieve the kind of body you often see on TV or in magazines. To make sense of how you see your body image as an adult, here are six steps to building a better body image today.

1. Love Your Body

No matter what you look like, loving how your body looks, as it is, matters. The love you extend to your body image should come from yourself, not the ideals or trends you see in the media, ideas from peers, or the expectations of friends and family.

Practice self-care to start loving yourself more and appreciating your body for all it does. Of course, this is easier said than done.

If there are things about your body that really bother you, you may consider undergoing a certain procedure to make yourself feel better. For example, if you undergo a tummy tuck, you should look into the best tummy tuck scar treatment to prevent unsightly scars that further damage your body image.

Do what you need to do to improve your body image. Your body image will improve the more that you show your body gratitude.

2. Know Your Values

Obtaining an ideal figure may or may not align with your values. There is a difference between a healthy body mindset and aiming for physical perfection.

Additionally, how easily your body responds to diet and exercise will also affect how much you value your body image. Someone who loses weight and builds muscle quickly may appreciate their body image more than someone who requires more time to achieve these gains.

Your relationships, career, and happiness are additional values that will influence how you see yourself and what you’re willing to sacrifice to achieve an ideal body image. Know your values to start seeing yourself and the body image that feels right.

3. Stay Physically Active

Staying active is necessary for health. You don’t need to complete gruesome workouts every day, but going for a daily walk or doing some strength training as applicable to your fitness level is a good idea.

To stay healthy, we need to move our bodies daily. You can improve your body image by appreciating how fit and strong it becomes over time as you continue to stay active.

4. Practice Good Nutrition

To improve your body image, start paying attention to what you fuel your body with. Part of practicing self-love is being mindful about how you treat yourself, including how you eat.

Eating healthy food is essential to managing your health. The better you treat yourself on the inside, the better you’ll feel about yourself on the outside. To improve your body image, prioritize your nutrition.

5. Don’t Look in the Mirror Often

Many of us become obsessed with our appearance to the extent that anytime we see a mirror, we feel compelled to observe our appearance and review how we look.

Try to limit how often you look in the mirror and trust that you look perfectly fine. By letting go of thoughts to judge your body, you’ll focus on more important things and build a better body image as a result.

6. Stop Comparing Yourself

Comparing your body to others is a recipe for disaster. There is only one you, and you deserve to like your body image just as it is.

Trying to meet the appearances of others devalues your self-worth. For a better body image, honor your body as it is right now, and don’t try to match up to the way anyone else looks.

The Bottom Line

Building a positive body image requires different applications for different people. Consider the suggestions above as you build a better body image for yourself.