The BetterMe Mission: Cultivating A Deep Sense Of Self-Love For Weight Loss

In this day and age unrealistic health standards and beauty propaganda are being pushed on us from every angle. According to a study done by the Florida House Experience, 87% of women and 65% of men unfavorably compare their bodies to the images they see on social and traditional media. Airbrushed-perfect skin, a snatched waist, not a single fat roll in sight - this distorted and frankly unattainable idea of beauty wreaks havoc on people’s body image, self-esteem and mental health as a whole.

Advertising and fashion industries coupled with the all-consuming presence of social media in our lives act as a major contributing factor to the increasing amount of eating disorders around the world, rising depression rates, and booming demand for plastic surgery.

Normal and natural is heavily underrepresented by media and health & beauty businesses. They push the fantasy of becoming ‘perfect’ to bump up the sales, leaving us, consumers, feeling body-shamed and inadequate.

Instead of flaunting stretch marks as our little battle scars, we go to extremes to laser them off. Instead of embracing our ever-changing bodies, we cover them up under layers of clothes. Instead of coming from a place of self-love when working on ourselves, more often than not we do it from a place of self-hatred. But here, at BetterMe, we are encouraging you to look at weight loss and fitness through a different self-accepting lens and always start from love, not from pushing!

Flipping The Script On Weight Loss

Weight loss shouldn’t mean punishing diets and exhausting workouts, it should mean accepting yourself the way you are, overcoming your own resistance to change, moving towards self-compassion, fighting against negative self-image, and loving yourself hard enough to embark on the journey of self-improvement.

4 years of trial and error turned BetterMe into a body-positive fitness and weight loss tool that can take you from ‘I hate my body’ to ‘I love myself which is why I work on myself’. Our mission is to help you understand that the number on the scale is just that - a number! That obsessing over calories, going on detoxes, doing hundreds of squats until your legs give out - isn’t the key to good health and weight loss. That self-love won’t just magically appear as soon as you drop down a size or two.

Choosing to feel good about what you eat, choosing to feel good in the clothes you wear, despite the size tag, choosing to feel good about yourself when you look in the mirror - these are the steps to Better You . Weight loss, however counterintuitive it may seem, isn’t about weight, - it is all about MINDSET.

Loving Yourself All The Way To Weight Loss With BetterMe

While slipping into a smaller sized pair of jeans might make you feel a little better about yourself, whether you like it or not, true self-love and confidence is an inside job. And not an easy one to say the least! Statistical data from The Self Love book by Joe Rubino states that 85% of the world's population is affected by low self-esteem. But even though this number is scary enough on its own, there’s more! According to The Body Shop Global Self-Love Index , 1 in 2 people struggle with self-love and self-acceptance. This issue crosses all ethnic groups, geographical areas, and even social classes. More often than not this unreasonable self-hatred is what holds people back from achieving their full potential.

If you’re still fuzzy on the whole self-love equals physical wellness concept, here’s a little rundown of why self-love works wonders for fitness and weight loss:

• According to a 2015 study on self-compassion, affect, and health-promoting behaviors, self-love promotes healthier decisions and a healthier lifestyle.
• A 2019 research by H. Kirschner, W. Kuyken, K. Wright, H. Roberts, C. Brejcha, and A. Karl suggests that self-love switches off our threat response, which boosts our immune system and gives us a better chance of healing.
• A 2011 research by D. A. Sbarra shows that self-love promotes resilience and improves our ability to overcome setbacks or traumatic events.
• Self-love reduces stress hormone levels in our bloodstream, which in turn may help us lose weight, as suggested by the 2009 study by J. P. Block, Y. He, A. M. Zaslavsky, L. Ding, and J. Z. Ayanian, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
• According to a 2012 study by F. M. Sirois, self-love helps beat procrastination.

What Does Self-Love Really Mean?

Everyone may have their own understanding of self-love but here are a couple of universally agreed upon explanations of this life-changing concept.

Self-Love means:

• Putting your mental and physical health on a pedestal;
• Kicking bad habits;
• Becoming conscious of your inner voice;
• Loving yourself at your best and at your worst;
• Making yourself a priority;
• Giving yourself a break from self-criticism;
• Setting healthy boundaries;
• Choosing what’s best for you (even if it means saying no to some of the life's pleasures);
• Accepting yourself with the good, the bad, and the ugly;
• Allowing yourself to make mistakes;
• Cutting ties with toxic people;
• Refusing to seek external validation;
• Putting the world on hold to spend quality time with yourself;
• Engaging in self-reflection without self-judgment;
• Trusting yourself;
• Forgiving yourself.

Putting Self-Love At The Center Of Your Weight Loss Journey

We’ve established that loving yourself goes hand in hand with healthier decisions and self-discipline, - two things that are the foundation of fitness and weight loss. So what can you do to start appreciating yourself and your efforts more? Here’s a self-love toolkit approved by professionals at BetterMe .

Recite Affirmations

According to a 2001 study, that was carried out in the University of Kentucky by Peden, Rayens, Hall, and Beebe, affirmations can be used to successfully treat people with depression, low self-esteem, and other mental health conditions. On top of that, reciting affirmations on a daily basis has been shown to stimulate the areas in our brains that make us more likely to effect positive changes in regard to our health.

Here are some tips that you should keep in mind when writing affirmations for yourself, according to The Success Principles by Jack Canfield:

• Start with the words “I am.”

" I am deserving of happiness "

• Use clear, affirmative statements.

“ I know how to achieve my goals ”

“ I have what it takes ”

“ I love and accept myself ”

• Do not use negative language.

Instead of “ I don’t want to get sick ” say or write “ I am healthy and strong ”.

• Use the present tense.

“ I AM becoming a better version of myself ”

• Keep it brief and make it specific.

“ I am steadily losing 1 pound a week ”

• Include at least one dynamic emotion or feeling word.

“ I’m extremely happy that I’m working on myself every day ”.

Spot, Stop And Then Swap Negative Thoughts

Resist the negativity bias! Whenever a negative thought comes up, stop yourself and recognize that thought, think about what triggered it, and then swap it out for a positive alternative.

Gratitude

According to a 2013 study “Examining the Pathways between Gratitude and Self-Rated Physical Health across Adulthood” by P. L. Hill, M. Allemand, and B. W. Roberts, counting your blessings instead of focusing on the negative may reduce depressive symptoms, improve sleep, lead you to exercise more, improve your physical as well as psychological health.

The most common ways to cultivate gratitude are:

• Keeping a gratitude journal;
• Performing an act of kindness at least a couple of times a week;
• Living mindfully.
• Engaging in at least a 5-minute self-reflection session every day.
• Share your gratitude with others.

Self-Care Rituals

For many people, self-love equals self-care. Incorporating even one self-care technique into your day (remember, it isn’t a one-time deal!) can go a long way in helping you achieve self-compassion. Here are a couple of no-frills self-care rituals for some inspiration:

• Take a daily gadget-free walk in the park or go cloud-watching.
• Kick your day off with the most difficult task on your to-do list.
• Eat at least one healthy meal a day.
• Declutter your home and free up your workstation.
• Unplug for at least one hour every day.

Positive Visualisation

A 2009 research by A.J. Adams on the power of visualization found that people who imagine crushing a task, end up performing it better in real life. So why not use this seemingly uncomplicated technique for self-love practice?

Here are 5 steps to get you started:

• Have a clear idea of what you want or who you want to become.
• Imagine how you would feel if you loved yourself unconditionally (the more emotive language, the better!).
• Back your thoughts up with some positive self-talk.
• Set mini self-love goals along the way (no self-criticism at least 1 day a week etc.)
• Create a vision board and meditate in front of it for at least 5 minutes a day.

The BetterMe Health & Fitness App - Here’s What We Have To Offer

Inclusive Workouts

Workouts that we offer are not set as a ‘one size fits all’ type. Instead, they are divided into three easy to remember categories (beginner, intermediate, and advanced). Easy navigation is just the tip of the iceberg! BetterMe is committed to staying inclusive, which is why we have a wide range of workout programs that cater to everyone regardless of their sex, gender, age, disability, or body composition. We’ve included:

• Exercises for seniors guided by a senior.
• Workouts that cater to people with physical disabilities.
• Family workouts.
• Plus size workouts.

We provide video and audio guidance, step-by-step exercise explanations, tips, common mistakes - all factors to help you maximize your workouts and avoid injuries while you’re at it.

Healthy Meal Plans

Balanced nutrition and fitness neatly wrapped up in self-love - this is how you achieve health & fitness progress. Here, at BetterMe, we do not support fad dieting or extreme restriction. We’re all for eating for health, not size. With that in mind, we offer only the meals plans that are supported by science and recommended by nutritionists:

• Keto Vegan
• Ketogenic
• Lactose-free
• Gluten-free
• Mediterranean
• Traditional/No Preference
• Paleo
• Pescatarian
• Vegan
• Vegetarian

But people are so different. How do we know which meal plan to suggest? When you sign up, we collect your:

• Parameters
• Weight expectations
• Diet preferences
• Restrictions.

And whatever your goal is, the app can help you figure out the amount of calories you should be consuming to stay on track, using the Mifflin St Jeor equation.

What if we told you that you could access a weight loss app that guarantees weight loss at only half the price? The BetterMe app is filled with factual information, professional coaching, and a community of like-minded individuals to help you along your journey. Download it and buy a subscription at 50% off for the first payment. Just use this promo code: BetterMe-Weightloss-Plan-21

Education

For anyone interested in broadening their knowledge about nutrition, fitness and well-being, we post 12 science-backed and expert-approved articles on a regular bi-monthly basis.

Like-Minded Community

If you feel like your motivation is fizzling out, you can always connect with people who are on the same journey as you via our app.

Professional Coaching

We have a team of certified fitness instructors and nutrition experts who offer advice as well as online nutrition/fitness consultation to paying users. And just in case you think of a random fitness-related question at 2 am, we have a 24/7 personal coach chat support feature, where you can unload all your worries and ask as many questions as you need.

Challenges

If you would like to branch out beyond fitness and nutrition, we have dozens of fun challenges that could try out to mix your journey up a bit:

• the self-care challenge to restore inner balance
• meditation for beginners for stress and anxiety relief
• the digital detox challenge to take time off social media
• better sleep challenge to fix your sleep schedule
• the mindful weight loss challenge to create intuitive habits

Trackers

If you need an extra push or a daily reminder to stay on top of your hydration game or hit your daily step goal, we got you covered with our water tracker and step counter features.

Meditation

Here, at BetterMe, we’re convinced that happiness is impossible if you don’t strike the right balance between your physical and mental health. Which is why we offer 5 to10-minute guided meditations for people who struggle with self-love, feel overwhelmed with life, or who simply need a break from it all.

Why BetterMe Cares

Our diet-obsessed society has made us believe that true happiness has everything to do with how skinny you are. Don’t take our word for it, here’s what research says:

• According to the 2012 results of the UNC-SELF and Gender and Body Image (GABI) Studies on body dissatisfaction in women across the lifespan, approximately 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies and because of it they resort to restrictive dieting to achieve the ‘perfect’ body.
• According to the National Eating Disorder Association, about 45% of men are unhappy with their bodies
• A 2002 Weight Control Behaviors Among Obese, Overweight, and Nonoverweight Adolescents research shows that 58% of college-aged girls feel pressured to be a certain weight.
• A 2000 national survey on weight-related behaviors among adolescent girls and boys showed that 35-57% of adolescent girls engage in crash dieting, diet pills or laxatives, and self-induced vomiting.
• According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, 95% of people with eating disorders are between the ages of 12 and 25.
• According to the NHLBI growth and health study of the dietary practices of black and white girls 9 and 10 years old at enrollment, 81% of 10 year old children are scared of becoming fat.

The creators of our app believe that their product can change people’s negative perception of fitness and weight loss by introducing self-love into the journey. We want to inspire you to start putting yourself and your health first no matter what. We want to help you realize that true happiness comes from within and that’s where everyone should start their transformation.

Stop trying to love the taste of kale more than the taste of chocolate lava cake and start loving yourself enough to choose kale over cake because it’s good for you! When you place self-love at the center of everything, every little win will feel like a gigantic leap ahead and not one setback, big or small, will ever scare you hard enough to give up!

Download the BetterMe app and embark on one of the most rewarding journeys of your life!

NO IMPLIED AFFILIATION or ENDORSEMENT. BetterMe is not claiming an affiliation with any person who is mentioned in the material.