We all have them. Parts that jiggle and wiggle. Parts that don't seem to quite conform to society's standards for beauty. Parts that resist even our most ardent efforts to trim down and firm up. So what's a modern woman to do?

Love yourself. As you are. Right now.

Oh, I know, I know. "I do love myself," you insist. "It's just that I don't exactly love my thunder thighs (or my flat chest or my ________ insert your part-that's-hard-to-love here)." Here's the thing. You may have heard the saying "what you resist persists." Well, in no area of life is this more true than loving your body.

You have got to love ALL of yourself. Not when you lose that 20 pounds. Not when you can fit into your favorite jeans again. Not when you get a boyfriend, or the right husband, or a better haircut. Today.

You can learn to love yourself as you are right now. And by loving all of yourself today, you empower yourself to become the best that you can be. You have a built-in blueprint in your body and mind for your own perfect, healthy, sexy shape, and that does not mean you need to look like a Supermodel. But you do know when you are outside of your own zone for a healthy weight. Healthy diet and exercise are of course an important part of the weight and body love equation, and yet our attitude toward the body we have today is a missing key that will either fuel or sabotage our self-improvement programs.

So often, we eat to try to fill the hole in our souls, to satisfy cravings that food can never fulfill. We are thirsting and hungering for love, for connection with a significant other, with community, with spirit, and with our true selves. We are longing for purpose and for a deeper, more unconditional sense of self-worth. We women have to rediscover how to celebrate ourselves, no matter what we look like or weigh, no matter who is loving us or not. We have to find what truly nourishes us and fill our lives with the pleasure, the meaningful work, and the supportive people that resonate with who we truly are. And we have to fill our minds and hearts with positive self-loving thoughts and beliefs and become our own best friends and cheerleaders, on the inside.

As American women, we have been conditioned to not love our bodies. In fact, we are continuously programmed (some might say brainwashed) to loathe our bodies. We are convinced that we are either too fat or too scrawny, too short or too tall, too flat-chested or too buxom, forever judging, forever ashamed, forever feeling inadequate and less than. In my work as a clinical hypnotherapist and intuitive life coach for 14 years, I have found that every woman shares one common issue, whether she came to me for support with weight loss, career or relationship improvement. That common core issue is insufficient self-love.

Now is the time to really love yourself, radically and unconditionally. Now is the time to release any beliefs that no longer serve you. Time to see yourself through the eyes of beauty. Time to reclaim your body as a beautiful divine temple. Ready? Here are 10 proven ways to boost your self-love muscle and love your amazing body more right now. Plus, these practices have all been successfully field tested with hundreds of women. They are easy to fit into your busy lifestyle, so go ahead. Jump into more self-love!

1. LOVE YOUR FEET. Pay more attention to your feet by making them comfortable throughout the day. Imagine asking your feet: How can I love you more? What would you really enjoy? You may get a message. Your feet may want you to stomp them, walk barefoot in mud, grass or sand, soak them, or put them up at the end of the day. (Even 5 or 10 minutes can feel like bliss.) How about a foot rub with luscious lotion? Go beyond your usual pedicure routine to really stroke those hard-working dogs with more love.

2. MOVE. Any form of exercise that you enjoy and that feels good will benefit you on every level: help you be more present in, and aware of, your body, improve health, move more gracefully, build strength, vitality and endurance, and achieve or maintain a healthy weight and positive body image. Plus, the endorphins are natural mood lifters! Try dancing, walking, yoga, Tai Chi, stretching, aerobics, Pilates, hiking, biking, swimming, or strength training with weights. If you feel stuck on this issue, get hypnosis to increase your motivation, find an exercise buddy, work with a coach or trainer, or just do "The Living Room Boogie!" My kids, husband and I love to put on lively music and just go crazy. Remember to dance like no one is watching! And exercise is wonderfully addictive - the more you move, the more you'll want to move - as well as contagious (your friends and family will be inspired by you).

3. TAKE A SELF-LOVE BATH. Set aside some private time and gather any goodies that will make your self-love bath feel really heavenly: a lovely candle, soft towel or bathrobe, rose petals, bath salts... whatever makes your beautiful body say "Ahhhhhhhh." While the water is filling the tub, light your candle and declare: "I love my body. I honor my body as a divine temple. My body is beautiful." Imagine that the tub is filling with light and love along with the water. Now step in and enjoy.
And when you wash your body, imagine you are also washing away all self-judgment, letting all negativity just float down the drain. Touch yourself consciously and lovingly. Be completely here and now. Keep returning your thoughts to "Good Body," "Beautiful Body" or "Love." Honor yourself as a living goddess!


4. RUB LOVE IN WITH THE LOTION. Whenever you rub lotion or oil into your skin, think about how much you love your body. Remember all the amazing, miraculous things your body does for you every day, many of them automatically. Give thanks for all your senses and strengths, and for your uniqueness. You are the only you in the YOUniverse! Tell your body how much you appreciate it as you rub the lotion in and fill yourself up with love.

5. BREATHE. Sounds simple but most of us don't breathe well most of the time. We have to relearn the most natural thing in the world. Breathing in, breathing out, deep into the belly, being fully aware and in your body. Here are two of my favorite, simple, very relaxing breathing exercises.
"Peace, Release." Imagine that with each breath in, you are breathing in peace. And with each breath out, you are breathing out a release of whatever you need to let go of, any tension or worries, just flowing out. In peace. Out Release. Over and over.
"Stop and Breathe." A really fun way to remember to breathe more consciously is to imagine that each stop sign you come to actually says "and Breathe" under the "Stop." I taught this to my kids, and now they are great teachers to me because they remind me to do it more than I remind them!
Prana yoga is the form of yoga which centers on conscious breathing. If you enjoy these breathing exercises, you may wish to explore prana yoga.


6. CREATE BODY-HONORING ART. Develop some visual art or an altar that honors the female body. Make sure to include a body shape that is similar to the one you currently have, as well as the form you are striving for. You can also purchase art, statues, images, that someone else made but it will be most powerful if you make it yourself. You can draw, paint, or create a simple sculpture with an air-drying or oven-bake clay. Body art also includes adorning your body with lovely clothes, jewelry, perhaps tattoos or henna... Dress like the goddess that you are!

7. THANK YOUR BODY. Write a gratitude list or actual Thank-you Letter to your own body. You will be amazed at how much there is to be thankful for, if you just take a few minutes to ponder all the millions of miracles your body has been performing for you, day in and day out, for all these years. You may also be ready to (and feel a need to) forgive your body for any illnesses, weaknesses, scars, disabilities, etc. You can reframe how you look at these so-called imperfections, to become thankful for the hidden gift that came along with them. Ask yourself: How did this help me become the person I am today? You will tap into your own resources of strength ("I am a survivor!") and compassion. And even if you have a few aspects of your body that are not operating at peak performance, looking at your body with a deeper appreciation, and communicating it with words from your own heart, will help you love yourself as you are and enjoy every step along the way toward your positive goals. Instead of focusing on what your body cannot do, focus on what it already does do well. Acknowledging your body's reliability and real power will help you cultivate peace with your temple and bring a smile.

8. TREAT YOURSELF TO A LOVING SELF-MASSAGE. This is essential, and can range from little love pats perhaps accompanied by a positive thought such as "Good body" or "Thank you" in any moment, to to making love to yourself as a sacred act, knowing yourself to be a living miracle! In my book, The Radical Self-Love Workbook, I present a comprehensive head-to-toe routine for massaging your entire body.

9. SEE YOURSELF THROUGH THE EYES OF LOVE. When you look in the mirror, don't just look at the wrinkles and judge "Is this a bad hair day?" ... Take just a moment to see the beauty within you. Gaze at yourself through the eyes of your loving Creator, through the eyes of the Beloved. Smile. Breathe. Declare:
10. DO THE "RECLAIMING MY BODY AS BEAUTY" CEREMONY. In my RADICAL SELF-LOVE WORKBOOK, LoveLife! trainings and telecoaching circle, and in private sessions, I share a wonderfully healing and empowering ceremony that helps women really affirm how beautiful they truly are. You can customize the ceremony any way that feels right to you. Or make up your own.