Easy Tips on How to Improve Your Look and Boost Confidence
Wanting to look your best is completely normal, and nothing to be ashamed of, even if you support body positivity. In reality, improving your physical look can boost your mental health, cure your social anxiety and improve your confidence. Making time and effort to improve your appearance will also teach you how to respect and love your body more—these are all great things. So how do you move forward and improve your look?
Clean up your diet
The most important part of losing weight, gaining muscle or becoming lean hides in a good diet. If you only rely on microwave pizza and McDonald’s, you’ll ingest a lot of fat, sugar and processed ingredients that will make you feel tired, sleepy and low on energy. For starters, make at least one meal a day at home and ensure it’s full of veggies, whole-grain ingredients and protein. Also, a good idea is to ditch sugary drinks and rely only on water, tea and coffee. This is a small sacrifice that can bring you great results like losing weight, gaining energy and improving the look of your skin.
Do some exercise
Being physically active is a great way to not only lose weight and put on some muscle but also to develop a good relationship with your body. Exercise is also great for keeping off many illnesses, especially when it comes to those that tackle your mind. And don’t think you have to start training for a marathon! Just throw on some cozy leggings that will make you feel comfortable and safe and start with a simple walk-jog around the block. When you feel like skipping your exercise, you can once again rely on your workout clothes to motivate you. Soon, you’ll start to look better in your regular clothes, feel lighter on your feet and act more confident.
Spend more time outdoors
Spending time outside is beneficial for you in many ways. Firstly, it pushes you to move and burn calories and build muscle and endurance, but it also benefits your mental health. Outdoors can provide you with fresh air, sunlight and pretty views that can relieve stress, boost confidence and reduce anger. Just a short walk in the park can make you look and feel much better than binging on Netflix.
Fix your posture
It’s amazing how posture can change your whole appearance in seconds. So yes, your mom was right when she pushed you to sit straight and push back your shoulders. Sitting with your head held high and with your back straight can make you look thinner or more muscular, allow your clothes to fit better, give you more self-esteem and lift up your mood.
Create a skincare routine
No matter your gender, your location, your age and your status, you need to take at least some care of your skin if you want to improve your complexion. If you can’t go for any cosmetic treatments, you can do your skincare at home with only a few products and steps. Start with cleansing your skin from daily grime and dirt, then put on a good moisturizer that fits your skin type and finish the whole thing with at least SPF 30 sunscreen. In between these steps, you can also add toners, serums and masks, but if you’re just starting with skincare, these three steps will be just enough.
Work on your smile
One of the first things people notice when meeting you is your smile, so make sure it’s impressive. If you have plaque or tartar on your teeth, you might benefit from a professional cleaning. While you’re at your dentist’s, ask about whitening strips or whitening toothpaste that will turn your choppers into pearly whites. You can also add an occasional apple or some strawberries to your diet and, of course, quit smoking.
Reinvent your style
In order to look good in your body, you first need to feel good in it. So make sure to ditch all clothing that doesn’t fit you or makes you feel uncomfortable. Do the same with baggy clothing you use as a shield, and leave just those pieces that flatter your body and provide confidence and comfort. Essentially, do what Marie Kondo does and ask yourself whether your pieces spark joy or not. If you want to keep certain pieces for sentimental reasons, neatly put them away in boxes. When you get some money, you can do some shopping and revive your closet for an instant confidence and style boost.
If you want to look better to feel better about yourself, feel free to follow these tips above. And remember to shush all that hate talk in your head telling you that you’re not enough. If you work out and diet just to fit it, it’s not proper self-care but self-sabotage. Love your body, appreciate it and everything in your power to keep it healthy, strong and good-looking—you owe it and yourself that much.