23/07/2026
Reading The Highland Woman post this morning made me reflect on something that I think we don’t talk about nearly enough.
We spend years being taught how to read, write and study. We learn how to gain qualifications, build careers, raise families and meet everyone else’s expectations. Yet very few of us are ever taught how to truly care for ourselves. Not in a deep, intentional and purposeful way.
If the people who raised us were never shown how to love and care for themselves, how could they have taught us? Most of us are simply repeating what was modelled to us, often without even realising it.
To me, self-love isn’t a feeling. It isn’t standing in front of a mirror and loving everything you see. Self-love is a decision. It is the conscious choice to care for this incredible physical body that carries you through life.
Sometimes that choice feels beautiful. Other times it feels uncomfortable. It might mean turning up to train when you don’t feel like it. It might mean sore muscles a day or two later because you challenged yourself. It might mean eating the food that nourishes you instead of the food that comforts you, or going to bed earlier when everyone else is still awake.
Love is not always the easiest choice, but it is often the wisest one.
Every time you move your body with purpose, nourish it well, allow it to recover and speak to it with respect, you are casting a vote for the person you are becoming.
Perhaps that is what self-love really is. Not waiting until you feel worthy enough to care for yourself, but choosing to care for yourself so consistently that, one day, you realise you were worthy all along.
Body Love 💛
I’ve been thinking a lot about what it really means to love your body.
For me, it is not just about how I feel when I look in the mirror. It is about how I choose to care for my health, move my body and support myself through every stage.
Sometimes, loving your body starts before you feel completely confident in it. It can simply mean deciding that your body is worthy of care, respect and kindness.
Working with Vania from Highlands Health Club has helped me feel stronger, more confident and more connected to myself.
Every workout, every healthier choice and every small step is a way of saying, “My body matters.”
I’m learning to appreciate my body more every day and celebrate everything it allows me to do.
That is what body love means to me. ✨
StrongWomen
