Feel Better in Your Body Now | A Walk for Confidence While You Work Toward Your Goals

One of the most-loved episodes of the Healing Mile is back.

If you've ever felt frustrated with slow progress, discouraged by the scale, or like you should be further along by now, this listener favorite is for you.

In this encouraging guided walk, Carrie shares a powerful reminder: you don't have to wait until you reach your goal to feel good about yourself. Together, you'll explore how to build confidence, stay consistent, and treat yourself with more kindness while working toward the healthy, strong, and energized version of yourself you want to become.

This walk will help you shift away from pressure and self-criticism and toward patience, self-respect, and sustainable progress that actually lasts.

In this episode:

•  How to feel better in your body while you're still working toward your goals 
•  Why self-compassion leads to greater consistency than self-criticism 
•  Simple mindset shifts to build confidence and motivation 
•  How to stay committed when progress feels slow 
•  Affirmations to help you feel stronger, more confident, and more supported 

So take a deep breath, lace up your shoes, and let's walk.

The most important thing you can do is take care of you. 🤍

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Welcome to the Healing Mile. I'm Carrie, your walking bestie. And by the end of this special episode, you're going to feel more confident in your body, and you're going to walk away knowing exactly how to be kinder to yourself while you work towards your goals. This walk is all about loving the body you have while you build the one you want. Not in a just love yourself kind of way, but in a real steady, everyday kind of way. The kind that helps you stay consistent, feel proud of your progress, and drop the pressure you've been putting on yourself. Because guess what? You can want change and still talk kindly to yourself. You can have goals and still respect where you're starting from. You don't need a different body to feel good about who you are right now. And as we walk together today, I'm going to help you practice that in a simple, doable way that actually sticks. So take a breath, relax your shoulders, and let's settle in. Let's start by warming up your body with some breath work. Take a slow breath in through your nose. And let it out through your mouth. Do that again. Breathe in. Nice and easy. And release. As we begin walking, keep your pace comfortable. Nothing forced, nothing special. Just your normal, natural walk. Let your shoulders drop a bit. Let your arms swing in a way that feels good. Let your jaw relax. Feel your feet land one at a time. Feel to toe or whatever your natural stride is. No need to correct anything. We're just waking the body up. Now take one more slow breath in. And let it out. You're here, you are moving, and that's all you need right now. As you settle into your pace, let's get honest for a minute. Most of us want something to look or feel different in our bodies. Maybe it's a little less cellulite in certain places, or a little more tone, clothes fitting differently, or just wanting to feel stronger. And when you're doing the things you're supposed to do, eating well, walking more, lifting weights, drinking water, all that stuff, it can be frustrating when the changes feel slow or invisible or totally inconsistent. I get that. I've felt it so many times. And to be honest, I felt it this morning. There are days when I'm doing everything right and I'm still like, why is this taking forever? Or why does the number on the scale stay the same no matter what I do? And that frustration, that feeling of I should be farther along, can slip into the way we talk to ourselves. Maybe not out loud, but quietly in our minds, we're like, come on, get it together. Why is this so hard for me? I should look differently by now. I should be better, look better, do better, whatever it is, those little under the surface comments they add up. And after a while, you're not just trying to change your body, you're trying to earn your own kindness. But we don't have to do that. And we don't even have to reach a goal to treat ourselves well. We can want change and still talk kindly to ourselves. We can have goals and still respect where we're starting from. And honestly, that combination that I'm gonna continue to talk about, wanting progress and treating yourself like a person who deserves patience and love is where everything shifts. Because when you stop fighting your body and start working with it, you move differently. We all do. And you show up differently, you stick with things longer, not out of pressure, but because you finally feel like a teammate to yourself. So as we walk today, I want you to know this. Nothing about wanting change means you're not enough right now. Did you get that? Nothing about wanting to change means you're not enough right now. It simply means you care about yourself. You're investing in your health, your strength, your energy. And none of that, though, requires self-criticism. You're allowed to want more and better and feel good about yourself today. Both can exist and be true at the same time. So as we keep walking, I want to take a minute to explain something that's actually pretty interesting. And honestly, it changed the way I approach my own goals. In behavioral science, there's a simple pattern that shows up over and over again. People who treat themselves with respect stick with their habits longer than people who criticize themselves. It sounds obvious, but most of us still try to motivate ourselves with pressure. You've probably felt this before. You set a goal, you push hard, you expect quick results, you get frustrated when the scale or the mirror doesn't move fast enough. Then the self-talk gets harsher, and eventually your motivation drops completely. Not because you're weak, not because you fail, but because your brain is wired to pull back when something feels like punishment. That's behavioral science 101. Shame shuts people down, kindness keeps them going. When you talk to yourself like you're always behind, your brain starts to associate your habits with stress. But when you speak to yourself in a supportive, realistic tone, even if you still want change, your brain feels safer staying consistent. Isn't that beautiful? Inconsistency is what creates progress. Not perfection, not self-pressure, not I should be farther along now. What is my problem? It's consistency, just steady, doable repetition that creates progress. Here's another piece of science. Your brain pays attention to how you talk to yourself while you're taking action. If you're walking and thinking, I'm so out of shape, your brain tags walking as something that reminds you of your flaws. But if you're walking and thinking, I'm doing something good for myself, your brain tags walking as self-support. Same action, completely different motivation pathway. This is why being kind to yourself isn't fluff or a waste of time. It's strategy, it's behavior change, it's reinforcing the identity of someone who takes care of themselves. Every time you walk, lift weights, stretch, or eat in a way that supports your goals, you're not just working on your body, you're shaping the way your brain understands who you are. And when your brain believes you're someone who takes care of yourself, staying consistent gets easier. Not overnight, but steadily. That's the science behind it. And that's something you can use starting today because now you know. As we keep walking, let's talk about what this actually looks like in real life. Because it's one thing to understand the idea of being kinder to yourself, and it's another thing to actually practice it on an average Tuesday when you're tired, stressed out, and feeling off. So here are some simple, doable shifts that genuinely help you feel better in your body while you walk towards change. And I promise none of them require a perfect routine or a huge burst of motivation. Number one, and as always, it's the most important one to me. Start talking to yourself the way you'd talk to someone you care about. Listen, would you look at your best friend or your mother or your sister and say, you're so fat? You should really work out more and stop eating so much. Like, think about that. You would absolutely not do that. So please, please, please, don't say that stuff to yourself. For example, like instead of saying, I should look better by now, what is the problem? Try it. I'm working on it. I love myself, and I'm doing the best I can today. The more you practice this, the more natural it becomes. Not because you're pretending everything is perfect, but because you're finally giving yourself a break. Number two, notice how you talk to yourself while you move. This one matters a lot too. Pay attention to the thoughts that pop up when you're walking, lifting, or stretching. Sometimes they're subtle. I'm so out of shape. This shouldn't be so hard. I look ridiculous doing this. When you catch those thoughts, don't fight them. Just shift them. Try something like, I'm proud of myself for being here. Or this is good for me. Two simple lines. That's it. You're not forcing anything. We're not forcing positivity here. We're just trying to become aware of how we think and talk about into ourself, and then replacing those negative thoughts and talk with something positive. It's that simple, but it matters tremendously. Number three, pick one goal at a time, not ten. Most people, including me, overwhelm themselves with huge lists. Drink more water, eat cleaner, work out five times a week, get 10,000 steps, go to sleep earlier, cut sugar, meal prep, stretch. And by week three or one, they're exhausted and frustrated. Let's not do that. Let's not do that to ourselves. Let's choose one thing you can repeat consistently. One thing that fits into your real life, not your ideal life. So maybe that's a daily walk. Maybe it's two strength sessions a week. Adding protein to breakfast, drinking a little more water, stretching for five minutes before bed. Pick one and commit to it for the next few weeks. And when it feels natural and you've built that trust within yourself with that one thing, add something else if you want to. Small steps change your life quietly. And they're the ones that last. Number four, start measuring progress in more than one way. If you're only tracking the scale or the mirror, you're gonna stay frustrated. Try adding a few of these. How your clothes fit? What are your energy levels? Is your strength increasing? How steady is your mood? Do you have less bloating? Better sleep? How confident do you feel? These things change way before the scale ever does. And if you don't notice them, you'll keep telling yourself nothing's happening, even when it is. Number five, focus on consistency, not intensity. You don't have to crush every single workout. You don't need to be on it every single day. Consistency simply means you come back to yourself more often than you don't. A 20-minute walk counts. A shorter walk counts too. A day where you stretch and drink water counts. Intensity burns people out, but consistency changes people. And consistency is built on kindness and trust, not pressure. Number six, let your self-talk match your effort. If you're showing up even imperfectly, your voice should reflect that. When you move your body, say, I'm showing up for myself. This matters. I'm getting stronger, I'm doing the work, even when I don't feel like it. Your brain listens, it takes notes, and the more often it hears this kind tone, the more natural it becomes to think of yourself as someone who cares for your body instead of someone who's always trying to fix it. Number seven, give yourself credit, real credit. I know it's easy to brush off your own effort with thoughts like, it's just a walk, it's not enough. Everyone else is doing more than me. But you're not everyone else. And this isn't just a walk. It's evidence that you're taking care of yourself. It's evidence that you're invested. It's evidence that you're not giving up on your goals, even when things move slowly. Give yourself that credit. You've earned it. Number eight, let this be simple. You don't need the perfect plan, the perfect timing, the perfect mindset, or the perfect anything. You need a body that moves, a mind that's willing to be kinder, and a tiny bit of consistency. That's it. It's that simple. When you remove all the pressure, your body and your brain relax. And that's when real progress can start to build. So as we walk today, remind yourself I can want change and still talk kindly to myself. Because that one sentence is going to carry us so much farther than self-criticism ever will. Now, as we slow the pace just a little, I want to talk about affirmations for a second and the science behind them. Your brain believes what it hears most often. Not instantly or even overnight, but slowly through repetition. Most of your self-talk happens on autopilot. So if your mind is used to saying, I'm behind, or I should be doing better, or I'm not enough, those messages eventually start to feel like facts, even when they're not. Affirmations simply interrupt that pattern. You give your brain something new to work with, something more accurate, something rooted in respect instead of pressure. Think of affirmations as small, steady reminders that help your brain shift out of old habits and into healthier ones. They're not magic, they're repetition. So I'm gonna share a few affirmations with you. All simple, all true, all doable. You don't need to repeat them out loud unless you want to. Just hear them and let them land in a quiet, easy way. Here we go. I can want change and still talk kindly to myself. My body deserves respect at every stage. I'm building strength and confidence with every step. I am proud of the way I show up for myself. I'm learning to take care of myself in a way that feels good, not stressful. Now take one slow breath in. And let it go. You don't need to memorize these affirmations. You don't even need to say them every day. Just know they're here for you. And that saying kinder things to yourself doesn't make you any less motivated. It actually makes you more consistent. Now, as we slow down, I want you to take a second and notice the fact that you showed up today. Maybe not with some big dramatic burst of motivation, but you did show up, and that matters more than you think. You spent this time treating your body with respect. You moved, you listened, you softened some of the pressure you've been carrying, and you gave yourself space to think in a kinder way. That's not small. That's the foundation for real change. And the truth is, you don't have to overhaul your entire life to feel better in your body. You don't even have to wait for a goal to be accomplished to feel proud. And you definitely don't have to earn the right to be kind to yourself. You're allowed to feel good about who you are right now, even while you work towards something new. So, as you walk into the rest of your day, hold on to this one thought, this one sentence that I've repeated throughout this walk. I can want to change and still talk kindly to myself. Say it as many times as you need to. Say it when you're frustrated, when your progress feels slow, when you catch yourself comparing, when you're getting dressed and notice things you want to improve. Say it during your workouts, your walks, your meals, your routines. Let that be your baseline. Because loving your body isn't about pretending everything is perfect, it's about treating yourself like someone who deserves patience, respect, and care. And you do. You deserve to feel strong. You deserve to feel confident. You deserve to feel good in your own skin, even as you work towards change. So take a breath, let your shoulders relax, and let yourself feel proud of this walk. You're showing up for yourself, you're building something real. And it's going to pay off. Not because you're forcing it, but because you're finally doing this from a place of respect and love for your body instead of the pressure to look good. Let's close it out with one more deep breath in. And a slow, steady exhale. Again, we just spent this walk treating our bodies with more respect, showing ourselves that we can want change and still be kind to ourselves along the way. And that alone is something to be proud of. If you'd like a little extra support as you keep building this kind of relationship with your body, I have a couple simple tools that have helped me and I hope will help you. The Body Love Starter Guide is completely free. It's a great place to begin if you want small, doable ways to feel better in your body every day. And if you're ready to go a little deeper, the Body Love Workbook walks you through real exercises and reflections that make this journey feel more fun and easier to stick with. You can find both of them in my stand store, and I'll put the link in the show notes. If this walk helped you today, and I always hope it does, it would mean a lot if you followed the podcast and shared this episode with someone who might need it too. And if you have a moment to leave a five-star review that helps this show reach more people who are on the same path. So as always, thank you so much for joining me today here on the Healing Mile, and I'll see you on the path again soon.