An Aspiring Pro Cheerleader's Guide for Staying Body Positive

As you prepare for next year’s auditions, you will go through mind and body transformations. You may look at photos of pro cheerleader bodies to serve as “Fitspiration” but not as the iconic body you have to beat yourself up to get.

In today’s post, we share about body positivity for cheerleaders; how to lose weight, stay fit, and love your body throughout the process.

Stop comparing your body to others’

Our bodies go through many different changes throughout our lifetime. Others are dealing with those changes too.

You don’t know what other pro cheerleaders need to go through to achieve those abs, toned arms, and cellulite-free legs. Some have healthy workout routines, others are blessed with incredible stamina, and there are those who have to work double to achieve those bodies.

Focus on the changes your body is going through and will be going through. Stick to a healthy routine no matter what. Losing weight is only worth it for optimal health.

Surround yourself with positivity

The people you interact with can have an effect on your perception of your body. It is one thing for a trainer to push you to do better because you can, and another to body-shame you and call you all the wrong things like “fat” or “skinny fat.”

Your friends also play a pivotal role in your personal body image. When friends are constantly conscious about the food they eat and beat themselves up for giving in to a croissant, it’s time to cut the drama.

Practice positive self-talk

We can be our worst critics. When we scan through our photos and can’t find a decent one to pose because our arms, our cheek, or our fat rolls make us look bad, then it’s time to re-think the way you talk to yourself.

Studies show that around 70% of self-talk is negative and most self-talk focuses on inferiority and thoughts on love and approval. At the end of the day, it’s our approval that matters. If we don’t approve of the body we have, who will?

Turn those negative thoughts into positive ones by catching yourself in the moment when you are criticizing yourself. Write your thoughts down on paper. Now picture this: if your best friend said those things to you on a daily basis, how long would you keep her as your best friend?

Quit dieting

Instead of going all-out on the latest fad crash dieting course you heard about, aim for a lifestyle change. Pro cheerleaders are dedicated to their health so this should be your focus too.

Pro cheerleaders find ways to get moving beyond their gym class, dance class, and practices. They eat healthy portions of nutritious meals, but most important, they move, move, move.

Practice self-care

When you take the time to plan healthy meals and healthy workout sessions, you are doing what is best for your body image. When you take care of your body, you feel good about it.

Getting a massage can also make us feel less embarrassed our body as we release the tension. A positive body image has a lot to do with how we care for our bodies. The lack thereof results in us getting sick or feeling lousy and an overall bad body image.

Let go of fear and welcome gratitude

When you’re afraid of what others have to say as you lose weight, exercise, and enjoying the changes you see every day as your body transforms into the pro cheerleader shape that is uniquely you, it’s time to be more grateful.

Thank your legs for staying strong as you went for your morning run. Thank your arms for holding you up during pull-ups. Be grateful for the way your body moves and that you have those body parts to use, strengthen, and enjoy.

Over to you

When you are told to lose weight to become a pro cheerleader, consider the benefits of this for you beyond pro cheerleading. Will you enjoy a stronger and healthier you?

Whatever you do to achieve the fit and form that you desire as a pro cheerleader, maintain a healthy approach to the entire process. Be grateful, speak kind words to yourself, and don’t let anyone pull you down with words of negativity.

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