By Paige Waehner, about.com
Do you love your body? I can hear you saying, “Well, I like my arms but my thighs are too big and I have this spare tire and …” No, that isn’t loving your body. Having a healthy body image means you feel good inside your own skin, despite any flaws you may have. Sounds good, but how do you make that happen? Start by understanding what body image is and how you can change it.
What is Body Image?
How you feel about how you look? How you see yourself? How you think others see you? How you feel in your body? Body image is influenced more by self-esteem than how we actually look. Imagine it like this: I have some jeans that fit me perfectly and, whenever I wear them, my husband says “Those aren’t very flattering.” After I kick him in the shins for saying such a thing, I realize he’s right—I have other pants that are more flattering. But, I feel like I look good when I put them on and because of that, I don’t care how I look to others. I’m convinced it’s possible to feel this way all the time, even without the jeans and you can too.
Working on your body image is a long term job. Many of us have spent years comparing ourselves to models and Hollywood stars and we are used to putting ourselves down; that’s a difficult habit to break. You can start with these steps.
Stop nitpicking. When you pick your flaws apart with all the intensity of a brain surgeon, you only increase your anxiety at not being perfect. Try to see your body as a whole and concentrate on what you love about yourself.
Eat. Food isn’t the enemy and, in fact, eating regularly will actually help you with your weight loss goals. Remind yourself that you really can control yourself and eat healthy.
Get real. No one is perfect and unless you’re at a model photo shoot, you’ll notice that perfect bodies are few and far between. If you can’t say anything nice, think of the negatives things you say to yourself each day. Would you say that to your best friend? Your child? Your worst enemy?
Find the perfect jeans. Okay, so this one’s pretty though. But filling your whole wardrobe with clothes that make you feel good can go a long way towards improving your body image.
Exercise. It’s a proven fact that people who exercise have higher self-esteem. The more you exercise, the more you’ll build confidence and appreciate your body.
Lighten Up. Are your imperfections so important that they deserve all that attention? Take it with a grain of salt. The media shows perfect bodies all the time but that perfection is usually due to lighting, tailored clothes, professional makeup artist and airbrushing. It’s all a fantasy.
Get a life. If you obsess about your body, you probably spend a lot of time talking about it. If you have a well rounded life, you’ll have interesting things to talk about instead of the 2.31 pounds you gained.
Treat yourself well. You only get one body and one life. Imagine yourself at 80 years old - do you think you’ll care about the size of your thighs? Most likely, you’ll be so glad they still work that you’ll thank them, saddlebags and all. Each moment that passes is your life; how do you want to spend it?
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