12 Super Foods to Add to your Diet

There are certain foods out there that have come to earn the label super food. Super foods can improve your health by lowering your risk of heart disease and stroke, while boosting your energy, focus, and mental sharpness. The best part is that you get these benefits using all natural foods, instead of items containing chemicals and drugs.

Here’s a list of 12 super foods and a description of how they’ll help your body and mind:

Sweet Potatoes. Sweet potatoes are packed with added fiber, potassium and vitamin C. You can cook them in many ways including baked or mashed, as well as cubed in soups.

Blueberries. Blueberries are definitely a super fruit! They contain beneficial antioxidants as well as vitamin C and fiber. They make a healthy treat and they’re easy to eat on their own or in smoothies and baked goods.

Bananas. Bananas make the list because of their beneficial nutrients as well as high potassium content. They also contain a healthy dose of vitamin B6.

Broccoli. Broccoli is a vegetable that contains a healthy amount of vitamin C and folic acid. If you don’t like the taste, you can use some spices, cheese, or dip to add some flavor.

Spinach. Spinach comes packed with many beneficial ingredients. It’s one of the best leafy green vegetables that you can eat. It contains folate, potassium, magnesium, iron, and more. Plus it’s easy to add to salads.

Apples. So now you know there’s truth to the saying that an apple a day keeps the doctor away! They contain many of the benefits of the other super food fruits, as well as a decent fiber content. They’re also a low glycemic index food. Apples can help you stay full and may help with weight loss.

Baked Beans. Protein, fiber and calcium are just some of the benefits of this low GI super food. Baked beans have also been known to lower the chances of bowel type cancers because of the unique way they’re digested.

Yogurt. Yogurt is a super healthy way of getting your dairy intake for the day. In addition to being an excellent source of calcium, yogurt has also been known to improve your bowel health overall. Yogurt can help with regulating the digestive system.

Salmon. Lean fish are always good alternatives for healthy meats in your diet. However, salmon is extra special because it contains Omega 3’s. Omega 3’s alone have many health benefits such as reduced risks of heart attacks as well as mental disorders such as depression.

Olive Oil. Olive oil is one type of oil that’s okay to add to your diet in moderation. It’s a good idea to keep in mind that a little bit goes a long way. Olive oil can lower bad cholesterol levels and it also contains a healthy amount of antioxidants. Use olive oil mixed with balsamic vinegar for salad dressing, instead of the creamy stuff.

Dark Chocolate. This is usually the shocker on the super foods list. Dark chocolate can be yummy and beneficial to your health. Dark chocolate, in small amounts each day, can lower your blood pressure and it also contains antioxidants.

Citrus Fruit. Many like the taste of sweet citrus fruits, which makes it quite the popular super food. You’ll still want to eat these fruits in moderation because they have a higher sugar content. However, citrus fruits also come with a high amount of vitamin C, fiber, and folic acid.

There are many other foods that are earning the title of super food, but this list should get you started in the right direction. It’s always a great thing to hear when a delicious food also helps you live a happier and healthier life!

Losing Weight Can Be Fun – 5 Simple Activities to Get Healthy and Have Fun

Do you groan when you think of trying to get motivated to lose weight and exercise? Most of us do! Unfortunately, for so many, the very idea of losing weight breeds negative thoughts and feelings. You may even feel as if it’s an impossible challenge. After all, who wants to think of climbing on those machines in the gym for 30 minutes to take off the pounds? Or even worse, doing sit-ups at home. Yuck!

If losing weight has become a drag, you need to rethink your strategy.

You’ll be glad to discover that you don’t need to go to the gym to lose weight and get the body you want!

Here are five simple activities that will help you get healthy while having a blast:

• Play group sports. One great idea for losing weight the fun way is to play group sports. Next time, instead of dragging yourself to the gym and those dreaded machines, check out the recreation center in your area. Start playing soccer, softball, volleyball, or basketball. With these activities, you’ll be burning off the calories while enjoying yourself at the same time!

• Go for a walk with your friends. Another great way to get active and improve your health is to start walking with friends. Meet during the week to take a brisk walk together, either in the morning before your day begins, during lunch, or in the evening after work. Schedule your walk into your day as social time. While you’re walking, take time to catch up and chat with each other. This way it feels more like a social experience instead of exercise.

• Dance. Dancing is another great way to burn off mega calories while you have a great time. You’ll get your heart pumping, and you’ll enjoy an awesome total workout! Take a dance class. Go out to a nightclub where you can dance the night away. Get some dance videos so you can dance at home.

• Beautify your yard or cultivate a garden. Gardening and yard work are both activities that burn calories so you can lose some weight. Planting flowers or vegetables, pulling weeds, raking, hauling dirt, and doing other gardening chores can really help you get in shape. When you’re squatting, bending, and yanking out those weeds, you’ll be working muscles you didn’t even know you had!

• Play with your family. Even something as simple as playtime outdoors with the family can help you lose some pounds and stay healthy. Whether it’s running, Frisbee, or playing tag together, just having fun with the family can give you some much needed activity.

• Visit a park and go hiking on the trails.
• Climb a tree in your backyard.
• Go swimming or skiing.

The possibilities are endless! You’ll have fun spending quality time with your family, and teaching your children a healthy lifestyle as well. Although these activities are fun, regular activity and eating a healthy diet go hand in hand when you want to lose weight. You can’t count one weekend of gardening as your exercise for the week. Vary your activities for more fun, and do something to get moving every day.

Consistency is the key to reaching your weight loss goal.

As you can see, exercising and getting in shape don’t have to be boring or unpleasant. There are plenty of easy activities you can do to lose weight, improve your health, and have fun!

Natural Weight Loss Strategies

How many fads and crazy diets have you tried? Even though deep in your heart you know this isn’t the proper way to get rid of any extra weight, do you still hope that this one is the miracle you’ve been hoping for? It’s time to get out of the infomercial-driven market and realize that the real miracle diet is in natural methods of weight loss using nature’s own miracle foods.

By incorporating natural foods and strategies, you’ll be able to lose the weight you’ve been hanging onto for good.

Here are some natural foods to provide you with an upper hand in your weight loss battle:

• Choose brown rice over white rice. Why brown rice? The answer is simple, fiber. Brown rice is loaded with fiber. Due to the simple fact that the rice’s hull is kept intact during its processing, it retains its fiber content. The natural fiber in brown rice allows our systems to run smoother and keeps us full for much longer than low fiber white rice. Brown rice can be found in any grocery store, usually next to the white rice. Throw some extra vegetables or herbs into the rice for some extra flavor and variety.

• Choose sweet potatoes over white potatoes. They aren’t just for Thanksgiving anymore! Sweet potatoes are high in anti-oxidants and vitamins and are absolutely delicious as well. Providing many more nutrients than a typical white potato, they’re low in calories and a great weight loss food choice. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into chips or shoestring fries and roast in the oven for a tasty and colorful treat.

• Water. Water is at the top of the list for a natural weight loss strategy. It sounds pretty obvious, but the truth is, we don’t tend to drink enough water every day. Not only does water flush out toxins and impurities, but it also helps in raising the metabolism, regulating body temperature and keeping our heart and brain healthy. Be aware that the popular flavored waters often add some kind of sugar, artificial sweetener, or even salt to the formula, making them less healthy than plain water. Stick to the natural stuff!

• Legumes and beans. The benefits that beans and legumes provide are absolutely outstanding! They’re low in fat and high in fiber, making them a great choice for weight loss. They’re also extremely heart-healthy. You can find a multitude of recipes online that incorporate legumes and beans. Take some time to do a recipe search and your heart with thank you.

• Fruit. Fruit is a wonderful addition to any natural weight loss regime. It provides natural energy to make exercising easier and it’s loaded with fiber to keep us full and curb cravings. Fruit should be eaten raw to receive its full benefit, especially the fiber. Fruit juice doesn’t provide the same nutritional value as eating an actual piece of fruit. Fruit smoothies are an excellent way to start your day. Even if you’re not a breakfast person, smoothies are easy to make and take on the go. Plus if you use fresh fruits, you’ll retain the vitamin content.

• Vegetables. Vegetables are one of the building blocks of good nutrition, and essential to weight loss success. High in vitamins and nutrients, veggies also provide us with energy to sustain us throughout the day. Plus, they have very little sodium, so they reduce bloating and water weight gain. Try to incorporate veggies into your lunches and dinners every day, specifically aim for dark orange and dark green vegetables like squash, spinach, pumpkin, and romaine lettuce. A simple side salad or lettuce and tomato on a sandwich are easy ways to get started.

• Eat organic and raw. It’s always best when trying to lose weight naturally to utilize organic products as much as possible. Organic produce is free of pesticides and preservatives and raw foods retain all of their natural vitamins and minerals. By ridding your body of these dangerous chemicals, weight loss can occur that much easier. Visit your local farmer’s market and support your local farmer. They might also have a larger variety of organic produce than the grocery stores.

Following through with your decision to lose weight can sometimes seem overwhelming. But if you approach it with a few natural tips and tricks under your belt, you’ll be that much closer to weight loss success!

You ARE Worth It! A Guide to Healthy Self-Esteem

A healthy self-esteem is a starting point for a happy life. Unfortunately, when you lack self-esteem, you also lack the ability to reach your true potential. Why? Because your thoughts are truly powerful! Negative thoughts about yourself and your ability to achieve your goals will produce negative results.

It All Starts With Your Beliefs

Most people have heard the statement, “If you can dream it, you can do it,” but few people actually take it to heart. For some reason big goals seem unattainable and an “I can’t” mentality takes over. While everyone experiences negative thoughts from time to time, you may need to make an extra effort to get through these challenges. Positive thoughts will be victorious in the end!

Tips For Developing Self-Esteem

Developing a healthy self-esteem doesn’t need to be a difficult task. There are small changes you can make to get yourself on the right track.

Try following these strategies to help you develop a healthy self-esteem:

• Ignore negativity from others. For some reason, many people get into the habit of putting others down. You know you shouldn’t listen to these people, but sometimes you take what they’re saying to heart. It’s especially hurtful when it’s coming from someone you love.

• Some people will even steer you in the wrong direction because they think they’re doing the right thing. When it comes down to it, you’re the only one that knows yourself and your dreams. You simply can’t let anyone stand in the way!

• Learn to accept compliments. You might toss off compliments as lies because some people may have ulterior motives. While this might be true, in most cases people are being genuine. After all, most people won’t go out of their way to give you a false compliment.

• Accepting compliments will help you discover what you’re good at and strengthen your self-confidence.

• Get a life coach. Life coaches are in the business of helping you live your life to its fullest potential. You don’t need to be scared or embarrassed to seek one out. If a life coach doesn’t seem feasible for you, you can look into getting some self-help guides.

• Go online or to a local bookstore to find some relevant workbooks and resources.

• Use affirmations. Affirmations are great self-esteem boosters because they show your brain what you already know you can achieve. They bring positive energy into the present moment. You can read affirmations on the subjects of your choice or you can get into the habit of writing your own affirmations. Nothing can be more targeted to your true feelings than your own words!
• Avoid comparing yourself to others. It’s easy to get into the habit of comparing yourself negatively to other people. Remind yourself that everyone is unique. You’re equipped with your own set of strengths and weaknesses, so the best thing you can do for yourself is concentrate on developing your own strengths.

Follow Your Dreams

Once you’ve worked on your initial feelings about self worth, it’s time to take a step in the right direction. A part of a healthy self-esteem is having the drive to take action toward your goals. Have a plan and follow through. If you feel that you’ve improved your self-esteem but then fail to take action towards your dream, it will only be a matter of time before your self-esteem begins to wane again.

When you’re faced with challenges, actively seek solutions. When you do, you’ll soon notice what a positive role your healthy self-esteem plays in your life!

Making Healthy Food Choices In Our Busy Lives

You already know how important it is to make healthy food choices for you and your family. But how can you fit the best choices into your busy life? You’ll be pleased to discover that a hectic life doesn’t mean that every meal has to be fast food on the run! Sometimes it’s difficult to make healthy changes, but with a little planning and know-how, it can be done.

Here are some strategies to help you and your family make healthy choices:

• Avoid temptation. It’s so easy to walk into the store with good intent, but walk out with bags full of unhealthy foods. Unfortunately, our wills are weak, especially if we’ve trained ourselves over the years to buy junk foods.
• Never shop when you’re hungry. This way you won’t pick out unhealthy choices because they look good at the moment.
• Get rid of the unhealthy foods in your home. If they aren’t around, you won’t be tempted to eat them.
• Think of healthier alternatives to your family’s favorite unhealthy foods. Rather than high calorie chips, try trail mixes or rice cakes. Low calorie puddings or frozen yogurts are better alternatives to higher fat ice creams.
• Eat fast and healthy meals at home. When you’re tired at the end of the day and you realize you still have to feed the family, it’s easy to go to a fast food chain and throw fast food on the table. It may save some time, but it won’t save your health – or your pocket book! The great thing is that there are many easy, fast, and healthy foods you can make at home. This takes some planning, but you’ll be more satisfied, save money, and be healthier as well.
• Look online for quick and easy recipes made with all natural ingredients. Many recipes can be made in 30 minutes or less and only have 5 ingredients. Taking the time to do some recipe research will save your sanity in the long run. Then once you find a “hit” with the family, store the recipe in a book or on your computer.
• When you cook, make large batches and freeze the leftovers. This way, you’ll already have meals in the freezer that you can just thaw, heat, and serve. No muss, no fuss! This is the opportune way to enjoy “fast” food at home.
• Eat Slower. Since the brain takes about 20 minutes to get the signal that the stomach is full, if you eat too fast you’ll pack in a lot more food than you need. When you’re still thinking you’re hungry, it’s easy to make the wrong choices about food. If you slow down while you’re eating, you’ll eat less and you’ll still feel full.
• Set a calming mood before sitting down for a meal. Avoid having the television on or eating as you’re rushing the kids out the door to another activity. Sitting calmly at the table will allow everyone to relax and enjoy their meal.
• Make dinner time a social experience. Dinner should be about enjoying your company and taking pleasure in the foods you’re eating. When you begin to look at mealtime as a social experience, it becomes easier to make the right choices about healthy foods. Suddenly you aren’t so worried about rushing through and making it quick.

Dinner becomes a great experience when you’re able to enjoy healthy foods together. Take time to eat as a family and enjoy a real conversation with each other. Talking will naturally slow down your eating pace, while also reconnecting you with your family members.

Using these techniques will bring all kinds of healthy benefits to your family and teach your children a healthy lifestyle. Healthy food choices are a possibility in your busy life if you take the time to plan ahead and make dinner time a priority in your home.

With the media today focusing on super skinny women, it’s hard to think that you could possibly be desirable if you don’t look like the women on TV and in magazines. The reality is, the average woman in America weighs 164 lbs. and is a size 14.

A positive self-image is one of the top things most women struggle with. So, how can you learn to love your body the way it is?

First of all, you need to focus on what you do like about your body. Here are some questions to get you thinking about the things you DO like about yourself:

• What areas do you get complimented on the most? What do others notice about you first when you walk into a room?
• Are you shapely with a larger busts and hips? Do you have a womanly figure?
• Do you have nice legs? Are they thin and long? Are they muscular and strong?
• Do people comment on how pretty you are or often say that you have beautiful eyes?
• Do you like to show off your feet with pretty sandals or open toed shoes?
• Is your hair shiny and beautiful? Do you like to touch it or play with it?

Instead of being overly critical and negative, look for the positives – be grateful for the body and health you do have. So give yourself permission to see and accept the good!

Boosting Your Self-Image with the Perfect Clothing

Learning to love your body is important because having a good self-image empowers you in many ways. When you love the way you look, you feel more confident and confidence gives you the ability to do anything you set your mind to.

Dressing for your body type also plays a big part in how you look and see yourself, so it’s important to know what color, style, shape and material of clothing looks best on you. If your closet is full of worn out t-shirts and old faded blue jeans, it’s time for a wardrobe makeover.

Take a good, honest friend or family member shopping with you to help you choose clothes that fit well and colors that look best on you. Updating your wardrobe doesn’t have to be expensive either. Begin by shopping resale stores. Oftentimes you can find brand name, never worn clothes at prices greatly below retail. However, don’t settle for less than the best for your body type. If you can’t find the perfect items for your body, then don’t buy the clothes just because they’re cheap.

Build your wardrobe from the bottom up, starting with the basic necessities:

• Black dress pants for work or an evening out
• One dressy blouse for work or an evening out
• One power suit for job interviews or business
• A black skirt
• Camisoles in a variety of colors for layering
• A well fitting pair of blue jeans for casual days
• 2 to 3 casual tops (by casual I’m not talking t-shirts either)
• 2 pair of shoes: 1 for dress and 1 for casual

When you’ve got the basic necessities, then you can build your wardrobe up from there by adding dressy blouses or tops in different colors and styles, more skirts in various styles and colors and so on.

Once you start loving your body by recognizing what you do like about it and dressing to fit your body type, you’ll gain a whole new confidence like you’ve never felt before and other people will take notice too. You may notice others reacting somewhat differently toward you as they respond to your new confidence. Heck, you might even get a raise!

So start learning to love your body now. You’re beautiful!

Look out for the final part of this series: Get Motivated To Lose Weight Because You Are Worth It!

Many people focus on diet improvements because they feel they need to lose weight. It’s true that obesity is a rising problem, but more importantly the issue of health is at the heart of it all. If you think your diet needs improvement, you’re not alone. It’s true that “you are what you eat,” and your food choices determine how you feel every day. The proper choices enable your body to fight stress and disease and keep you in tip-top shape so that you look and feel good.

You can feel the benefits from proper nutrition almost immediately. With a few healthy changes to your diet, you can be feeling great in no time.

Try making the following changes to your diet:

• Eat whole grains. Given the choice between whole grains and refined grains, go with whole grain. You might just make a simple change like using wheat bread instead of white bread. The whole grain foods have naturally nutritious benefits. They’re also loaded with more fiber, which is great for your digestive tract and can help you to feel full longer.

• Avoid carbonated beverages. Even the zero calorie alternatives can be addictive and bad for you. Regular colas and sodas contain a large amount of empty calories. Diet sodas trick your body into thinking that it’s tasting sugar, leading to cravings for even more sweets.

• Eat more fruits and veggies. It’s helpful to get plenty of fruits and veggies in your diet each day. Try eating more salads that are rich in vegetables. You can also start the day with a fruit plate or eat fruit as a tasty snack in between meals.

• Avoid coffee, alcohol, and sweets. These are all items to be enjoyed only in moderation. You may crave coffee every day, but try to keep it to only one cup per day, if that. Studies have shown that a glass of wine in the evenings may actually provide health benefits. Other than that, an occasional drink is the recommended limit for alcohol.  Sweets can pack on the pounds fast if they’re eaten too frequently. They’re best saved for special occasions.

• Balance your diet. To maintain your health for the long run, your best bet is to find a healthy balance of all the necessary food groups. You may be tempted to try a certain diet that excludes food groups, but that’s not something you can or should stick to in the long run. Make a list of foods that you like in each food group and include something from each group in your meal plans.

• Give yourself a break. Remember that you’re trying to become healthier and happier. You don’t want to become so obsessed with being healthy or thin that you become unhappy in the process. A diet that’s too strict will also be harder to follow. If you have a weight loss goal, ensure that your goal is within the healthy range for your height. If you’re tempted to try to be thinner than you really should be, this just leads to unhealthy behaviors.

• Drink plenty of water. Water is the most important substance in your diet. Every cell in your body needs water in order to function properly. It also contains zero calories, so you never have to worry about it having an impact on your daily calorie intake.

It can be a challenge to change your diet. The easiest and most effective way to do it is to make one small change at a time. Get used to that change before you incorporate another one. Before you know it, you’ll be making wise food choices by habit and enjoying optimal health.

Changing Your Self Image

The good news is that, with the proper attitude and drive, you can change the way you think about yourself. Accept your current situation and set goals for yourself that you can actually attain. This sets you up for success and a healthy, enthusiastic attitude as well.

Consider these steps on your path to change:

• Accept yourself. Accept yourself for who you are and know that it is good. If you look in the mirror and hear the voice inside your head saying negative things about you, change the subject to something positive. You’re a beautiful being and you should love yourself.

• Avoid comparing yourself to others. It’s so easy to get caught up in comparing yourself to your friends and the models in the magazines. Everyone is different!  We all have our own strengths and weaknesses, so make the most of what you’ve got!

• Accept others. Learning to accept others helps you more easily accept yourself. Pass out sincere compliments to others. If you’re too harsh on others you tend to be too harsh on yourself as well.

• Make an attainable goal. If you do fall into an overweight or obese category, make an attainable weight loss goal for yourself. Focus on areas that you can improve, like portion size or exercise routines. Just don’t judge yourself or expect yourself to lose weight too fast. Some people will just never be tiny no matter how much weight they lose; this goes back to that most important concept of accepting yourself.

• Ask for help. If you’re struggling with body image issues and the other tips don’t seem to be helping, it’s a good idea to seek out a support system. Confide your true feelings to family and friends and let them help you reach your goals. You can even speak with counselors. You shouldn’t feel embarrassed because they’re trained to deal with these very issues.

Adopting a Positive Mindset

One thing you can do to help develop a positive body image is master the art of reading and writing affirmations each day and in your times of need. Affirmations are short positive statements that you can repeat when necessary or write out for yourself to post in areas where you’ll see them several times every day.

Focus on your positive attributes. If you have beautiful eyes, post yourself a reminder about your beautiful eyes near the bathroom mirror. You might be struggling with weight loss goals, but you still have your beautiful eyes. When you hold onto a positive feeling, it gives you drive and hope. This positive attitude will make it easier for you to reach your goals!

Look for the next post int this series: Love Your Body And Get Motivated To Lose Weight

How You Can Slip Exercise into Your Everyday Routines

We all know that exercise will help to lose weight, but far too many people say that they simply don’t have the time to exercise. While it may be difficult to fit exercise in amongst our fast paced world, with a little imagination there are certain things you can do to incorporate exercise into your daily life without allotting much time for it.

When it comes to exercise, it all starts with a good attitude and a little bit of action each day. It’s a common misconception to believe that you need to engage in strict dieting or lengthy and vigorous exercise routines or trips to the gym in order to stay in shape. It simply isn’t true!

Try some of these tips in order to slip exercise into your daily routine:

• Take the Stairs. No matter where you are, there are many times when you can opt to take the stairs instead of an elevator. Whether you’re attending an important business meeting, or just going to the mall, take the stairs.

• Go for a Walk. Walking is a great way to get extra exercise and most of the time it doesn’t feel like exercise at all. If you were planning to meet with a friend, ask them if they’d like to go for a walk while you talk. Alternatively, you can go for walk when you just need to sort some of your thoughts. Besides, getting some extra blood to the brain will actually help you think clearer.

• Play with Your Children. If you have children, it’s likely that you have at least a part of your day dedicated to their care. Decide that you’re going to engage in active games like outdoor sports. You can even do this with pets too. It’ll be a fun and relaxing source of exercise!

• Jog in Place. Jogging in place might seem like a boring activity, but when you combine it with something else that you’re doing, it can be quite invigorating. There are bound to be short bursts of time that you can use to relieve tension and get the blood pumping.

• Ride Your Bike. If you’re traveling a short distance, it’s a good idea to take your bike, instead of the car or bus. While it may add some time to your overall travel time, it’s a great way to stay in shape if you can spare a few extra minutes.

• Active Dates. Whether you’d like to schedule a date with a partner, friend, or family member, you can definitely choose an activity with exercise. Instead of going to a movie, go dancing. You could even try something like rock climbing or attending the batting cages. Get creative and have a blast!

• Lift Weights. You can multitask while lifting weights as well. Lift while you’re brainstorming, watching TV, or talking on the phone. You may also want to keep the weights at your desk as a reminder to use them.

• Park Far Away. You don’t need the stress of fighting for the closest parking spot. Instead, travel a little further and walk! There’s little stress involved with this decision and it’ll probably save you some time, too.

• Try Outdoor Chores. If you don’t already participate in outdoor chores, you could be helping your house and yourself by engaging in them. You might even be saving your family some money if you’ve previously hired the neighbor’s kids. Mow your lawn, do some weeding, or take up gardening – it’s a simple way to stay fit!

Keep Moving

It doesn’t take long to realize that, with the proper attitude and a little imagination, you can still remain active while you’re busy with other things. Sometimes you may end up taking a little extra time to do routine tasks, but your body will thank you for it.

Just take these simple, small actions each day and you’ll soon reap the rewards!

If you look to TV, the media, or any form of advertising, chances are you’re viewing unrealistic images of women. Unfortunately, some women feel that, in order to be accepted, they need to have unrealistic weight goals and a distorted body image. It is no wonder why health issues like anorexia pop up in developed countries. We are told that thinner is better and we might be tempted to take it to the extreme. However, for the majority of women, drastic weight goals are unattainable and severely detrimental to our health.

Of course, there is also the fact that such an unattainable goal becomes self-defeating which can make the person trying to achieve it even more disappointed with themselves!

The Answer to an Unrealistic Body Image

It isn’t always easy, but the first thing we have to do is to accept ourselves for who we are. When we learn to love ourselves just as we are, we open up to accept love from others. In order to do this we need to change the way we think. There are certain pieces of advice we can use in order to change our previous patterns of thinking.

Here are some tips for overcoming a distorted body image:

• Understand Imperfection. Everyone is “imperfect” in some way or another. If you wait until you’re perfect to enjoy your life you’ll never get the chance to enjoy it. The ladies from the magazines are imperfect too. Images are touched up and women are made to look thinner, without blemishes.

• Don’t Talk About It. One of the important steps toward having a better body image is to talk less about the things you find imperfect. When you get together with your friends try not to say things like: “I wish I had better thighs” or “if only I had clear skin.” This piece of advice also works for your internal dialog. Whenever you catch yourself thinking negative things about yourself, stop!

• Focus on the Good. Spend less time worrying about the things you don’t like, and spend more time focusing on what you do like about your body. A woman’s body is an amazing thing. It can create life and nourish children. It should be loved, honored, respected, and appreciated – especially by you!

• Set Attainable Goals. Of course there are certain imperfections that you can do something about. If this is the case, it’s important to set realistic and attainable goals. If you’re overweight, set a weight loss goal that’s within your normal weight range. Don’t overdo it! If you suffer from face blemishes, try different facial soaps and use an acne prevention gel to prevent pimples.

• Study the Problem. It may help you to gain an awareness of the widespread problem of body image issues in developed countries. Read some books or do additional research online. Just having an understanding can help you change your perspective.

• Know When to Get Help. Sometimes body image issues will go above and beyond the average problem and manifest itself as a Body Dysmorphic Disorder. If you think you’re imperfect at all times, and you refuse to go out in public unless you have a great deal of time to spend on your appearance, you may have a problem. It can help to speak with a counselor about your thoughts and feelings.

Believe In Yourself

Most people are not 100% happy with themselves at all times, that’s quite normal and that’s okay. After all, it’s important to question yourself from time to time so you can make positive lifestyle changes.

However, you have to learn to love yourself the way you are. Getting too caught up with your body image can make you miss out on the joys in your life!

Look out for the next post in this series: Changing Your Self Image.