Have you tried diet after diet and still can’t seem to whittle down to your desired size? If you just can’t get it right and your frustration with the problem is increasing, take steps to eliminate the problem instead. Learn to accept your body exactly as it is and celebrate the size you are, RIGHT NOW. Want to learn how? Read on …
1. Health is in! Think healthy, not emaciated. Be aware that “healthy” and “fit” is not the same thing. It is wise to strive to be both but who really determines what weight is appropriate? Are studies always scientifically administered? People with a few extra pounds are not necessarily unhealthy and thin people are not necessarily healthy. It’s often a judgment call- the individual’s.
2. Send societal messages packing. We are constantly being bombarded by societal messages that tell us that to be happy or physically attractive we have to look a certain way. We are also told that to accomplish this all we need is a healthy dose of self-discipline. Not true. Genetics plays a role in how much we weigh, as does the type of lifestyle we lead. Accept it and refuse to be swayed by all the images that you are subjected to. Ask yourself- what kind of a society pressures people to be thin no matter what and values size over health?
3. Throw out the bathroom scale. Do you measure your level of health or self worth based on the number that shows up when you step onto your scale? So many people allow their bathroom scales to determine their mood on any given day. Stop doing this because it becomes a vicious cycle that can easily lead to self-loathing. Put the scale away, or better yet, throw it out. You don’t need it anyway. Concern yourself with how your body feels and quit obsessing about the numbers.
4. Caution- health risks abound. Many health risks exist for individuals who make dieting a regular part of their lives. These risks include an increased incidence of binge eating behavior and eating disorders (especially in younger women) and the formation of gallstones. It has also been proven that women who engage in yo yo dieting in their teens through to their thirties have weaker bones and are more inclined to develop osteoporosis in their later years.
5. Spring clean your closet. So maybe it’s not spring, do it regardless! Go through your closet and get rid of everything that no longer fits. Don’t lament when you could fit into that dress or those pair of pants. Work towards body image success by acknowledging the size and shape of your body, now, today. Yesterday is over with. Accept this simple fact of life and move on.
6. Perfect body equals perfect life? Sorry, but no. Would your life be perfect if your body was? If you lost ten, fifteen or twenty pounds would you really have it all? Blaming your body as the source of all your problems is unrealistic and detrimental to your mental and physical well being. Do something to take the focus off your body. Call a friend, go for a walk or drive, rent a movie, soak in the tub, read a book, get a massage, go work in the garden or better yet, lend a hand to others less fortunate by volunteering your time to a good cause.
7. Celebrate your body. This is probably the toughest of them all. Now it’s time to celebrate what you do have, not berate yourself for what you don’t have. So your body’s not perfect. Whose is? But consider this- your tears express joy and sadness; your arms comfort others in times of need; your hands clap in appreciation of others and hold on tight when it is called for; your legs and feet get you where you need to go; your eyes see your world; your ears hear your world and your heart beats unceasingly and with no prompting from you. So maybe your tummy is flabbier than you’d like it to be or your thighs have you wanting to run for cover. Or maybe you wish you were taller or you think your nose or ears are too big. Cast these thoughts aside and rejoice in what your body does for not, not what’s it’s lacking. It’s time to accentuate the positive through celebration! Go for it!