By Heather Nicholds
What’s been on my mind lately is how to improve body image. Following a healthy eating plan – rather than fad diets – is about nourishing and respecting yourself.
There’s a difference between being skinny and being healthy.
Having a healthy body image is a way of showing respect to yourself.
I often catch myself thinking ‘I wish my thighs were a bit slimmer and more muscular’.
It’s not always easy, but it’s so important to shift the focus to being happy with myself.
My legs are strong!
They allow me to be able to cycle for an hour or two at a time, figure skate, run, work out and walk home from the grocery store with a backpack and 3 shopping bags full of vegetables, fruit and other healthy foods to eat…
Skinniness often gets idealized, especially with the focus on obesity and obesity-related diseases.
It’s true that being obese is not healthy. But being too skinny isn’t healthy either.
There are so many health complications that can come up from being underweight.
Plus, losing weight doesn’t guarantee health.
{jumi [files/includes/youtube.php] [99dUVUrqpw4]}
Lots of people lose tons of weight quickly on crash diets but are so nutrient-deficient that they have no energy and really aren’t healthy.
Losing weight is a great goal to shoot for – if you need to.
But overall I think it’s more important to focus on nourishing your body and getting healthy foods into you.
If you follow a healthy eating plan with just whole plant foods, weight loss will happen naturally – if you need to lose weight.
If you’re already at a healthy weight, don’t focus on getting ‘skinnier’, focus on getting healthier.
This can be really tough in a society that focuses attention on super-skinny models, but what you can do is learn how to improve body image and feel good about yourself as you are.
Even if you are overweight, if you don’t learn to love yourself first you might never be happy no matter how much weight you lose.
So here are 3 things that I find help me, and I hope will help you learn how to improve body image:
Work Your Best Angles
Wear clothes that flatter your body, and that look good and feel good.
Stand tall, and try not to focus on the areas of your body that you dislike.
Draw attention to the things that you like about yourself.
Remember that models and actors work really hard to get their best angles in a photo.
Take ‘Primp’ Time
I remember when I was younger, I would always read books where girls were embarrassed to take too much time in front of the mirror ‘primping’.
I know there are girls out there who have no problem with this, but for some reason I always think that if I take too long doing my hair or choosing the right earrings that I’m too ‘girly’.
But I always feel better when I look good, rather than trying to be like a boy and not dry my hair.
The people we aspire to look like (celebrities, models, etc) have teams of people who do those things for them.
So even if they look like they didn’t make much effort on their style, you can bet someone else did!
Eat Well, Be Active
Follow a healthy eating plan and get activity. It can really help you feel good about yourself.
You don’t have to be perfect all the time, but I notice that when I eat well, nourish my body and get some exercise I feel strong and positive.
If I could leave only one thought with you, it would be to respect yourself.
Love your body, and what it can do for you.
