7 tips to improved body image

Following up on last week's post, Stop Being Mean to Yourself, I wanted to share a few concrete ideas on how you can get out of your head about your body image.  The more you can integrate your mind and your body, the better you will feel.  In the spirit of being healthy physically AND mentally in this image-obsessed culture, here are a few ways that you can feel good about your bod.


1) Stop using the mirror
Go a month without using a mirror, and notice how it makes you feel.  (If you're paranoid, Ask a housemate or a co worker that you trust to be on duty to tell you if you've got green stuff in your teeth.)  There's a great article about this here at whole living magazine.

2) Stop counting calories and weighing yourself
Instead focus on exercise, eating healthy, and taking good care of yourself.   Pay particular attention to how good those things make you feel.

3) Wear clothes that make you feel good
They need not be expensive.  (I get most of mine at thrift stores and at clothing swaps.)  Ladies, I'd like to recommend this fantastic blog, Already Pretty, which focuses on dressing for your body type and feeling good in your own skin.

4) Have more sex
Enjoying your sexuality is a GREAT way to feel good in your body.  I recommend listening to the Savage Love Podcast for tips on how to enjoy your sexuality.   Get playful with your partner or get a new toy for yourself.  You'll feel better, really.

5) Go outside
If you live in a city, go to the park.  If you live in the country, go for a walk in the woods.  Being a part of the world will help you get out of your head.

6) Cancel your magazine subscriptions
Celebrity Magazines, fashion magazines, fitness magazines, and even yoga magazines are usually photoshopped to make the models look skinnier.  Even if you enjoy the articles, the images can worm themselves into your mind, making you think that you need to look like that.  I recommend finding bloggers you like instead. I love this post at fit and feminist, where the author recommends that we stop paying attention to celebrity culture because it only encourages us to objectify our own bodies.

7) Spend time with the people you love
People who feel connected to their community lead happier, longer lives.  If you're feeling crappy about yourself, call someone who you really like and make a date with them.


Have you had success in reducing your judgement of your own body?  I'd love to hear about it! Please share either here or by email.

Stop being mean to yourself

I went to an event last weekend where not one, but three of my female friends casually talked about parts of their bodies that they thought didn't look good.

Look, I get it.  I'm not immune to this way of thinking at all.  I'm a dancer.  I've spent my life in front of mirrors scrutinizing my body in an attempt to get it to perform better.  I've also recently had a baby, so I can criticize the shape of my abdomen all day if I let myself.  For all of us, and women especially, It's easy to look at your (insert body part here) and think bad thoughts.

But, honestly, these thoughts aren't healthy.  We don't need them.  Most of us who have these self-loathing thoughts would never be so mean to someone else.

Unfortunately, this way of thinking is everywhere in our culture, and reinforced in lots of subtle and not-so-sublte ways.  In the documentary Miss Representation, the film maker poses the question, "What would happen if everyone who spends time worrying about how their body looks instead spent that time improving the world?"  A good question, indeed.

So I'm wondering if today we can just all decide to stop.  I mean, really.  Just stop being a jerk to yourself.  And I promise I'll stop being a jerk to myself, too.  Okay?

In the spirit of being a healthy person, take care of your body.
Exercise.  Eat healthy food.  And stop being mean.

5 ways to eat less junk food

All it takes is a little creativity & creativity.

1) Go cold turkey, and have a plan
Going cold turkey might be for you if you're not good at moderation or self-limiting. If you just decide that you are completely going to stop eating junk food, make sure that you have a snack plan.  Are you going to eat fruit instead? Other great options are homemade snacks, healthy crackers, or nuts. You can also try drinking water.


2) Don't keep junk food in your house
If it's not in your home, you (or your housemates or family members) won't go to it as a default.  Again, it's helpful here to have healthy, replacement snacks for when you need to nosh.

3)Ban the vending machine
If you tend to eat the majority of your junk food at work where there is a vending machine, make a rule for yourself that the vending machine is off-limits.

4) Learn how to make your own sweets & savories
Make a rule for yourself that the only snacks you're allowed to have are ones that are home made.  In my household, we've spent several years cultivating our cooking skills.  Instead of boxed cookies and crackers, we now eat homemade granola, homemade cocoa and mocha, lots of fresh fruit and yogurt, homemade fruit & nut bars, fresh whole-grain banana bread, nuts, cheese, homemade coconut-date rolls, house made oat squares, homemade dips, and healthier no-bake cookies.  (I promise to post more of these recipes soon!)

5) Buy snacks that are minimally processed
If you know you aren't going to cook and you want some healthy options for snacks, you can still buy them.  These options are certainly more expensive than regular junk food, but they're also more satisfying and filling.  Great options for savories are Mary's Gone Crackers, Dr Kracker, crispbread, nuts or sprouted bread.  For sweets, fresh fruit and dried fruit are excellent options.  Organic Dark chocolate is low in sugar and has health benefits if eaten in moderation--great brands are green & black, taza, Theo, Equal Exchange, and Scharffen Berger

Related Posts: Which Sweetener is best?, 6 ways to reduce your sugar consumption, 10 ways to reduce portion sizes