Monday, March 12, 2012

The Single Best Trick For Developing a Healthy Body Image

When you have a healthy body image it is much easier to make compassionate dietary decisions in the kitchen and to feel confident everyday. Having a healthy body image requires a balance of three components: diet, exercise, and your mind. The great news is that when it comes to this threesome, one of the elements greatly encourages the other two.

The quickest way to developing a healthy body image is to enjoy regular exercise. Feeling physically strong is mentally empowering. Equally, there is no better way to celebrate being alive than feeling your body in motion. Whether you dance, do yoga, run, or play organized sports, the chemicals exercise produces have the power to make you smarter, healthier, and even more attractive. Plus, because exercise prolongs your life, skipping it is not a time saver after all. You can either have excuses or results when it comes to exercise. The choice is yours.

Of course when I say exercise should be "enjoyed regularly," both of these words are extremely important to the prescription. Firstly, if you enjoy something, you are much more likely to do it. We need to move away from thinking of exercise as the punishment it was in gym class when we were children. If you are healthy and mobile, you should celebrate your good fortune. Don't view it as a means to an end but as a privilege.

If you really hate exercise, find something about it in general that you find value in like getting fresh air, improving your heart health, or preventing dementia. Personally, I like that healthy glow that comes from a good sweat session and being able to eat my favorite treats unapologetically and without consequence.

The 'regularly' part is important, too. Trying to go from 0 to 60 is counterproductive. If you exhaust yourself to the point where you are too sore to move the next day, you are not succeeding in creating a healthy habit. The key is to push yourself just enough so that you are challenged but able to do it again tomorrow and the next day.

Keeping your heart and muscles in shape is not like spring cleaning or celebrating your birthday. It has to be done more than once a year. In fact, you should exercise several times a week- minimum- to really enjoy the benefits of your hard work and a better body image.

As I mentioned earlier, engaging in regular exercise makes it easier to make good decisions in the kitchen and at the grocery store. When you are kind to yourself in one way, you will want to be kind in other ways, too. If you spend time working out, you are much less likely to negate your efforts by stuffing your face with garbage. It is just not worth it. After all, you want that good post exercise feeling to last and you don't want to feel sick during your next workout. As a result, you'll be more likely to choose quality proteins and whole grains to help repair your muscles and give you lasting energy.

Challenging yourself through exercise forces you to marvel at your body's capabilities and your mind's determination. This is especially important for people who are used to feeling down on themselves and engaging in negative self talk. You must dwell on the positives and tell yourself that you deserve the best.

If you think you are sloppy and worthless, how can you make the same decisions as someone who thinks they are fit and worth it? You can't. You must change your mindset to develop a healthy body image. Exercise can lift your spirit and your butt which can encourage you to alter your self dialogue.

Your mind can be your greatest obstacle or your greatest ally in improving your body image.

Physical activity has the power to inspire you by what your body can do, and it will encourage you to treat it- and think about it- with respect. For example, if you feel strong enough to push up, sit up, or squat, you will also feel strong enough to decline an extra slice of pizza or cheesecake. Once your activity level, diet, and frame of mind are in sync and working towards the same goal, you will find that you have the energy, strength, and mental discipline to do anything you set your mind to.

You deserve to have a healthy body image that allows you stand a little straighter, eat a little more compassionately, and think more kindly about yourself. Getting active will make you feel strong- inside and out. Remember, little wins add up to big wins so take action - no matter how small- towards improving your body image today.

1 comment:

  1. NES Health does not work with the physical body, but with the underlying quantum-level information that your body-field uses to regulate your physical body. If you are experiencing physical problems, Andrew your NES Health practitioner will address the underlying energetic roots of those problems by following a specific sequence of body-field correction that NES Health research has shown is necessary for you to achieve long-term well-being.

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