Top 10 Steps to a Healthier Body Image

by Anne-Marie Rennick

1. Stop Weighing yourself
Too many people allow the numbers on the scale to dictate how their life is going to be or how they will feel for the rest of the day. Been there, done that - throw the scale out!

2. Stop talking about your weight
What you give attention to grows. So if you keep focusing on your weight, instead of say improving your overall health, your weight will continue to grow. Shift the focus. Develop a goal and invest the same energy in it as you were your weight. Imagine the possibilities!

3. Get in the habit of thinking and feeling positive
Change every negative feeling or thought about yourself into a positive one. Talk back to the self-critical voice by saying something positive to yourself. Change: I can't do anything right into I can build lasting friendships. Or use an affirmation such as: I have a beautiful body, an ingenious mind and a generous spirit.

4. Stop worrying about what others think of you & instead decide what you think of them
How many times have you refused an invitation to an event because you were to afraid of what others might think of you? Well, time to turn that right around and start deciding what you think of them. When meeting someone new, ask yourself "What will I think of them? Will I like them? Will I find them interesting?" Change your thinking around and give yourself equal power.

5. Check-in regularly with your body, your mind & your spirit
Life happens so fast and we all have so many roles and responsibilities that often we are unaware of what is going on inside ourselves. Take the time to check in regularly with all parts of yourself. Feeling out of sync, eating out of control, feeling anxious? Ask yourself "What am I aware of right now?" Taking the time to peel this onion will provide some interesting insights.

6. Find the source of your hunger and feed it.
Each of us is beautiful and have a variety of hunger zones. Not just for food, but for conversations, relationships, art, music, laughter, contribution, dance, creative expression, bedtime stories, connections, a relationship with a Higher Self, movement, being part of the whole…find your other hunger(s) and fill up on them!

7. Get physical for fun
Find a variety of activities that you like to do for fun. Now, do whatever it takes to make the time in your life to put those activities in regularly. Moving your body is a beautiful thing. Enjoy it.

8. Laugh.  A lot!
What's the old saying, "It takes 37 muscles to frown and 2 to smile". Get out there and start smiling! Next time you have a compulsive eating thought, laugh at it! Or if you have just spent an hour trying to get dressed and your closet looks like a battlefield, sit down and laugh. Chances are they will not be remembering what you were wearing, but instead your charm, grace and humor. Turn it on!

9. Decide for yourself your own definition of Beauty
Take a time out from the fashion magazines, the television, and all other forms of media and start to really ask yourself how you define beauty. Is it something someone puts on, or is it something they radiate? Look to nature, to art, to others, to yourself, but define beautiful on your own terms.

10. In all things, be gentle.
Step back and really start to be gentle with yourself and others. Let go of the judgment completely. Honestly, it is just food, not the entire definition of who you are or who you have the potential to be.