How to Stop Your Body Image From Holding You Back From Life

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Ask yourself this question:

Is your body image holding you back from life?

Not sure?  Then ask yourself these questions:

Have you ever avoided going to the beach or pool because you just didn’t want to be seen in a bathing suit?

Have you skipped a workout because you were too ashamed to wear form-fitting clothes in public?

Have you skipped socializing with friends because you were ashamed of the number on the scale?

Have you hid in the background of photographs, or avoided being in them altogether?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, your perception of your body may be holding you back from really living your life.

You are not alone.  Millions of women are dissatisfied with their bodies.

The diet culture in this country, and around the world, has created an image of what women should look like in order to be acceptable in society.  Unfortunately, that image doesn’t represent even 1% of the female population.  Add to that the amount of unrealistic photo editing that occurs in the media we see daily, and that number of women who meet the “ideal” drops to almost none of us.

So how can we feel better about our bodies, improve our body image, and begin to fully live our lives in the body we have now?  Here are a few ideas:

Ditch the scale!

If your weight dictates what you eat (or leads you to restrict yourself from eating), or if your weight sends you into a shame spiral if the number isn’t what you expected, you have tied your self-worth and your body image to your scale.  Untie it by breaking the cycle; choose not to weigh yourself.  Forever.  Okay, take one day at a time, but my belief is that until your weight matters as much as what your blood pressure measures (few people feel shame when having their blood pressure taken), stay off of that metal monster.

Think positive thoughts!

When the Mean Girl voice in your head tells you only awful things about your body, your eating habits, and your worth, you tend to believe her.  Practice saying or writing positive things (or start slower and write neutral things) about your body.  To get started, focus on what your body can do, rather than what it looks like. Do this daily, and eventually, you will quiet that Mean Girl voice and begin to hear the Kind Voice – that’s been bound and gagged for years – speaking up and giving your body image some support.

Strengthen your “Bullsh*t Meter!

Many of us spend hours a day on social media, watching television and reading magazines.  In that time, we are bombarded with images of what we should look like and that is doing damage to our self-esteem and body image.  Test out your “Bullsh*t Meter”; look at the images and decide whether or not they are true. Does that woman really think her salad is funny?  Is that photo airbrushed? Will that product really help me, or is that just more bullsh*t? The more you flex your “Bullsh*t Meter” muscle, the more likely you are to avoid having the bullsh*t affect your body image and your self-worth.

Don’t let societal standards dictate how you live in your body and love your life ANYMORE!  Take control of your body image by changing the “IDEAL” to “I LEAD.”  You are in charge of your life and your body.  Take the lead by ditching the scale, strengthening your Kind Voice, and using your “Bullsh*t Meter.”  You’ve got this!

xo

B

ideal to i lead Beth Rosen, RD

Have you downloaded your FREE copy of my new e-book, “The Inner Girl Power Challenge” yet?  Get a jump start towards ditching dieting, eating fearlessly, and making peace with the skin you are in.  Get your copy today (it’s a big book, so give it time to download).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to stop your body image from holding you back. Learn about diet-free living

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Beth Rosen

Eating Attitudes™ & Gut Expert

Beth Rosen, MS, RD, CDN is a Registered Dietitian and owner of Beth Rosen Nutrition. She practices a non-diet philosophy and is a Health at Every Size" practitioner. Her goal is to end the pain of diet culture, one person at a time. Beth's techniques and programs empower chronic dieters, and those who consider themselves emotional and /or stress eaters, to ditch the vicious cycle of dieting, eat fearlessly by removing Food and diet rules, and mend their relationship with food and their bodies. Beth's works face-to-face with clients in Southbury, CT, and virtually with clients, worldwide.

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