That's Fit

Today's young girls are constantly barraged by images of "perfect" women. I don't know if you've gone shopping for a young girl lately, but the trends are a bit disturbing. It's hard to find trendy and cute clothes that are age-appropriate. Frankly it's hard to find clothes that are appropriate for anyone, much less for their age. With Bratz dolls and other questionable toys, it's no wonder some young girls want to dress provocatively. Heck, even Strawberry Shortcake and Holly Hobbie have received somewhat questionable makeovers; they look more like teens than innocent little girls now-a-days.

If you're the parent of an impressionable young girl, have her take a peek at this image manipulation quiz. Being able to spot the fact from the fiction in photos can help young girls maintain a positive self-image.

I read a news story the other day that bothered me. A Texas teenager had a custom "dress" made for prom (I use quotes because I'm not sure it had enough fabric to qualify as a dress). When she arrived at her prom, she was denied entrance because her dress was deemed inappropriate. An argument ensued, and the young girl ended up being escorted out of her prom -- in handcuffs -- by police.

Whether you agree with the school or with the young girl, I think the issue at the root of this is that many young girls feel a pressure to be sexy. From rail-thin models to red carpet actresses wearing super-sexy gowns, young girls are bombarded with unrealistic images. If you've shopped for young girls' clothing lately, you've probably noticed how it's difficult to find cute, but appropriate, clothing. A good friend of mine has a 10-year-old daughter, and finding clothes that her daughter doesn't deem "nerdy" and yet still cover everything that should be covered is more difficult than you might think.

From a young age, girls need to be reminded that beauty isn't just what's on the surface. Kindness, intelligence, empathy, a sense of humor ... these are all traits that contribute to real beauty. And, while it's important to stay fit and take good care of yourself, there's no need to wear jeans that ride halfway down your hips with the strings of a thong hanging out. Girls can be beautiful without inappropriately exposing themselves. Girl Power is a great site with self-esteem advice for young girls.

We're our own worst enemies. I think most of us are harder on ourselves and our appearances than anyone else is. I know that's how I am. With the exception of my mother (who would prefer I never wear another sweatshirt again), I know I'm more judgmental of my appearance than anyone else.

With a constant stream of media telling us how we should look and a culture fixated on looks over health, it's no wonder we stand in front of our mirrors and criticize. Having confidence in your own abilities is accepted -- even expected -- in today's culture. If you're interviewing for a job, confidence is a quality your interviewer is likely to look for. But confidence in your appearance isn't as widely accepted. In fact, some people think confidence in their appearance will be misconstrued as arrogance -- but that's not the case. Feeling good about yourself, having a positive body image, and being confident in your appearance can elevate your mood and benefit you in many ways.

AOL Body has an article that can help us all feel more comfortable in our own skin. It's high time we stop looking at ourselves with such a critical eye and start being a little more forgiving. Some tips:

Last Wednesday, French fashion houses, advertising firms, and media houses banded together to declare super-skinny models out of style. With the support of the Minister of Health, they signed an agreement to stop using models whose appearance could contribute to an unhealthy body image for girls. The agreement doesn't exactly restrict the use of too-thin models, but it's a show of good faith.

France's National Assembly is also reviewing a project that could make the promotion of unhealthy body images punishable by law.

Young girls in particular are susceptible to low self-esteem and a flawed body image. The number of pro-anorexia web sites on the Internet is proof that body image is an ever increasing concern. It's high time we all learn to love ourselves a little more -- bumps and flaws included. Fitness and nutrition is for health and wellness -- super-skinny may look good in pair of size 0 jeans but it's far from healthy.

Spring is here and that means flowers, nature in bloom everywhere, and as I just recently learned while working on an article for AOL Body (11 Reasons to Love Spring): the potential for improved health. While doing research for the article, I had the opportunity to discover a new reason to love spring, which is -- at the risking of sounding touchy-feely -- the healing powers of gardening.

"Watching something grow and even smelling flowers can have an impact on someone's health," says Mary Beth Miller, a horticultural therapist with Gardening for Good. A horticultural what? No, not a therapist for plants, but someone who helps her (human) patients address mental or physical health problems through gardening and connecting with nature.

What are the health benefits? The Horticultural Therapy Institute says this unique brand of therapy:

I have just come across the coolest thing I've seen all day -- Girls on the Run. It's a program designed to encourage "preteen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running."

Girls on the Run holds 5K events and pairs up a girl with a running buddy -- that could be you! According to the Girls on the Run Northeast Florida Chapter's website, "a running buddy chaperones and mentors one or two girls through her two 5K experiences: the Practice 5K and the RITA CASH 5K. That means keeping pace with the girl, ensuring her safety, and cheering her on!" Each location might be slightly different, but you get the point.

You'll be running slightly over three miles, encouraging a young girl to get involved in fitness, and building her self esteem. Just try to find something that's not to like! If you're interested (and I hope you are), check out the website for locations near you.

via FitSugar

When the Today Show asked women on the street whether they'd rather be forty pounds overweight or "skinny and dumb," women -- at least those who made it past the edit room -- answered nearly unanimously. They'd rather be overweight and smart. (Many made the conclusion that if you're overweight, you can always lose it, but IQ points are forever.)

One woman was brave enough to stand alone with the...interesting...insight that if you "look good," people will give you the benefit of the doubt anyway, even if you have nothing intelligent to say. (Sure, maybe for the first five minutes!)

There's so much that's offensive about this game that I can't even start, but the purpose of it was to promote a new book called The Locker Room Diaries which focuses on women and body image. View the clip in its entirety here.

If you do a search for body image online, most of the results you see are geared towards females. It's necessary; positive body image is such an issue for girls these days. But males aren't immune from having a negative body image. And just like rail-thin models can set an impossible standard for impressionable girls, men's magazines can influence men in the same way.

Researchers surveyed 161 men between the ages of 18 and 36. Those who regularly read men's magazines were more likely to be influenced by the images and were more likely to use unhealthy measures (including anabolic steroids) to duplicate the overly-muscular physiques they saw on the glossy pages. Research also found that men who were single were more likely to have a negative body image.

Washing my hands in a public restroom recently, I stood next to three young women observing themselves in the mirror. In the minute it took for me wash my hands and gather my things, I think I heard them say about 10 disparaging remarks about themselves.

"I hate my thighs."
"I wish my eyes were blue like yours. I should get contacts."
"Is this shirt too tight? I've got back fat."

I sighed quietly to myself, not because I was above their behavior -- I'd probably said a few silent, unkind words for myself when I took my turn at the mirror -- but because these were young, healthy, fit, beautiful girls. In their few short years on the planet, they'd somehow learned to be disgusted by their bodies.

A positive body image is a slippery thing to hold onto, but it's worth the effort. Take some time to test your body image knowledge; some of the answers may surprise you!

I have a sticker on my mirror that says 'you're my favourite' on it. And each morning, before I blow-dry my hair, I look at the sticker, smile at my reflection and repeat what it says while staring myself in the eye. It sounds cheesy, and trust me, I've gotten some weird looks from Jon, but in the long run, it's been worth it.

You see, there's no one in the whole world who is harder on me than myself. I suspect it's the same for you -- all too often, we are our own worst enemies. It seems like we're wired to be critical of ourselves.

But there's no limit to the benefits that self-confidence and positive self-talk can have on both your emotional and physical health. It's not easy to change your behaviour, and the key is to start slow. Every day, while you're primping in front of the mirror, make an effort to say one nice thing to yourself. As for me, I have my sticker to remind, and it does, every day.

A study conducted at the UK's Bath University concluded that people who have a problem with acne are less likely to excel in sports or other physical activities. It's not because of any lack of ability, it's strictly because acne can affect someone's self esteem to a point that they will avoid signing up for sports. The study followed 50 adults who were part of an acne support group.

I wasn't at all surprised to read this. In my opinion it's not a result of the acne necessarily, but a result of the reduced self esteem. (Which, for those included in the study, was largely a result of their acne.) Other triggers for self esteem issues -- obesity, etc -- can also be cited as the reason for not joining sports or working out. Whatever the impetus, it's unfortunate that anyone sidelines themselves because of social anxiety.

How about you? Have you ever had a problem that made you nervous about joining a sport?

If anything is critical to success in the physical health and fitness area of your life it's being healthy and fit spiritually -- especially in the self-esteem department. You have to love and accept yourself the way you are, and then if you choose to make changes they're for you, and not for anybody else. And although it's true that our identities and self-esteem are largely established as children when we have little control, as an adult you have more power than you realize to change your outlook and thoughts about yourself. Praising yourself and being flexible in your thinking is the key! Do you catch yourself nagging or being negative in your thoughts? Change that, and you'll change a lot.

We are so used to negative feedback that we are more aware of our weaknesses than our strengths. So it is often hard to enjoy success, no matter how small each success might be. Celebrating your strengths and achievements is a natural process to building self esteem. Learning to recognize that we are human and that we will make mistakes will also help us build self esteem so we all need to learn to forgive ourselves.

Self acceptance is required before self esteem can develop. Self esteem is built by experiencing success whether small or large. To build self esteem you need to stop dwelling on your weaknesses and learn to forgive yourself for your mistakes. Beating yourself up is only defeating yourself and your energy is better spent if you build positive thoughts about yourself even when things are not as successful as they can be. Learning to recognize if you are judging yourself against unreasonable standards will help you to know your strengths. So setting goals that you can reach is a good way to set yourself up for success and will continue to build strength in yourself.

A self help exercise is to write down the things you do successfully. Every mistake a person makes can be an opportunity to learn. We can't be afraid to make mistakes, this is how we learn to improve. Persistence and learning from past mistakes will help us succeed.

While most people struggle with even having enough self-esteem, there are some people out there who actually have too much of it. It may seem hard to believe that it's even possible to like yourself too much, but it is. Appreciating your own good qualities and self-worth is one thing, but thinking that you're absolutely "perfect" is something else altogether. Too much self-esteem can lead to negative traits such as self-tolerance, entitlement, victimhood and narcissism -- and the attitude that others are simply there to give.

According to the article on eDiets healthy self-esteem comes not from loving yourself, but from genuinely loving others. Do you agree?

These days, I'm a bit of an exercise enthusiast. I'm not hardcore or anything but I try to get to the gym a few times each week and I walk everywhere. On Sunday mornings when my friends are filling themselves at the brunch buffet, chances are I'm at the gym, feeling the burn instead of the heartburn. Occasionally, I try to lure them over to the healthy side of things but all they think when they think of 'gym' is smelly, sweaty, spandex and hard work. They don't know that exercise feels really good, is addictive and is a wonder drug, according to this.

Not only is exercise good for your body, it's good for your soul. It ups your mood, decreases stress and helps you build self-confidence. I used to think I was never happier than surrounded by bottles of wine and greasy appetizers and intoxicated friends, but I can honestly say that I never feel more alive than when I come off of a good workout and I have a sunny day ahead of me.

What about you?