Body Image

You have an assignment. Take all of your clothes off and stand in front of the mirror. What do you see? Are there parts of your body you love? Are there parts of your body you're not so crazy about? Look carefully... where do you see muscle tone? Is your skin clear? Are your eyes more sparkly? Is your hair shiny?

All too often when we catch a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror the first thought that goes through our mind is something negative. Ugh, we say, my (insert your particular flavor of criticism here.)

Have you taken the time to celebrate your physical form and be grateful for all of its hard work and effort? If not, while you're standing in front of the mirror in all of your naked glory, tell your body thank you. It does a terrific job for you each and every day, even when there are things about our bodies we're not so crazy about.

The impact of body image on our overall health and well-being is significant. If you feel better about your body, you're more likely to feel better about you. There are no perfect bodies and many of the people that spend all of their time striving for the perfect body usually do so while sacrificing something else in their lives (often happiness). Eating well, exercising each day and getting enough sleep can improve your body and greatly elevate your body image.

Tell your body it is beautiful. When you do, your body is more likely to tell you the same thing back.