The importance of self acceptance and self esteem.
What is body image? Body image is a part of one's self-esteem and can effect how you live your life. It is the way you perceive yourself as well as the way you believe others perceive you. Body image is learned and is always changing. It can be affected by things such as real and perceived pressures from friends, family, ourselves and the media to look a certain way. What does it have to do with sports? Researchers say that one of the best ways to improve body image is to participate in sports. In fact, any aerobic activity boosts self-esteem in turn promoting a better image of one's body. Body Types What we have to understand is that our size, shape, and looks are largely determined by genetics. This does not mean that eating right and exercising can't improve the way we look and feel about ourselves, actually the opposite is true. Being in a healthy mindset can improve your self esteem and body image as well as having a more physically fit body. What can having a negative body image do to you? Teenage girls that are of average weight are very likely to believe that they are overweight. When a person feels this way about themselves a lot of the times they act out by having problems controlling what they should or shouldn't eat. In turn this can cause many different types of eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia. For others, the pressure to be thin can actually lead to binge eating disorder: overeating that is followed by extreme guilt. These different types of eating disorders not only affect the body but can also have an affect on school and learning.
Don't forget everyone's body is different. Love your body. Love yourself.
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Outlets for dealing with body image issues:
Maximize your exercise regimen
Avoid doing the same thing everytime you exercise by adding variety to your workout. Push yourself slightly beyond your comfort zone to see improvement. And most importantly, don't forget to work the whole body.
Create a journal (There are many free online journals- Try LiveJournal.com)
Writing is known to have many health benefits as well as act as a stress reliever. Using a journal can also help to document your progress as you work towards a goal. Writing helps let out your thoughts and feelings and has been proven to improve our emotional and physical health. Journaling is a self-exploration tool that can help you clarify your thoughts and feelings and work through life's problems.
Explore your feelings through reading!
Learn to love yourself and your body by reading stories about teens and body image. Reading about others can sometimes answer questions about ourselves as well as show us that we are not alone. Read what the experts have to say about body image, self acceptance and the search for identity.
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