5 Tips for Keeping Your Body Image Resolutions

A friend of mine -- who gets up insanely early to work out at a local gym -- recently complained about having to wait for free weights during a time when the gym was normally vacant. "Don't worry," I told her. "They'll all be gone soon."

The first few weeks after the New Year are a busy time for most gyms, as all those who've made resolutions to get fit work hard at keeping them. Soon enough, though, the "resolve" wears away, leaving most of us right back where we started.

Body image resolutions can be like that, too. We promise ourselves that we're going to be kinder to our bodies and that we're finally -- finally! -- going to learn to love ourselves, just as we are.

It's not always that easy though, is it?

I've been there, and on some days, I'm still there. But like any lifestyle change, self-acceptance takes work and commitment.

Here are a few things that help me:

• I know I sound like a broken record, but forget perfect. It doesn't exist. Strive to create the healthiest version of the body you have...and to be content with it.
• Take the credit you deserve. If you made a healthier choice today, give yourself a virtual pat on the back. Forget beating yourself up for the things you wish you'd done differently; instead, you might try asking yourself why you made that choice in that moment. Maybe you were feeling overwhelmed or unappreciated. It's OK. Learn what you can from the situation and realize that the next moment is another opportunity to make a different choice. And if all else fails, see the first point: Nobody's perfect.
• Show your thoughts who's boss. You can't always stop negative thoughts or criticism from popping into your head, but you can try to balance them. Try the "Yes, but..." attitude; for every negative you focus on, force yourself to focus on a positive. For example, should the thought "my thighs are so fat" pop into your head, immediately counter with "Yes, but my skin is fabulous." Aim to increase the number of positive things you say to yourself each day.
• Respect your body by treating it well. Healthy foods, good sleep and regular exercise are gifts we can give to our bodies every day, no matter how we feel about them or what we wish for them. As we treat ourselves better, we start to feel better and it often quickly becomes a positive cycle: The better we treat our bodies, the better we feel about them. The better we feel about our bodies, the better we want to treat them.
• Remember that a bad day is just that. Nobody feels positive every single day. But it's all too easy to let a negative day become a negative week or a negative month. If you're having a bad day, try reminding yourself that you'll likely feel differently tomorrow. As my mom used to say, "This too shall pass."

Comments

[Sagan]

"Take the credit you deserve" really resounds with me today. I stared down a plate of chocolate cookies all day, then proceeded to come home and make raw chocolate/avocado/raisin/date/banana ice cream and ate a pile of it. My awesome roommate pointed out that it was fantastic I didn't have the cookie and that I ate whole, healthy foods instead- I hadn't thought about it that way at all until he said that. We all need a perspective adjustment sometimes!

[Marsha @ Green Mountain at Fox Run]

"Respect your body" is talking to me. I've been doing a great job of treating it well overall (I'm taking the credit I deserve :)), but also know I could do better -- mainly by giving it the physical activity it is screaming out for. I've been recognizing and saying this for a while now so I really need to put my money where my mind and mouth is. The best part is I'm not going negative about anything in this regard; I just keep talking positively to myself to help myself do what I need to do. It works. I'm getting off the computer now and going to do my yoga routine!