Feel Good Half Naked

If the thought of dropping your towel, exposing your bikini-clad body and meandering towards the water's edge fills you with horror, you are not alone.

Despite knowing, on an intellectual level, that most women do not have the picture perfect bodies we see in the media, many of us still feel self conscious at the thought of prancing around semi-naked in front of others.

The truth is, how we feel about our bodies has little to do with what we actually look like and is more about self-perception and how we think others perceive us. The first step to a more positive body image is to challenge your negative self thoughts. Keep asking yourself. Is it really true that my arms are flabby, or my bum outrageously large?

Notice the thoughts you have about your body and acknowledge that these thoughts influence the feelings you have about yourself. Replace these negative thoughts with more positive ones. But keep it realistic. Don't tell yourself your body is beautiful if you don't believe it. Rather say, 'My bodyworks hard for me all day and I do the best I can to take care of it.'

Ask others what they think of the parts of your body you're unhappy with. And believe them when you receive positive feedback. At the same time, ignore people who are likely to be critical and negative.

Because body image is not based on reality, women who are considered to have a perfect body are as likely to be unhappy with their body image as women who are actually overweight. This is certainly true of Simone, 28, a mom of two. Despite being a professional ballet dancer in her early twenties, Simone struggled with body confidence, feeling that she didn't shape up to her fellow dancers.

She recalls: 'I was fortunate enough to attend the National School of the Arts where I trained as a ballet dancer, but I was tortured by self-doubt about my body. I always felt like I had the wrong body shape and that I was never slim enough. I have an athletic body with a high muscle tone, which felt wrong as a dancer.'

It seems women are particularly prone to unfounded negative body image. From a young age, we internalize the concept of a perfect woman with a perfect body, which leads most of us to feel inadequate when it comes to what we look like.

Women typically have far greater expectations of themselves, often leading to misperceptions about self. Basically, the enemy is within. On top of this, many of us have internalized the belief that beautiful is good and that physically attractive people are better than physically unattractive people. It's no wonder so many women refuse to go to the beach in a bikini.

For Simone, it was only after she stopped dancing that she realized her body issues were unjustified. 'I realized I had an unrealistic ideal of what type of body I should have. My body might not be the perfect shape for a ballet dancer, but it is the perfect shape for a normal woman.'

Simone also attributes her current body confidence to her supportive husband who always says I look beautiful whether I'm in a bikini or my pajamas and the fact that she lives a healthy lifestyle. After she stopped dancing, Simone didn't stop exercising. Instead, with her growing acceptance of her body she was more inspired to take care of herself. 'I go to gym and do yoga regularly and also eat healthily,' she says, 'but I don't do this because I'm trying to lose weight or change my body. I do it because it makes me feel good about myself. I feel strong and healthy and want to set a good example for my kids.'

A healthy lifestyle can go a long way in boosting body confidence. Knowing that you are nourishing your body rather than sabotaging it with junk food can improve your body image. It's not about dieting. People who are constantly dieting have the disadvantage of having a changing perception of themselves as they get bigger and smaller.

If you forget about your weight, and focus wholly on healthy eating, weight falls off, your body tone improves and your mind is nutritionally nourished, resulting in a far more positive body image. And a little exercise wouldn't go amiss.

1. Prev:The Burn The Fat Diet Plan and Various Diet Plans
2. Next:Reducing Weight In Healthy Way