Living Yoga

A few weeks ago I was subbing a “sculpt” style group fitness class. This class includes light hand weights for some basic strength exercises, ab work and some yoga mixed in. It was a small, friendly group and we were chatting throughout. When I suggested a certain exercise one of the attendees said, “I’ll do whatever you ask because I want your ass and your stomach.” Ego boost for me, yes, big time. A shot at her own self image, yes. She may have only half meant it, but I don’t think this is a good attitude to have because from what I could tell she had a nice ass and stomach!

Do you find yourself constantly comparing your body parts to other women around you? If so, you’ll notice that this gets exhausting very quickly. Especially if you live in a place like New York City where the women out number the men and tend to dress fashionably to show off their assets. If this sounds like you, it’s time to recognize and show off your own assets. Exercise and a healthy diet are part of making your assets look the best they can, but you can’t change your body type. Tall, short, big boned, petite, curvy, athletic, leggy are ALL beautiful assets but you can’t be all of those at once. Recognize yours and love them but don’t make catty remarks about yourself or other women. That will only make your “faults” become more apparent.

Three tips to boosting your body image:

1) Learn how to dress to flatter your body type and show off your best features.
2) See the beauty in your body and others, without make disparaging remarks about yourself or other women.
3) Exercise doing something you enjoy and that feels good for your body type. You knew it was coming to this but exercise has been shown to boost confidence.

Very simple changes in attitude can result in a world of difference and you’ll notice heads turn when you walk by!  Have fun.