Keys To Finding Self-Esteem
By: Daniel Green
When Joni asked me to write a short article about women and self-esteem, I wasn't sure where to start. But then I thought, who knows more about battling self-esteem than my 16-year-old stepdaughter? She's a beautiful and talented girl who refuses to believe either of those facts. An intelligent, well-read girl who doesn't do so well in school. But I've seen her self-esteem skyrocket with the smallest of complements or successes. I asked her what she thought about my topic and she told me the thing that works for her is to focus on the short-term and remember that the long-term will take care of itself. Rather than focusing on getting a B in English, just do your best on each individual assignment and take pride in each mini-success.
To re-focus on my assigned topic, this can also be expressed in terms of fitness. Don't worry about losing 30 pounds or getting back to your pre-pregnancy shape. Instead, motivate yourself to complete that days' workout or take that walk after dinner. If you do that often enough, you will soon realize that your long-term goals will seem much more attainable if you take it one day at a time.
I decided to go for a short walk myself - something I often do when working on an article or struggling with an idea. My wife and I stopped to talk to an elderly woman - probably in her mid-70s - who lives on our street. During the course of our conversation she mentioned that she still works three or four days a week as a bookkeeper for her son's business. "It's important to keep the mind sharp," she says. I'd found another key to maintaining a positive self-image: keep your mind active as well as your body.
Then I did a bit of soul-searching. Though I work on the periphery of the fitness industry and am surrounded by health, nutrition, and fitness information all day long, I struggle with my weight and often wonder why I don't take my own advice more often. I'm a terrible dieter, and often am ashamed to realize that I'm categorized as obese according to the tables in the books I edit (though I absolutely refuse to believe it and quickly turn the page!). But my wife and I enjoy working out together, almost as much as we enjoy cooking and eating dinner together. And she never for a moment makes me feel self-conscious about my appearance. The final key to positive self-esteem: surround yourself with people you love and who support you.
What could be better for your self-esteem than talking with your daughter over the Sunday paper, taking a stroll with your spouse in the afternoon, and taking the time to talk with someone who truly finds joy in simply being alive?
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Daniel Green is the Managing Editor for the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and an ACE-certified Lifestyle & Weight Management Consultant. He is also a Contributing Editor to both ACE
Fitness Matters and ACE Certified News. Visit the ACE Web site at
www.acefitness.org.
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