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I have a big problem with both women’s magazines and health publications  because of their shaming and dangerous messages. But I have an even bigger problem with weight-loss and diet commercials — mainly because there’s no escape.

Yes, you can turn off the channel. But lately, these commercials are everywhere. Clearly, these companies have bought more airtime in the hopes of making big bucks over shaming viewers for the New Year, a time our society likes to equate with deprivation and restriction.

That’s why it’s critical to discuss and dissect them. Because instead of questioning ourselves — whether we’re thin enough, whether we need to go on a diet, whether we need to kick up our workouts for weight loss — we need to question these companies and the manipulative, detrimental messages they send.

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I know that we’ve talked a lot about New Year’s resolutions already. But I just came across a fantastic post by blogger and high school senior Fiona Lowenstein over at Rachel Simmons’s blog.

In it, Fiona suggests teen girls try out these 10 meaningful resolutions, instead of the usual appearance-based goals we typically see around this time.

In fact, if you’re a parent, why not talk to your kids about setting goals? You might set authentic resolutions as a family. And you might start a conversation with your child about what they’ve been reading or seeing about resolutions.

With the surge in weight-loss and diet commercials, ads and articles, this time of year is annoying at best and potentially harmful at worst. Kids soak up what they see in our shallow society and learn that beauty and thin are in — usually above all else.

But this time also presents a perfect opportunity for talking to your kids about our warped culture and body image and eating issues.

Every Monday features a tip, activity, inspiring quote or some other tidbit that helps boost your body image, whether directly or indirectly — and hopefully kick-starts the week on a positive note!

Got a tip for improving body image? Email me at mtartakovsky at gmail dot com, and I’ll be happy to feature it. I’d love to hear from you!

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Building a positive body image is more than gaining a genuine appreciation for and acceptance of your body. It’s learning to love yourself as a whole. For many of us, this might seem like an overwhelming concept. But like I always say, it’s one step, one strategy, one tool at a time.

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This week was all about resolutions. So today I’m continuing with that theme by sharing more inspiration for setting intentions in 2012.

But please don’t feel any pressure to create goals in the New Year. Life is all about finding what works for you and listening to your heart.

I just love the idea of setting an intention, because like I said yesterday, it serves as my little compass, guiding my decisions and direction in life. It helps remind me of what’s important to me and what I truly want.

Some of these links are directly about body image while others aren’t. Either way, what I love about them is that there’s no weight-loss goals in sight. There’s no “work out five times a week ’til you break your back” or “how to shame yourself into skinny jeans.” These are substantial, meaty, meaningful intentions.

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I came out of the womb nervous, insecure and afraid — of everything from roller-coasters to exams to extreme emotions. (Likely thanks to a combo of genetics and birth trauma.)

I’ve lived most of my life second-guessing myself, being indecisive, listening to others (instead of myself) and truly believing that I wasn’t good enough as I was. That I needed to change many things.

My negative body image stemmed, in part, from these deeply ingrained beliefs. That I had to earn a positive body image by losing weight and looking a certain way. That I had to earn respect, love, connection and a meaningful life this way as well.

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Recently I was reading this blog post by Golda, a coach, consultant and author, at Body Love Wellness. And she made a really powerful observation about the holidays and setting New Year’s resolutions. She writes:

It feels inevitable. December is all about holidays and parties and joy and togetherness. There are bright lights and gifts and delicious food and hundreds of tubas playing carols. At least, that’s the hope. It’s a time of year when we try, as best we can, to connect with our abundance and our joy.

Then, suddenly, January 2nd rolls around, and we’re asked to drop all of that merriment and get real. We’re supposed to take note of our flaws and resolve to be better — to eat better, to exercise more, to party less, to stop having such a darn good time and get down to work, usually on ourselves.

Every Monday features a tip, activity, inspiring quote or some other tidbit that helps boost your body image, whether directly or indirectly — and hopefully kick-starts the week on a positive note!

Got a tip for improving body image? Email me at mtartakovsky at gmail dot com, and I’ll be happy to feature it. I’d love to hear from you!

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The New Year is a great time to reflect and start anew. And reflecting on the past year can bring about important insights for moving forward.

Author, speaker and blogger Patti Digh recently asked several powerful questions about 2011 on her blog. Along with author Susan Piver, Digh hosted “The Week of Inward Looking” during the week between Christmas and the New Year.