{via etsy by Michele Maule}

Sports offer many physical benefits. They also teach leadership skills, teamwork, discipline and life lessons. Kids who participate in sports even tend to do better in school. And sports are fun.

But participating in a sport can also become a slippery slope to unhealthy and dangerous behaviors. And they can trigger eating disorders in individuals who are already genetically vulnerable to EDs.

I had the pleasure of talking with Doug Bunnell, Ph.D, vice president and co-director at the The Renfrew Center Foundation, about why the athletic environment can become harmful and what parents and caregivers can do.

So what is it about sports that can serve as a slippery slope?

{via etsy by Cate Parr}

Here’s part two of my interview with Kimberly Riggins, author of the boldly titled book Love Your Naked Ass: 80 Gentle Ways to Transform Your Life, Restore Your Serenity & Rediscover Happiness. 

Here, she reveals the chief culprit that can sabotage a healthy body image. And it might surprise you. She also shares more of her thoughts on embracing and loving our bodies.

Don’t forget that Kimberly is giving away a copy of her book. All you need to do is comment. Learn more here!

Q: What do you think stands in the way of people embracing and loving their bodies? 

A: I think the easy answer would be to blame the media. We are bombarded with unrealistic images on a daily basis. We are given these impossible standards to live up to and no matter how hard we try, we will never attain those dimensions or that look.

Today, I’m pleased to present part one of my interview with Kimberly Riggins, author of the boldly titled book Love Your Naked Ass: 80 Gentle Ways to Transform Your Life, Restore Your Serenity & Rediscover Happiness. In it, she includes 80 action steps that helped her heal her body image issues.

Below, Kimberly shares what a positive body image means to her. She also gives her six tips for developing a healthy body image and cultivating self-love.

Kimberly is sponsoring a giveaway of her body positive book. Details at the bottom!

Q: What does a positive body image mean to you? 

A: To me, having a positive body image means embracing all of your parts, both inside and out.

It means taking the time to get to know yourself—your “raw” self. Being able to stand in front of a mirror naked and smile back at what you see. Noticing those lines, wrinkles and marks and rather than dwell on how imperfect they are, find ways to see the beauty in them.

{via etsy by Elena Anufrieva}

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!

Recently, I read a great quote from Albert Einstein in Tina Seeling’s book InGenius: A Crash Course on Creativity: “If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first fifty-five minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.”

In other words, questions are key. Asking the right questions helps us identify the best solutions. Asking the right questions helps us challenge ourselves and make powerful changes.

In other words, the questions you ask yourself can help you boost your body image, sharpen your self-care practices and best respond to your needs.

{via etsy by ara133photography}

A positive body image goes beyond liking your looks. It encompasses taking good care of yourself and leading a fulfilling life. In this new series, I’m sharing some of my favorite posts from my some of my favorite bloggers on just that. Hope you find these links inspiring, too!

The media can be brutal on our body image. But becoming a clever consumer can help. One way is to take a peek at how certain standards and products have evolved. Golda has written a super interesting and surprising post about diets and deodorants.

Another way is to try an all-out media fast — for a few days.

For some reason our society thinks that accepting, appreciating and loving your body somehow means that you’re going to give up. You’ll become a “complacent” couch potato, who never takes good care of yourself.

Once you accept how you look right now, you’ll somehow abandon your health and “let yourself go.” (Wow, do I hate that phrase.)

But that’s the same as saying that when you’re seething with self-loathing, you’ll suddenly do everything you can to lead a satisfying life. Filled with self-hatred you’ll somehow want to feel fantastic and turn to fulfilling, healthy habits to do just that.

But, of course, you won’t. Because you’ll think that you’re not good enough. That you’re incredibly unworthy. And the last thing you’ll want to do is honor and respect your body or your health.

What we wear can have a big impact on our body image. That’s why I’m excited to share my interview with Sally McGraw, a style consultant and freelance writer who authors the blog “Already Pretty.” (One of my favorites!)

Sally recently published an incredibly helpful and inspiring book by the same name: Already Pretty: Learning to Love Your Body By Learning to Dress It Well. The book is packed with practical tips and wise words. It gives readers a fun, very personal and thoughtful approach for exploring our style.

I love how Sally defines style: It’s “personal, emotional, unique. Style is created by an individual with tastes, needs, and a specific set of curves and angles.”

Below, Sally reveals how exploring her personal style helped to heal her body image issues. She also shares her top three style tips, her inspirations and what self-love means to her — and much more!

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!

Lately, I’ve been talking a lot about self-care on Mondays. That’s because part of building a more positive body image is taking good, kind care of ourselves.

I’m currently reading Jennifer Louden‘s book The Woman’s Comfort Book, a treasure trove of tools and insights on self-care. I love what Jen has to say about self-care. She writes:

{via etsy by Cindy}

A positive body image goes beyond liking your looks. It encompasses taking good care of yourself and leading a fulfilling life. In this new series, I’m sharing some of my favorite posts from my some of my favorite bloggers on just that. Hope you find these links inspiring, too!

One idea that sabotages our path to a positive body image is that you must exercise in order to eliminate the calories you’ve consumed. That this should be your number one priority. It’s a common belief perpetuated by our society. But this is such a narrow and damaging view. (Not to mention a dangerous slippery slope for those of us who are vulnerable to disordered eating issues.) As Michelle of “The Fat Nutritionist” says in her excellent, spot-on post (seriously, please read the entire thing; it’s amazing!):

Eating and moving: your right to exist, and a world in which to exist. They are not rivals. They do not annihilate each other. They collaborate to make a whole person, body and soul.

{via etsy by Lori}

Yesterday, in part one of our interview, a student and former patient at The Renfrew Center shared how her eating disorder started and how she was able to recover.

Today, in part two, she shares how she deals with eating disordered thoughts, how families can help a loved one and the lessons she’s learned from her struggles and recovery.

If you’d like to share your story of recovery from an eating disorder, please email me at mtartakovsky at gmail dot com. You can check out more stories here.