When women look in the mirror, many of us have a moment of insecurity. I hate to see my body in the mirror with all its lumps and bumps. Even the world’s biggest movie stars and most beautiful models have parts of their bodies that they’re self-conscious and insecure about, so it makes sense that us ‘normal people’ feel that way too. Here are a few simple ways that you can feel better about your body.
Glowing Skin
The best and easiest way to get great skin is to drink as much water as possible. If you’re dehydrated then the bags under your eyes will be more pronounced and your skin will look more dull and lifeless. When you’re properly hydrated, your cells will be plumper and you’ll look as though you’re glowing. However, don’t imagine that water will immediately clear up any skin complaints that you might have. It isn’t a miracle worker and although being hydrated will help your body and health in general, it won’t immediately clear up any acne.
The best idea is to talk to a dermatologist who will be able to recommend a skincare regime for you. In the meantime, make sure that you exfoliate to remove any dead skin cells and make yourself glow. Don’t use anything too sharp, which can damage your skin, or with microbeads, which are extremely bad for the environment. Instead use a natural scrub or a chemical exfoliator like lactic acid or glycolic acid.
Healthy Attitude Towards Weight
The first thing to remember that is with weight, a radical diet won’t do anything except make you gain weight once you inevitably crack and start eating food that you enjoy again. Instead, maintaining your weight is about a lifestyle change, and you need to think about it in terms of being healthy instead in terms of being thin. The easiest way to eat healthily is by preparing your food yourself – go for plenty of fresh fruit and veggies, grilled chicken for protein, oily fish, and leafy greens. Eating in moderation is the best way to do it – don’t deny yourself what you love.
Fee comfortable in your body
The other best way to feel comfortable in your body is to keep active. Walk wherever you can, and try out a low impact exercise like swimming, pilates or yoga if you aren’t used to exercise. If you want to go a little more hardcore, why not join your local gym and talk to a trainer about what exercises might help you? It might seem pricey but think of it in terms of an investment. Feeling your body working better will make you feel more confident in it.
Being curvaceous is not a sin, and according to my partner, he’d prefer me slightly rounder that too thin. It is a myth that a woman has to be thin to be attractive. As long as you are healthy, have a positive attitude and excude confidence, that’s really all that matters.
Shiny Bouncy Hair
When it comes to hair, a lot of people are concerned about it thinning. Male pattern balding happens to a lot of guys as they get older: it’s a genetic process that’s hard to predict, and it’s something that a lot of men feel unhappy about when they look at themselves in the mirror. Information on hair loss can be found online – it happens essentially because of a balance hormones that causes hair follicles to shrink and die. There are some shampoos that can enable the hair to retain the impression of thickness, as well as various surgeries that can implant hairs from the back of the head onto areas that are thinning. If that sort of treatment seems a little too invasive, talk to a hair stylist for tips on products to use and ways to style your hair.
Thinning Hair
Men aren’t the only people who suffer from thinning hair. Women can suffer from the same pattern balding as they get older and they can also be subject to hair thinning because of hormones – for instance, after giving birth women might find that their hair thins.
Hair Loss and self esteem
From a personal perspective, I was on a medication called Arava, for my psoriatic arthritis, and after about 2 weeks I started to lose my hair. I was devastated, and while I stopped the medication immediately, my hair thinned out by about 25%. I evened up cutting my hair into a bob and bleached it all one colour to hide the hair that was growing back. It’s taken me about 2 years to get it long again, but it is damaged from the bleach and I have to keep up the colour or I get severe regrowth. Funny thing is, no one else really noticed it, but for me I felt like I was less feminine and it took its toll on my self esteem. If I knew then what I know now, I would have not taken such drastic action and just tired to keep it in the best health.
One way to combat unwanted hair loss may be to take vitamins proven to promoted thick hair and a healthy scalp, like iron, vitamin B, and biotin, which is also great for healthy skin and nails. In terms of styling, dry shampoo can help to add volume, as can rollers and the simple trick of turning your head upside down to blowdry your hair.
If you suffer from oily hair, try washing it less frequently so your scalp stops overproducing natural oils. You could also use dry shampoo or baby powder at the roots – just make sure it doesn’t look grey! If your hair is dry, use a leave-in conditioner once a week to make it sleek and glossy.
The best way to feel confident about your appearance is through changing your own mindset. Tell yourself that you love the way you look and you’re more likely to actually feel that way.
