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26 Jan 2007 05:35 AM

I Hate the Way I Look

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

Do you hate the way you look? Do you look in the mirror and wonder who is that person? Do you get angry with yourself because you don't look better or you haven't gotten yourself into better shape? You may think that hating the way you look is the best motivation for working out - right? If you hate the way you look, work to change it. If you want to be thinner, work harder and burn off the weight. That's how it should work, right?

Wrong

You see, when you hate the way you look - you are also hating yourself. Consider for a moment, what you would do for someone you hate? You're not very likely to reach out to them with a helping hand. You're not very likely to want to hug them or comfort them. You're really not likely to give them a kind or encouraging word.

When you hate yourself, you don't help yourself - you're more likely to sabotage yourself mentally, emotionally and physically. Hating yourself is demoralizing and it sucks the life right out of you. In fact, when you hate yourself - you may look at every flaw, every exercise that overwhelms you or makes you too tired - you attribute it to all the reasons you are terrible and you can quite easily convince yourself that you will never succeed, so why bother?

Consumer Reports

According to a Consumer Reports survey, those who were successful in their weight loss and fitness efforts, not only in losing it, but in keeping it off did so by:

• Understanding why they were eating and when (in other words, they ate when they needed to as opposed to just binge eating to make themselves feel better)
• Created an active lifestyle that included fitness in their everyday activities whether it was playing sports or just getting outdoors, cycling, running and more
• They possessed a healthy body image that included enjoying who they were throughout their journey

You Need to Like Yourself

Consider what you will do for a dear friend, how you will put yourself out there for them. Think about what you will do for the people you love. You'll go out of your way to make sure you fulfill the promises you've made to them. You'll make it up to them when you make a mistake and you forgive them when they make a mistake.

So if you'll do all of that for someone you like and someone you love - imagine what you can do for yourself is you like and love yourself - so tell me - do you hate yourself?

Related Articles:

Dear Heather ... Why am I Miserable?

Your Body Image versus Your Workout

Men's Fitness: How Does He Feel About His Body?

Body Image or Self-Image? Why Your Self-Concept Matters in Weight Loss

Rapid Changes in Weight Loss & Fitness May Require Therapy

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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