Low self-esteem is a problem that affects many women and men, too. Sometimes it is surprising to find that people whom you might have considered confident and self- assured, actually suffer from some self-esteem issues. The problem with low self-esteem is that it can impact and compromise your quality of life, affecting everything from personal relationships to work performance.
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Many times a person’s body image impacts their self-esteem. Even people who otherwise feel happy and confident with who they are, cringe when they see a photo of themselves or catch a glimpse in a full length mirror. Since our mind does not have eyes to see, it is easy to “forget” about our weight until we see the proof of a paunchy belly or an expanding waistline.

Physical activity is one of the best ways to improve a woman’s self-esteem. Self-esteem — the opinion we have of our own worth — is crucial to a healthy lifestyle. A positive self-image helps us to exhibit greater social effectiveness and to accept others as they are. The key to self-esteem is developing self-acceptance and feelings of competence. Physical activity is instrumental in developing both.

To develop Self-Acceptance:
• Learn to accept your body and love it just the way it is.
• Don’t compare yourself to others, instead focus on one physical activity that you want to do better.
• Write down one thing that you are great at and carry it around in your pocket or purse, and read it often. Rotate it with your other affirmations.

To develop Feelings of Competence:
• Set a simple, achievable goal for a physical activity, like learning to play tennis, or walking two miles instead of one.
• Determine how you will find time to accomplish your goal, set short-term and long-term goals.
• Have a back-up plan if you can’t get out and walk or bike ride. Have indoor exercises that you can fall back on in case something happens.
• Enjoy the feelings of competence and confidence that you get from goal setting and achievement.

Does your weight affect your self-esteem? Are you conscious of your weight at all times or only when you see yourself compared to others, like in a photo or in a room full of slimmer bodies? How do you feel when you step on the scale? Do you hesitate hopping on that tattletale of a scale, even when you are the only one in the room? If you answered yes, then ask yourself what is the effect that your weight plays on your self worth?

Do you feel somehow less of a person because of your weight? Do you lack the confidence needed to walk into a crowded room or hallway because of your size? This feeling of being too big can affect many people of different sizes, even those people who are slightly overweight.

If your weight is affecting your self-esteem, can you identify your feelings? Why do you think being overweight is reason for a drop in your self-acceptance? Perhaps guilt is the culprit. You feel guilty that you have not mastered eating correctly for your body type. There, it’s out of the bag—the only reason your self-esteem is affected by your weight is because you feel guilty about how your weight is portrayed on your body and what others think of you because of your weight.

Now, once the latter thought has taken hold, you become paralyzed at the thought of physical activity in front of others for fear that everyone will be looking at your fat. You become obsessed with the fat that others will see and try to hide out, not taking part in activities and hiding your body under a layer of clothes that represent a walking tent.

Healthy self-esteem means you have a positive view of your self-image and you project an atmosphere of confidence wherever you go. Regardless of your size, you love your body and if you decide to lose weight it is more about safeguarding your health and wearing cute clothes than it is about comparing yourself to others. People with healthy self-esteem aren’t dependent on others for acceptance, they are happy and contented with who they are.

However, even happy, contented people, with no self-esteem issues, find that participating in physical activity boosts their confidence to a whole new level. Exercise is an empowering force that anyone can take advantage of. Physical challenges like sports and exercise help us in our day-to-day confrontations.

Physical activities, especially sports, require quick thinking and fluid movements—both attributes of regular exercise. This is just another way that the mind and body align and unite.

There are so many advantages to regular exercise, from weight loss to improved self-esteem, to quicker thinking, to reducing stress, to conquering guilt…exercise is the top choice for bringing about positive change in your life.

Because self-image plays such an important role in self-esteem, your weight can affect the way that you perceive yourself. One way to help you identify and crush these false images is to begin a fitness journal at the same time that you start your exercise program.

Believe me when I tell you, the fitness journal will be your key to success. The journal acts as a liaison between your body and your mind. You record your goals from your mind and compare them to the achievements of your body. By writing everything down and accepting accountability for what you eat and drink and how much activity that you do, you send a message to the brain to evaluate and deliver.

Your mind, so attuned to the written word, will work hard guiding you towards your goals. That’s why it is important to be as detailed in your journal as possible. Write down how you feel each day, too. If you are tired, upset or depressed, write it in your journal and be truthful about everything you eat. You can compare your feelings with your eating habits each day—determine if you consume more when you are having a bad day or a good day. Do you eat when you are happy, excited or frightened? Do any of these feelings cause you to snack all day?

The journal will help to keep your self-esteem intact. If your confidence is shaky, or your exercise program has hit a plateau, the fitness journal will be your written proof of all you have accomplished and will provide clues to kick start your program back into gear.

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The single most important instrument for nurturing your spirit is a personal journal. The most successful tool for encouraging your weight loss and exercise program is a diet and fitness journal.

Down through history, women and men have kept journals. It’s a good thing that they did. If not for their steadfastness we would not have any reliable records of the past.
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I think our ancestors found pleasure in recording their day-to-day events and I’m sure it provided a sort of therapy for the hard times that they endured.

If you have ever kept a journal or a diary, you know the joy journaling can bring. I learn so much about myself when I maintain my journal.

Reading entries about challenges I’ve struggled with in the past helps me find solutions to problems I face today. It’s like having my own life story. Best of all, journaling helps me realize how truly blessed my life is.

By being truthful in my writing I become accountable for all of my actions. Once I have assumed this accountability, it’s easier to refrain from deeds that don’t produce desirable results.

There are all sorts of different journals that a person can keep. Anytime a person wants to make changes in their life, a journal can be a great asset that helps you stay focused on your goal.

When a person decides to change their life by getting in shape they sometimes keep a fitness journal. A successful tool for losing weight, gaining weight or getting fit, a diet and fitness journal could double your results. That is, if you use it daily to record everything you eat and drink and write down all of your physical activities and exercises.

For women especially, gaining or losing weight can be a complex matter. We over eat or under eat for various reasons. Identifying our habits, determining why we do certain things, and deciding what action to take can all be recorded in a fitness journal.

Let’s say you want to lose or gain weight. You need to record your present weight and measurements. Remember, your fitness level is not about a number on a scale. You are so much more than that! Your measurements will give you a closer idea of how much weight you gain or lose.

Next you’ll want to begin writing down everything you eat and drink. Many calories can be consumed by what we drink, so be sure to include every juice, tea, coffee or soft drink. You might be amazed when you see it all on paper.

Before you are finished with the day’s entry, record your activity for the day. Did you go for a walk, bike ride, run or work out with weights or calisthenics?

Perhaps you are a body builder and you’re reaching for that next level. Seasoned athletes like you can benefit immensely by keeping a diet and fitness journal. An ongoing journal is the best way to truly challenge your self.

If you’ve tried journaling before and could never keep it up, I’ve got a few tips that will help you succeed.

Form a Habit
Make journal writing a habit by planning a specific time of day when you will write in your journal, such as every morning when your start your day, in the evening before you go to bed, before you have breakfast, or during lunch, you may choose to write everything down at one time, but I find it inspiring to write little notes all throughout the day. Writing consistent journal entries will make future reading more enjoyable.

Make it Easy
Keep everything together so it will be easy to write in your journal. Place it in a convenient location, place it near your purse if you’re taking it to work or place in your bag to carry it to the gym. Be sure to keep pens handy so you won’t have to spend time looking for something to write with.

Keep it Simple
Your fitness journal can be fruity and fancy or just a binder of pages for writing. I find it helpful to have a book that’s easy to carry but not so small that I can’t write in it. Something that I can tuck in my purse or gym bag is the perfect size.

Organize your Thoughts
Get an idea of what you want to write in your journal. Make it as complete as possible. It may seem tedious in the beginning, but the more information you provide the easier it is to know what changes you need to make to reach your desired goal. You’ll be glad you took the time to be concise when you read these entries later.

Be Honest
Remember, this is your life story. The only person who is getting fooled is you. Be honest in your daily entries by writing down everything you eat, drink and all of your activities. This accountability will help you to break habits that are standing in your way and help to highlight the successful things that you are doing so you know what’s working for you.

Vary Your Entries
Make sure you write your feelings and thoughts about the things going on in your life. This will go a long way in determining how your emotions affect your appetite, eating habits and exercise routine.

Read your Thoughts
Make a regular habit of reading your past entries. Perhaps before you begin writing each day you could read an entry from the previous week or month. It will help to inspire your writing by opening your mind to a different day’s experience.

Electing to get fit and healthy by losing or gaining weight and getting your body in shape can do wonders for your life. She who has health has hope and the woman who has hope has everything.

Record your journey of hope, personal change and success. Tell your story, if for no other eyes than your own. It won’t be history but it will be herstory, a Story4her that doesn’t hold back. Begin writing your story today.

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There’s an old saying, “If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.” The same holds true regarding the chatter that is going on in your head. If your mind is filled with negative self-talk that threatens to rob you of your happiness then you need to change the conversation.{+}

When you say something often enough you begin to believe it. More powerful sometimes than actions, words cut to the very core of our souls. So if you self-talk about hating the way you look, about being fat and unattractive, or if you are calling yourself names, sooner or later, you will begin to believe all of that. And the sad thing is, that once you start to believe it, you be it. Yes, you become what you think you are.

Your self-esteem diminishes and your dreams get pushed aside. All of your aspirations get filed away into the “maybe someday when the time is right” folder. You become a second-class citizen in your own mind.

Are you ready to reclaim your passion and get back to that feeling? That wonderful feeling of having nothing but possibilities in front of you. The best way to dodge the demeaning dialogue of negativity, guilt and defeat is to begin each day with affirmations.

If you speak words of praise and gratitude to all that you have achieved, you will feel uplifted and capable of success. A feeling of calmness will come over you once you realize what a magnificent creature you really are. When the need to punish yourself has passed, you can move forward to accomplish greater feats in your life.

One of the big things you might notice when you talk positively to yourself is the way that you embrace life and accept all of its challenges.

Give your day a power punch by beginning with positive affirmations. Remind yourself of all that you have to be thankful for. Write all of these things down and read them back to yourself. Take time for some peaceful meditation, allowing your appreciation for life to fill your spirit with love and gratitude.

Take deep breaths, stretch your arms above your head and lower them back to your sides, slowly and deliberately. Avoid straining, and make sure to relax your face, neck and shoulders. Allow the stress to escape as your mind, body and spirit is filled with positive energy for a healthy balance both physically and mentally.

Dismiss negative thoughts and don’t allow them to rule your actions. Make your self-talk an affirmation of love and appreciation. I guarantee you that if you start each day this way, you will feel less stressful and you will have a better self-image, instead of punishing yourself with negative words and feelings.

Start today, sit quietly for a few minutes and reflect on all of the wonderful things in your life. Shut out all negative thoughts and fill your mind with positive affirmations of all of your accomplishments. Be sure to meditate on any changes you would like to bring forth in your life. Stamp out any thoughts of criticism or deprecation.

Repeat: I am beautiful, I am strong, and I have accomplished some wonderful things in my life.

Once your day is off to a good start with positive words of praise, devote some time to your daily fitness journal. This is an excellent time to write down your goals for the week or begin your day’s entry.

As I have said throughout these posts, the journal is your success story. It is your own account of your days, weeks and months. By faithfully keeping your journal you will learn much about what and how much you consume each day. Be sure to write down everything that you eat and drink for a full assessment of your eating habits.

Whatever your fitness level, I urge you to begin keeping a journal. Experienced athletes will find the journal an especially helpful tool as you take your workouts to the next level. If you are the type of girl who is always ready for a challenge, your life story can be an adventurous one.

There’s something powerful about challenging yourself by practicing goal setting. When you follow up that challenge with the accountability of a journal you further your chance of success. As I have mentioned before, it has been proven time and again, that people who keep a journal of everything they eat and drink and all of their daily activities have a far greater chance of success than those who do not.

Remember, it takes at least thirty days to make or break a habit. You must repeat a behavior for 30 consecutive days in order to form a new habit. Regular exercise is habit forming. Now that you know how your brain goes about making a habit, it will be easier for you to train your brain so that exercise becomes a regular part of your life.

Some of you may be surprised at how much physical activity that you are capable of especially if you take the 90-Day-Challenge to Empower Beauty®. There’s a certain magic that occurs after 90 days of challenging yourself with your journal. Exercise and healthier eating become more natural. As you accomplish feats you never thought possible, you’ll be energized with enthusiasm and motivated to continue this new way of living.

Let “Day One” be “Page One” of your own personal legend of dedication, commitment, courage, perseverance, and success. Rejoice in all that you have achieved and be happy. Be true to yourself and honor your body. Inscribe your dreams and desires to commemorate with your success. Your journal is your witness and it can speak volumes.
It’s your life story… start celebrating today.

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What stories do you like to tell about your life? Do you give basic accounts of past events or does your life story read like a romance novel? One thing is for certain—when it comes to our health no one wants a twisted mystery or a horror tale.{+}

Your fitness journal can be your own private story of your eating habits and your fitness level. As you write your goals each week, you are adding a very fundamental factor to your complete wellness program. The anticipation alone can boost your spirit.

There are three major components to the Fitness4Her Diet and Exercise Program. Diet, everything you eat; the Exercise, including strength training and cardio exercises; and the Journal to record your results. Each of these parts is equally important for the success of the whole fitness plan.

So how does this translate into a tale of wellness? Because healthy eating combined with regular exercise and activity provides a multitude of health benefits. As a matter of fact, I’ve dug up some really great reasons why both exercise and a balanced diet should be part of your life story.

Your Diet
You have examined your present way of eating and have decided to make healthy changes in your food choices. But do you know that diet is more than just about the food you eat? It’s also about your eating habits, as we talked about earlier in Part 1 of the Fitness4Her Diet.

You are the one in control of your life. Everything that you eat, results from a decision that you have made. It is up to you to make the necessary changes that you want to live with and that will help you live better.

You can make healthy choices about what you eat and still take pleasure in your food. Eating should be a celebratory time and never laden with guilt. Feelings of guilt will only make you feel disappointed in yourself. Keep in mind that food is not the problem; food is the answer. Your diet is your way of life; it is what sustains you and makes you whole.

Obesity can be avoided, or overcome, by an understanding of simple principles. These principles are the basis of the Fitness4Her Diet.

1. Eat often, but eat in small portions.

2. Don’t skip meals.

3. Don’t forget your fiber.

4. Eat plenty of protein, but get it from lean sources.

5. Within reason, eat as many servings of fresh fruits and vegetables as possible.

6. Reduce your intake of refined carbohydrates.

7. Reduce dietary fat generally, and particularly reduce unhealthy saturated fat.

8. Reduce your intake of salt.

9. Avoid alcohol.

10. Drink plenty of water.

11. Take a good multi-vitamin.

12. Counting calories … for those who must.

Be sure to read Explaining the Diet Principles for an in-depth look into how these principles can work to end your diet woes. Logical and sensible, they are easy enough for anyone to follow.

Your Exercise
So now we take a look at why exercise is so important. We know that exercise plays a significant role in weight loss but there are many other benefits that regular physical activity provides.

1. Exercise improves your mood. Ever notice how great a walk or a bike ride feels after a stressful day? That’s because exercise releases endorphins into your bloodstream, which helps to lift your spirits and get rid of the blues. You’ll also look better and feel better when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. Regular physical activity can even help prevent depression.
2. Exercise fights chronic diseases. If you’re worried about heart disease, cholesterol, osteoporosis, or high-blood pressure, exercise might be the solution. Regular physical activity can also help you prevent type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer.

3. Exercise helps you burn calories and manage your weight. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn and the easier it is to keep your weight under control. Although Fitness4Her is not based on calorie counting, exercise is a crucial component to my diet and fitness plan.

4. Exercise energizes you. Physical activity delivers oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and regular physical activity helps your entire cardiovascular system. When your heart and lungs are working efficiently, you have more energy to work and play.

5. Exercise helps you sleep better. Regular exercise and physical activity help many women to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.

Regular physical activity can help protect you from the following health problems.

• Heart Disease
• Stroke
• High Blood Pressure
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Obesity
• Osteoporosis
• Depression
• Poor Self Esteem
• Disability

Your Journal
It has been proven time and again, that people who keep a journal of everything they eat and drink and record all of their physical activity have a far greater chance at a successful fitness program than those who do not.

Hopefully, I’ve convinced you about the health benefits that a balanced diet of nutrient-rich food and regular exercise offer. If you are interested in a wellness program that will help to protect you from disease, obesity, and depression, while providing health, weight control and confidence take the 90-Day Challenge to Empower Beauty®.

Participate in my diet and exercise plan and keep a journal of your results for at least 90 days. Write down your goals each week, and use that as a guide to keep you focused. Record everything you eat and drink and all of your activities and monitor how well these practices are working for you. If you keep track daily, and reexamine your results each week, you’ll be able to determine what works for you and what doesn’t.

Maintaining your fitness journal really is the key to success. Because I care about you, I hope your journal becomes a true tale of wellness. Happy Journaling.

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Our deepest fear is not of being inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are more powerful than anything we could imagine.

Do you ever look at highly successful people and know that you could be just like that,{+} only you’re a bit afraid of that much success? Maybe it’s because you know how much dedication and commitment it takes to ensure it, or maybe it’s because you are afraid it will change you in some way.

You will change, you know. All through life you will undergo changes. Some are very obvious, while others can barely be detected. But like it or not, you will change many times from birth until death. Learning to deal with these changes can help as you climb to the next level.

Climbing to the next level of fitness will certainly provide plenty of physical changes. But it will also bring forth changes in the way you think, too. I’m talking about having more confidence in everything that you do. This new way of thinking will show in the way you handle yourself, the way you walk and talk.

Are you ready to stand out in a crowd? Can you handle that much attention? Be forewarned that others will notice the changes in you, too.

So now that you are convinced that you can handle the positive changes that you seek, how can you use your journal to take you to the next level? It’s easy, you know and it’s probably just the challenge you need.

First off, what is your target? What do you hope to achieve? Without this vital information you will never know if you have reached the goal. Successful people choose a target and then take aim. They decide where they want to go, formulate a plan to get there and then stay focused on their goal until they taste success.

Reaching your next level of fitness works the same way. That’s why keeping a fitness journal is so instrumental. Writing down your target goals, making a plan to achieve them, and charting your progress as you move toward your own finish line will ensure your chances for victory.

Remember to log everything into your journal, even notes about your muscle soreness and any other pain or discomfort you have when exercising. This will help to keep you focused and greatly increase your chances for success.

If you are looking for advanced exercises, check out my Exercise section and notice the Take it to the Next Level or Advance examples. You can add more weights, advance on the ball, or increase repetitions. These moves will build muscles naturally to show off your incredibly sexy feminine curves.

Your journal can help to take you to the next level. Each week you’ll need to record your weight and measurements and if possible take a picture of yourself. Then decide on your short-term goal. This is where reading your old posts will come in handy. When you read your previous goals, your strategies and your results, you can better determine what works and what doesn’t.

Will you need to spend more time with your workout? Perhaps thirty minutes is not long enough to accomplish all the exercises and cardio activities that you have planned. Be sure to record your start and finish times in your journal. The time of day that you exercise and how you feel afterward will give you a good indication of your energy level at that hour.

Daily devotion to your fitness journal will train your brain to accomplish the mission that you set before it. When you get an idea then validate that idea by writing it down on paper, you command your brain to make that plan happen. Your brain reacts to stimuli, once you give it the same command over and over, it figures out how to make it happen without really having to think about it.

Think about when you learned to drive a car. The first few times you may have experienced difficulty remembering the many aspects of driving. But after you did it a few times, it became easier to remember until operating the car takes little thought at all. This is all because repeated actions cause the brain to create a pathway so it doesn’t have to do all that heavy thinking.

This is the basis of daily journaling. Once you form the habit and begin making journaling part of your day, you will be amazed at how easy it is to accomplish the things you desire. This is especially true with your fitness journal.

As you write down your goals and follow up with your daily activities, including everything you eat and drink, you give your brain a clear vision of the work that needs to be done. The brain benefits from this type of workout and writing everything down helps to emphasize its importance and relieve your mind of the burden of pent up thoughts.

If you haven’t kept a journal before, select one that will be easy to keep with you as you exercise. You can use a homemade one if you like or even a spiral notebook. Just make sure that the book is used only for journaling so it will be easy to chart your journey to success.

Make journaling as simple as possible. Keep a pen handy, and get accustomed to devoting time to your writing. Don’t let little things throw you off schedule or stand in your way. Allow this time to be an important part of your day.

As you progress with your fitness routine, reassess your short-term and long-term goals. Reward yourself for a job well done and use your journal to record just how great you feel. This will give further validation that your brain is doing a wonderful job and it will continue to work towards the goals that you put before it.

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