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The Skinny Woman is Wearing Thin
By: Damon Taylor
Women in today's society will submit to the tyranny of slenderness in order to ensure that they are accepted within a culture that gives increasing significance to the images and representations of the 'ideal' woman. The image of a woman as being thin, seductive and youthful is one that is not only primarily utilised by mass media, but an image in which the female body is used like other commodities to construct fantasies of possession, power and desire.
Such images stream into our everyday life. Women are faced with such false representations on a daily basis, however despite the knowledge that such images fail to provide a true representation of the real woman, we still strive to shape and modify our bodies in order to conform to what is clearly an impossible ideal.
Getting married is an occasion that often highlights false representations of the 'real' woman. Given that we are in the 'limelight', we always want to make certain that we look our very best. We live in a world whereby body image is valued and central to being 'accepted' in contemporary society. Thus, for many of us, our wedding day can be extremely daunting when faced with the notion of being the centre of attention. We all know that all eyes on the day primarily rests upon the bride, thus, for the brides that feel a little self conscious about their body image, this attention can be extremely intimidating.
There are many groups and agencies that strive to market themselves in providing weight loss services. When organising our wedding, we are often inundated with such services who promise endless 'secrets' to weight loss and achieving the 'perfect' body. Whilst it may be tempting to embark upon these radical diets, exercise regimes and weight loss pills, loosing weight can be achieved by anyone who adopts simple learning principles.
Firstly, set realistic sights. Nobody can loose all their weight within one or two or even three weeks. Set yourself up for small wins, and remember that a little can go a long way. Psychologists report that overdoing it at the outset will actually punish your efforts, thus making it difficult to maintain your program.
Adopt the principle of shaping, rewarding yourself initially with modest rewards for successive approximations in the direction of your weight loss goals. Start with small steps, perhaps running for shorter distances and gradually increasing the distance. When rewarding yourself, ensure that the reward does not contradict your goals. For instance, rewarding yourself with clothes, or going out to a movie is far better than rewarding yourself with a 'treat'.
Write down your goals and the program which you will utilise. Specify the amount and intensity of exercise you will do and keep a progress chart. Often when we embark upon a diet and exercise program, we are consumed by the apparent 'hard work', and we become blind to our achievements. Documenting your progress allows you to see what you have achieved and to determine any downfalls or areas for improvements that you may not have been aware of. Furthermore, documenting your progress provides you with positive reinforcement in order to ensure that you keep up the efforts.
Ensure that your environment enhances stimulus control. For instance, meeting friends in an area surrounded by fast food restaurants does not allow for stimulus control. Chances are you will be tempted to join your friends for coffee and cake. Instead, arrange to meet at a park where you can catch up whilst walking around. Meeting friends or going places that are likely to occasion healthy responses will make it easier to maintain your program.
Lastly, take advantage of the principles of observational learning. If you have friends or family members who have traits and skills that you admire, then learn from them. If you have a friend that adopts the healthy lifestyle, by observing and emulating their behaviour, you can achieve your goals more efficiently.
Attaining the perfect figure is a difficult task, and lets face it, not all of us will acquire the 'supermodel' figure. We are all different and we all have different body types, however by adopting a healthy lifestyle, we can feel good about ourselves and the image we evoke.
Article Source: http://www.ezarticles.info
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