by Catharine Rasband

Created on: March 12, 2009   Last Updated: March 19, 2009

Pick up a woman's magazine or turn on the TV and you will find an image of a "perfect" woman. This woman is tall and weighs less than 120 lbs. There isn't a blemish on her face, nor a whisper of cellulite on her body. What we can't see, however, are the hours it took to get the model's hair just right, her make-up impeccable, and further, how many more hours the computer technician spent touching up the photos or videos so that no imperfections are visible. We (women especially) look at this model and immediately begin looking critically at ourselves.

As a water aerobics instructor, I spend many hours at the pool. I can verify that there are very few women who look like these models. And of these few, most of them are 16 or 17-years old. Of all the women who attend my classes, no two are alike. There are women who are very thin, and some who are quite heavy, but most fall somewhere in between. Each woman has a unique shape. And, believe it or not, not one of them meets the standards set for us in the media.

According to Cosmopolitan, about 2 million women in the United States have breast implants, about 250,000 women opting for this surgery each year. Liposuction is even more common. It is the most common surgery performed for cosmetic reasons in the United States. We now have reality shows on television where people have extensive plastic surgery for a complete "makeover." As a mother of daughters and as a fitness professional, I have a vested interest in helping people overcome poor body images, while at the same time encouraging fitness and nutrition. And herein lies at least part of the answer. When we teach ourselves, our children, or others under our jurisdiction, the principles of healthy eating and active lifestyles, we naturally grow to feel good about ourselves.

The first thing to be done is to educate ourselves about what healthy eating means. A good way to start is by increasing our intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, and replacing sugary drinks with water. The choice to leave the cookies and chips on the grocery store shelves and to not stop for a quick dinner at the nearest hamburger joint would also be steps towards making better decisions. As far as an active lifestyle. The most important thing for each individual to do is to find what it is they like to do. There is a never-ending list of possibilities: walking, hiking, running, skating, swimming, tennis, golf and skiing; or a more formal approach: aerobic classes, exercise machines, exercise

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