Girl Power!

I recently attended a conference at Kean University titled “Happy, Healthy, and Whole.”  The conference was designed and organized by Susan Garino and hosted by Liberty Hall Museum. The purpose of the conference was to empower young women.   Area high school girls were invited to participate in mini workshops, which promoted healthy living and self confidence.  Some of the workshops included yoga, nutrition, meditation, and media awareness.  There was also a very informative workshop on cyber bullying.  The workshops were all presented by outstanding speakers who each had positive messages to share.

As a personal trainer for many years, I am always interested in ways to promote self confidence and healthy living.  As adults, one of the best things we can do is lead by example.  This is not always easy given today’s busy lifestyles, but we owe it to ourselves to try our best.

Here are some healthy suggestions:

1)     Find some time each day for meditation.  Meditation is a practice of awareness, which provides tremendous health benefits.  It is advised to practice regularly, as it helps to keep one grounded, focused, and confident.  Meditation is also good to use on special occasions such as the end of a particularly tough day at work or school.

2)     Commit to one new healthy habit a week.  One of my favorite tips for dieting is to shift the focus from what we should eliminate to what we should add.  The food pyramid suggests we combine 5 to 9 fruits and vegetables on a daily basis.  This is just one of many healthy commitments we could make on a Sunday night before the week begins. If we plan ahead and have the food choices ready to go, the convenience will keep us on track with our commitment.

3)     Focus on the things that are good for you.  Be very aware of advertising and marketing messages. Many of today’s ads do not provide a realistic picture of health, beauty, and fitness.  Pictures of celebrities that you see in magazines and television are not necessarily real.  Often the images are digitally enhanced and designed to sell a product. This is a money driven business and the ads are simply designed to get you to buy more. 

This conference stressed the importance of choosing what influences we allow into our lives.  If we’re confident, we’ll make healthy decisions.  We should make a purchase because we truly want the product, not because we feel inferior.  Additionally, when we make positive choices such as taking time for ourselves, incorporating good nutrition, and adding meditation to our daily schedule, we’re not only helping ourselves, but we’re setting great examples.  A certain confidence comes along with self care, which the girls learned at the conference, and there is nothing more radiant than inner confidence!