Cool
to be Real
by
Robyn Tellefsen
 You've
got more homework than you know what to do with, you're
in the running to be captain of the basketball team,
and you're wondering if you'll ever find "Mr. Right"
-- or if you even want to find him yet. It's
so easy to lose yourself in the mountain of stuff you've
got going on.
That's
why the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA)
has teamed up with Sylvia Rimm, Ph.D., in a new education
campaign, "Cool to be Real." They want to
celebrate "Real Girls" like you, and help
you develop a healthy sense of yourself. They say it's
important -- and cool -- for you to feel good about
yourself, and confident about what you can accomplish.
Get
Real
"Real
Girls know that being 'popular' is a state of mind,"
reveals Dr. Rimm, a child psychologist and author of
the best-selling See Jane Win (Three Rivers Press,
2000) and the new adolescent version, See Jane Win:
For Girls (Free Spirit, 2003). While most girls
deal with some insecurity and aggression amongst peers
(see "Are
You a Bully?"), that doesn't mean we can't
strive to be emotionally secure. And a healthy body
image is one of the first steps to building Real Girl
self-esteem.
According to Dr. Rimm, however, many of us don't see
ourselves as we really are. She shares the story of
a beautiful teenage girl who overheard a group of boys
saying she was "fat." She got so upset, she
went on a diet of carrots and water. A few days later,
she found out the boys were paying her a compliment
-- they were calling her "phat," not
"fat." But it only took one perceived
negative comment to send her self-image reeling. "It's
easy to go off base in your search for self-esteem,"
says Dr. Rimm.
She
encourages you not to rest your identity on how many
guys think you're cute or thin, but on who you really
are on the inside. "You're more than just a pretty
face and figure," she emphasizes. "Your looks
are only part of you."
Keep
it Real
One
of the most important ingredients in self-confidence
is a healthy attitude toward food, says Mary Young,
R.D., executive director of nutrition for the NCBA.
She recommends eating a wide variety of foods in moderate
amounts, and keeping physically fit. "If your diet
is too low in calories, you're robbing yourself of critical
muscle mass," she warns. And the more muscle you
have, the higher metabolism you'll have, too.
A
great way to boost your muscle and metabolism is by
snacking -- yes, you read that correctly! "Snacking
is getting a bum rap these days, but it's important
to snack well," declares Young. "We need to
eat every three or four hours." (See above for
smart snack ideas.)
Ultimately,
the saying, "You are what you eat" is truer
than you might think. "Your self-esteem reflects
how you view yourself in relation to food," affirms
Young. "And, the food and activity choices you
make today affect you later on." Make sure the
things you choose are ones that will help you lead a
full, balanced life, she says. closing:
"Real
Girls are those who feel free to make smart choices,
and realize they can be themselves," insists Dr.
Rimm. Even though you can't please everyone all the
time, you can still be the best you can be, she explains.
"Real Girls feel good about themselves no matter
what other people think."
Get
started celebrating the Real Girl in you now.
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