BODY CONFIDENCE

Women are taught a lot of things about how their bodies "should" look. The world is full of critics—and a woman's harshest critic is usually herself. When celebrities are slammed in the tabloids for showing cellulite on the beach and models are demonized for being too thin, it's no wonder we look in the mirror and aren't 100 percent happy with what we see. Body confidence, to me, is the social, physical and psychological/spiritual sense of assurance that comes from your physical characteristics. It's not just about how your body looks but also how it performs. How you feel about your body starts in your mind. If you think that everyone else in the room is thinner than you, you're going to feel terrible and your body confidence will be low. If you think that you look pretty good, you'll feel better and your body confidence will be higher. Having a healthy body and having the confidence that you do are two very different things. The foods that can give you a great body—such as omega-3 fatty acids, black tea and dark chocolate—can also boost your mood. These are all foods that, in moderation, can help you live longer, happier and with oodles of confidence.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to accept your body