Introduction
One of the fun things about being a teenager today is that we have more options than ever: We can go from looking casual to looking glamorous, from looking sophisticated to looking outrageous, from fitting in to making a statement. We can wear our natural color hair or wear it purple if we like. We can have straight hair one day, and kinky hair the next; short hair one day and then, with the magic of hair extensions, long hair the next day. With the wave of a wand we can change our brown eyes to blue eyes, or our blue eyes to green eyes. We have so many choices, so many options, so many "looks" to chose from; what fun!
Fashion and style isn't the only domain where there are oh so many options to define ourselves. While being in "shape" was once akin to how much you weighed, today "being in shape" means having a healthy body, one that is energized and can keep up with you! What's more, how we get and stay fit has been jazzed-up with exercise options ranging from aerobics to yoga, from sports to Salsaerobics. Keeping fit is not only important to your health, but it can be fun to achieve, too!
With so many possibilitiesand "beautiful" and "fit" being redefineddoing a book on health, fitness and beauty was quite a challenge. Where to start? What to cover? What is most hip, cool, best, better, prettier, the most beautiful? Who is to say that wearing makeup is a more glamorous look than au natural? The answers are always personal: What is best for you is, well, what is best for you. It's matter of personal tastebut try convincing yourself of that! It's an underlying goal in this book. Consider this your personal guide to being your personal best, a guide to help you think about what's important to you in being your best, and then ways to be your best&3151inside and out.
There are a lot of ways to polish our own natural inner and outer beauty. Whether you want to add the inner radiance of self-confidence or purposeful goals, or the outer glow of a complexion that shines with health; the luster of hair that gleams with vitality; the facet of fitness, or the magic of makeup this book will show you how. After all, being your best, your very best, is one of beauty's greatest rewards.
This book is divided into four units. "Unit 1: Health & Beauty: From the Inside Out" is all about the ways that beauty manifests from within. Have you ever run across someone who looked stunning, but undid her beauty by the way she acted or treated others? Compare that to someone who is thoughtful and has a kind heart, confident and comfortable with herself and as a result, has lovely presence about her. What is the difference between lovely and beautiful? The difference is inner harmonyand it's a huge part of true beauty. This unit shows you how to let your inner beauty shine throughthings like the secrets of serenity, steps for staying cool under pressure, building your self-esteem, drawing security from loving others, setting goals and feeling purposeful.
"Unit 2: Health, Fitness & Nutrition covers a most essential topic for teens: having a healthy body, liking your body and being fit, or as teens say, "looking hot." This can be more difficult to achieve than you might imagine. In the teen years, our bodies (and moods) are in a constant state of change. We can feel like we're just getting to know who we are when suddenly we are someone totally different. While the ups and downs caused by all the hormonal changes going on can make you and your body feel like you are strangers to each other, it's most important that you be friends. This unit uncovers some of the myths teens have for comparing themselves to a standard other than their own, and covers some very important ground on how to best take care of your body so you look and feel your very best. Learn how to decide what weight is best for you; how to fuel your body and make smart choices when it comes to food, as well as important information on the subject of weight loss. And yes, the importance of buffing up those muscles-and relaxing them as well.
Do you find that you often buy clothes on impulsebecause the item is trendy or the price is rightand then end up almost never wearing itbecause it just doesn't look quite right on you? If so, the really fun and fact-filled "Unit 3: Clothes, Colors & Accessories" will show you how to select clothes that look great on you, everything from what clothes look best on your body to why certain colors make you feel and look better than do others. Included is some advise and some tips on which jewelry is best with what, and then there's my favorite chapter, one I'm sure you'll love too, why a perfume can smell good on you one season but not another, and how to choose the best scent for you, followed by tips for being a smart shopper when you get to the mall.
"Unit 4: Skin Care, Hair & Makeup Magic" is about appeasing the Cinderella in all of us, granting all sorts of valuable advice on everything from how to have a beautiful complexion and gorgeous hair, to how to have attractive nails, hands and feet. Step-by-step, you'll learn how to work makeup magictricks with foundation, mascara, eye shadow, eye liner, lipstick, lipliner and more!
So much information, so many suggestions, still, it was impossible to cover everything, a fact that really comes clear in consulting with "beauty experts" out there. One thing they did agree on though: When it comes to how you look and how you feelyour health and beautyyou are the most important "expert" of all. So, do what works for you, work on what feels right to you, experiment with new techniques, have fun andmost importantly-remember that we each carry our greatest source of health and beauty within. Decide to value this, and make your personal best the standard for you! So here's to your feeling great, looking hot, and loving yourselfinside and out!
Part One Health & Beauty
From the Inside Out
Everything that accurs everything that has occurredis occurring, and ever will occuris the outward physical manifestation of your innermost thoughts, choices, ideas and determination regarding Who You Are and Who You Choose to Be.
God, in Neale Donald WalschÆs Conversation With God, Book 3
The Essential Attributes of Beauty
For Sale! Inner Beauty galore!
You know how important it is to have all the right things to look hot and feel goodthings like trendy clothes and jewelry, the very latest in beauty products, such as the newest in lip gloss, perfume and nail colors. Shopping, shopping, constantly shoppingit's a lot of fun to keep up with fads, fashions and trends. But there are some things that money just can't buythings like love, self-esteem, faith, friends and goals that give your life real purpose. Yes, these priceless and precious qualities can make a girl more appealing and attractive than any of the latest or most expensive store purchasesand their worth goes far beyond anything that all the money in the world can buy. See for yourself. If you could have any ten of the following "attributes", which would you chose?
Having all the confidence in the world
Having a real sense of purpose
Success at everything I do
Knowing what I want out of life
Having others (especially my parents) always believe in me
Liking everything about my life
Having many good friends
Being genuinely happy and content
Being considered a sensational girlfriend
Having "grace under pressure" so I never lose my cool
Being the most popular girl at my school
Perspectiveknowing now all those things people are referring to when they say, "I wish I knew then when I know now.
Having healthy self-esteem
Being part of a family where everyone loves each other and gets along
Feeling really sure of myself
Compassion for others
Loving myselfbeing patient with me and forgiving myself when I mess up
Being a good and great citizen of the world
Knowing that I'm always true to what I truly believe
Caring deeply about every living being (and creature) in the world
Being liked by everybody
Being able to "act" beautiful, even when I'm not feeling that way
Having absolute faith in a Higher Power
Being the person who comes up with the solution for world hunger
Having peace of mind
Never getting stressed out
Being a possibility thinker, so I always think positive
Having a lifetime guarantee of never being dependent on alcohol or other drugs
Now look back over your list and rank the ten you selected in their order of importance or value to you (1 being the most important and 10 being the least). Was it tough to decide? As a teenager, it's sometimes difficult to know exactly what you want, especially when you're still just learning about yourself. It helps if you think about what's really important in lifewhat matters mostand then develop the inner courage to "go for it." This unit will show you how.
(c)2000. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Feeling Great Looking Hot, and Loving Yourself! by Jennifer Leigh Youngs. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the publisher. Publisher: Health Communications, Inc., 3201 SW 15th Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442.