It is the inside, not the outside that counts, right? That is what we hear but what we see around us is totally different.  Every day, we are inundated with images of so-called ”perfect” physical beauty and we feel pressured to measure up.  These two concepts of beauty seem to contradict one another.  If beauty is on the inside, then we should be putting our energy into cultivating ourselves to be the greatest possible versions of ourselves.  If beauty is on the outside, we need to head to the gym, the spa or the mall!

Even in a tough economy, the diet business is in terrific shape - unlike many of its customers.  But with research suggesting 95% of dieters regain the weight within 12 months, does the diet industry rely on our failure to make its profits? While we spend billions of dollars on diet food and products, our collective weight continues to increase.  The United States is now embroiled in what has been termed an “Obesity Epidemic”; as if getting fat were something contagious your kids could pick up at school and unwittingly bring home to the rest of the family!

When asked, most of us will say that beauty comes from within.  We will say that it is the qualities we possess, not our physical features that make us most attractive. This is what I call our “public conversation” about beauty, and most of us really believe it.  But then, we stand in front of the mirror and the conversation changes.  The “private conversation” takes over. For many of us, and the first thing we see is what is “wrong”; a new stretch mark, a bump on the nose, wrinkles we swear were not there yesterday, acne, those extra few pounds of holiday weight we have yet to lose…