Redbridge For Mental Health

Ask any seasoned beauty pageant professional and they will tell you the contest is won during the interview. However, there is no other aspect of the beauty pageant that instills as much fear and nervousness as the interview and its question and answer session.

The interview portion of a beauty pageant is where the contestant has her chance to reveal that she is much more than a pretty face or a perfect body. The interview reveals the qualities that she holds dear and true to her heart as well as reveals her level of self-confidence in the areas that she believes in. Everything from what she says to how she says it will be judged during this time.

To answer interview questions effectively, the contestant will need to focus on gathering her thoughts before hand. Her answers should be given in a logical and coherent manner as well as spoken with proper inflection and annunciation. If you struggle with nervousness, then you will need to address this in your training. When you answer your interview questions, you need to sound confident, assured, and convicted of your answer. It is not just enough to say, “Yes” or “No”. You will need to give a detailed explanation of your convictions and beliefs and to present this answer to the judges in a confident manner.

Practicing sample interview questions is a great way for any contestant to help prepare themselves for their moment in the spotlight. Some of the most popular questions deal with topics that are important to humanitarian causes and reveal how you feel about societal issues. You may be asked how you would deal with homelessness, what qualities you believe a role model should possess, what your plans are for your future, why you entered the competition, how winning the crown would help you in your life, how did you prepare for the contest, and how would you change the world if you were elected president. Reviewing past contestant’s answers and taking notice of how the winner’s responded will shed great light on what type of answers judges are looking for.

No matter what interview question is posed to you, you should always answer any interview question in four simple steps. First, take at least three seconds to pause before you begin answering the question. This shows that you are not rushing to answer the question with a “packaged” answer. You don’t want to make the judges think that you have your answer prepared. Wait three seconds, and then begin to answer. Second, you should answer by stating that this is your belief or conviction. Sentence starters such as, “I believe” or “I feel strongly” will add meat to your answer. Third, after your lead in sentence, share your convictions while answering the question. When you are through answering the question you should summarize your statement. This is the fourth and final step. Summarize your answer by stating, “Overall, I believe.” Working with your personal beauty pageant trainer as well as a vocal coach can help you gain the confidence that you need to secure your crown.

Body image is the sum of thoughts and feelings people have about their physical appearance. Oftentimes, the media tend to promote a body image that can be unrealistic. Featuring role models for beauty and weight who are unnaturally thin can affect the physiological and psychological well-being of young women, especially adolescents, who are just starting to become conscious of the changes in their physical structures.

Women living in a culture focused on dieting and weight loss are more prone to develop eating disorders which are detrimental in one’s health. Dieting and the weight loss pill industry may lead young people to develop eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia, as well as serious physical and psychological conditions, like lack of focus, depression, low self-esteem, and fatigue syndrome. Having an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image can lead to extreme behaviors of over-exercising, too much dieting, over-eating, binging, self-induced vomiting, laxative abuse.

A young woman who do not eat enough to keep her body working properly may be suffering from anorexia nervosa. Losing too much weight can make you become weak and unhealthy because of a poor diet. Most people with anorexia exercise too much in order to burn up the food they eat. They tend to “feel fat” even when they are actually losing weight. They try to convince themselves and the people around them that they are not hungry. They often take diet pills to control hunger and attempts to lose weight. Some of these pills side effects often make girls feel anxious or nervous. They drink caffeinated beverages that give a false sense of energy. Most people with anorexia develop emotional problems like low self-esteem, obsessive thoughts and behaviors. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by abnormal loss of weight, having distorted impression about one’s body size, and unreasonable fear of becoming fat.

Some of the symptoms of people with anorexia can be dizziness, heart problems, low blood pressure, low temperature and fainting spells. Anorexia can cause hair and fingernails to become brittle. Loss of hair on the head, dry skin, dehydration, and constipation are also symptoms of anorexia. People with anorexia experience anxiety, tiredness, and depression. Anorexia can also cause the growth of soft furry hair on face, back and arms, also known as lanugo. Since there is not enough estrogen to maintain the body’s normal function, menstrual periods usually stop and bones become weal, leading to osteoporosis. The combination of osteoporosis and over exercising can lead to stress fractures.

Another type of eating disorder is bulimia, a condition that makes girls resort to binge, or eat a lot of food out of control even if they are not hungry. Most people with bulimia often feel they have no control over their eating. After bingeing episode, people feel guilty and anxious that they desire to get rid of the food by self-induced vomiting or by exercising. People with bulimia may have unusual tendency to eat in private and hide what they eat from others or eat until they are uncomfortable and exhausted. Bulimia causes people to feel afraid or ashamed of themselves.

People with bulimia may develop serious electrolyte problems, irregular menstrual periods, dehydration, swollen face, sore throat, tooth decay, dry and flaky skin, upset stomach, heartburn, constipation, depression, or weight fluctuations. Low potassium levels due to too much self-induced vomiting may lead to serious heart arrhythmias, or even death.

Detecting bulimia may not be easy as someone can have a normal weight, but still suffer from the condition. Also, since they tend to be secretive about their eating habits, even their family and friends are not aware that they have a problem. Bulimia is a serious condition and can cause permanent damage to the teeth, stomach, digestive track, and heart.

If you have eating disorder, the goal is to improve your body image and self-esteem. Try to address other emotional issues such as depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, or substance abuse. Discuss with your therapist feelings of sadness, anxiety, or anger with your therapist. Therapy greatly helps in providing the time and space where you can confidentially talk about your needs, your goals, and your understanding of the eating problem.

Understanding attitudes and behaviors where teasing and harassment about weight and body shape are parts of the culture can help prevent eating disorders. You don’t have to be resigned in accepting these unreasonable standards of body image but you have the option to go against the industry that conditioned your mind set about it and reverse the situation to your advantage and benefit.

Many people over look the power of simply hitting a punching bag for a highly effective workout. You can purchase an inexpensive punching bag at your local sporting good store. If you’ve never seen one they are supported by floor stands or more commonly hung from a frame that attaches to your ceiling.

Exercising vigorously causes small injuries to your muscle fibers which is why you generally feel sore the day following a really hard workout. When you exercise with sore muscles then you are greatly increasing your odds of serious injury. You should let your body have a day in between vigorous workouts to allow it time to heal properly, try taking a nice walk or swim.

Cross training requires you to alternate sports on different days to efficiently work out different muscle groups. Cross training is great because it allows your muscles at least two days to recover, greatly decreasing your chances of injury. Spending some time hitting a punching bag with your favorite CD blasting is a perfect way to exercise your upper body then the following day you can change it up with a lower body kick boxing or running exercise.

Hitting a punching bag does a lot more than improve stamina and provide a great cardio workout. It can help improve your overall coordination. If you punch the bag it swings back and comes back toward you. You want to practice hitting the bag at the time it is coming back toward you. You will soon find that if you hit it too early or too late it will not stay in rhythm and you will more than likely miss the bag.

Begin your heavy bag workout by hitting the bag lightly until your arms feel sore and tired. Gradually increase the intensity and time of the workout as you feel stronger, make sure you give yourself a break every other day.

If you find that you are falling asleep on the treadmill or finding it hard to stay on that last twenty minutes that you know will feel like two hours you should defiantly try mixing it up with a heavy bag workout or try some high intensity workout DVDs.

Heavy bag training isn’t just for boxers or only men. In addition to the amazing cardio you are doing, your heavy bag training sessions will also improve your self defense skills, perfect for women who are looking for that extra boost of confidence! Heavy bag training also has been known to reduce stress.

Heavy bag workouts are a great alterative to dull cardio fitness routines that aren’t motivating anymore. With a workout that you enjoy you will be more likely to workout longer and harder and see results faster than you ever imagined.