When you look in the mirror, do you like what you see? Or do you only see the wobbly bits that you don’t like? Do you accept compliments about the way you look, or do you think that people are lying? Just trying to be nice?
Bad body image is a miserable thing. It dominates lives and drags people down. It chips away at self-esteem and creates a relentless chain of negative thoughts. Added to this internal dialogue, women are far more likely to chat with friends about the body parts they hate than the ones they love. So what do we need to do differently?
1. Get Real
Is your body healthy? The simplest way to check this is to measure your waist. Are you within the healthy range? You can also check that your waist circumference isn’t greater than half of your height.
If you are technically overweight….
Stay calm and make a plan. Plenty of movement everyday, structured exercise on most days and a wholesome, healthy diet will get you moving in the right direction. If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you did Spring 2012. So pop back into the members area and have another go at the training plans and recipes. You might want to read a few recent blogs too, like this one about the voice in your head, or maybe this take on honesty. Still not feeling confident that you can achieve what you need to? Hire a professional. Personal trainers, exercise physiologists, boot camps, nutritionists, dieticians, life coaches….. they’re all there to help people just like you.
If your measurement is healthy……
It’s time to work on your inner critic. Silence the mean girl within and spend more time thinking about what you like than what you don’t. But how?
2. Notice your thoughts. Then say stop!
Next time you catch yourself thinking negatively about your body, say stop! Out loud. As often as you need to. Picture a giant stop sign to back up your voice. This will help to break the pattern of criticism and question your thoughts.
3. Ditch the comparisons
We’ve been told not to compare ourselves to airbrushed models. We also need to stop comparing ourselves to our friends, colleagues, sisters and anyone else on our radar. They might be blessed with amazing genes. Or they might be depriving themselves of the things that they enjoy every single day to look that way. You’ll never know the whole story, so let the comparisons go.
4. Keep moving
Exercise is about more than keeping in shape (and boosting moods, as all Spring fans know). Studies show that women feel better about their bodies when they exercise regularly, even if their bodies don’t change at all.
5. Focus on the big picture
Remember that you’re not a piece of art – you are capable of far more than being looked at and rated. Legs are for walking, running, jumping. Bellies are home to vital organs and temporary homes to babies. Arms are for writing, eating, hugging and more.
Body image has always been close to my heart. I grew up seeing Mum force-fed meal replacements in hospital, trying to avoid the weight gain doctors insisted on. She’d go to the gym at family meal times to avoid being around food. She couldn’t enjoy birthdays, anniversaries or Christmas, because it always revolved around a meal.
This makes it easy for me to see that negative body image is a waste of time, sometimes even a waste of a life. I wish that more females could see that the way we feel about our bodies is up to us, not anyone else. It’s up to us to appreciate our bodies more and think about the way they look less. It’s great to strive to be fitter, healthier, leaner and stronger. It’s admirable to be in great shape and be a role model to others. But it’s important to balance this out with the ability to relax and enjoy time spent with family and friends around the table. To accept the body we have, because it’s the only place we have to live.
If you’re worried about yourself or someone else, contact The Butterfly Foundation or Beyond Blue.
