Body Image can be thought of as the picture we have of ourselves. For some of us, this is a very clear picture and it is a positive one. For others, it is distorted and the image we see is often times not what others see. A healthy body image is appreciating your own unique shape and size. You understand that everyone has a shape specific to them, sometimes identified as an apple, pear or banana shape. Someone that has a healthy body image appreciates they have an apple shape and they will not try to turn their body into a banana shape and vice versa. A person with a positive image of himself or herself does not spend unnecessary time worrying about their body size and/or shape.
Having a positive body image also means you feel confident in your own skin and you don’t place an over exaggerated value on how you look. A negative body image is associated with a person that feels ashamed of himself or herself. One that has a negative body image also feels that others either like them or dislike them because of their looks. In addition, someone that does not have a positive body image will often times look at their body much differently than it actually is and even feel awkward in their own skin.
Effects of a positive body image
- Confidence – Having confidence in one’s body will help him/her not only to feel comfortable wearing whatever they wish, but more importantly they will not fixate on how they look and thus can focus on whatever task is at hand (school work, work, family, etc…).
- Healthy Eating Habits – If one is comfortable with their body they are usually eating a balanced diet which in turn assures them that they are going to have a much lower risk of either being obese or too thin.
- Healthy Relationship with Exercise – Having a positive body image leads to one having balance in his/her exercise routine. People that have a healthy body image typically will exercise just enough to be “healthy”and will focus on all aspects of fitness (resistance training, flexibility and cardiovascular) strength.
Effects of a negative body image
- Lack of Confidence – This lack of confidence will not only lead to one not feeling comfortable in and out of their clothes, but will also effect one’s cognitive function (thinking) throughout the day. When someone is not confident in their own skin they will tend to fixate on their body rather than focus on the daily tasks at hand like school work, family, career or whatever else they may need to be doing.
- Unhealthy Eating Habits – When someone does not like his/her body they may develop eating disorders such anorexia, bulimia, over eating or the most common in the US binge eating, to compensate for negative feelings.
- An Unhealthy Relationship with Exercise – a negative body image can lead to over exercising to compensate for how he/she perceives their body. They may over exercise to the extent of injury and/or neglecting other aspects of their lives because they feel that if they do not exercise they will not look the way they perceive they need to in order to be accepted.
What can we do to help ourselves or those with a negative body image?
- Look in the mirror at the beginning of your day and at the end and state out loud something you appreciate about yourself. This does not have to be a physical trait, it can be “I appreciate how smart I am. I appreciate I am a hard worker, etc…”or it may be physical “I appreciate the fact that I have nice eyes, my legs look good, etc..”
- When you find yourself thinking negatively about your image, replace it with how you’d feel if you did not have that concern. It may be “I don’t think I look good in these jeans”replace with “I know feeling good in what I am wearing helps me feel good about my day and I choose to feel confident in what I am wearing today”
- Have an accountability partner. Have someone that you can call, text, message when you’re feeling down and you know he or she will not agree with you and will help you appreciate yourself. Often times we complain to those that can’t fix our problem or that will complain as well. I challenge you to find that person that will tell you to get over it and realize there is more to you then how you look.
- Journal! Write down how you feel each day, what you’re eating, did you exercise or not and how was your sleep. Often times we are quick to work out more or eat less because we feel we need to adjust one of these to feel or look the way we want. The fact is, if you’re not getting enough sleep, eating the wrong types of food (for your body) and/or doing the wrong type or too much or little exercise, all these can play a role in how you perceive yourself and unless you have the data to evaluate the facts, you will not know which one to adjust. This is where a personal trainer can be helpful.
In conclusion, having a healthy body image is not just thinking you look good, in and out of your daily attire. Having a healthy body image means you accept your flaws, just as much as you accept your strengths. We all have both positive and negative features, and those that truly accept their body for what it is, rather than what they wish it could be, are happier and can focus on attainable goals setting their attention on other aspects of their lives (which tend to be more impactful than simply looking good).
Scott Keppel is the owner of Scott’s Training Systems, a world class fitness studio located in Chandler, AZ that offers both in person and online coaching. He specializes in pageant training, pre/post natal, post breast cancer, peri-menopausal and weight loss. He is the official trainer for several states in both the Miss USA and Miss America System and is a motivational speaker, former lululemon ambassador and a certified nutritionist. Scott speaks on topics related to: developing a healthy body image, overcoming bullying, “fixing” your mindset on nutrition, owning it and various other topics related to a healthy mind, body and soul.
