Can You Improve Your Body Image?

I couldn't agree more. The unrealistic ideals set forth by Hollywood and the fashion industry are just ridiculous and are hurting many people.

But we can't blame it on "the industry" as the author points out. We are responsible for our own body image, and should take and enjoy that responsibility. In my personal training business, I have found this is easier for men to do than women - as I see a mindset transition take place as they progress in their training. No doubt this is because women are much more pressured to look a certain way than men, being the quintessential representation of beauty in our culture.

Personally, I'm happy knowing that I don't feel pressured to have to measure up to what society says. I'm quite content deciding what I think is attractive, and not worrying myself over achieving anything else.

This article has some great advice, and applying it to your life will be liberating.

To your health and success,

John Sifferman NSCA-CPT

Well, let's just set up a forum where we can all post naked pictures of ourselves and let others be the judge. Problem solved.

"[The] standards of female beauty have in fact become progressively more unrealistic during the 20th century. In 1917, the physically perfect woman was about 5ft 4in tall and weighed nearly 10 stone. Even 25 years ago, top models and beauty queens weighed only 8% less than the average woman, now they weigh 23% less."

Um, maybe this is because the "average" woman has been getting much bigger in recent years. Sure, maybe beauty icons have shrunk as well, but I think we can all agree that back in 1980 or 1917 the "average" American woman did not stand 5'4" and weigh 165 lbs (as she does today).

I have struggled with my body image for a long time -- probably since senior year of high school, but it really hit after freshman year of college. I then became anorexic without even knowing that's what it was.

I am now 24 years old and still struggle with my image. I read blogs and websites all the time about body image and female empowerment. I think the ideas are great, but I have never been able to sit down and write out 3 things I love about my own body. I still hate how I look. I still have days where I binge and then purge. I still am OCD about working out and tracking every calorie of food that passes my lips.

I have come to realize that I will never like my body image. My goal is just to be okay with the skin I am in. That is enough of a challenge for me.

We definitely need to stop comparing ourselves to Hollywood actresses/models who are never "thin enough" either. I'm sure those women compare themselves to one another all the time and try to see who can get the skinniest. I have to be careful to not compare myself to the women in the media because it always just makes me feel like crap. I know I'll never look like Victoria Beckham (can't afford the implants) or Gisele Bundchen (my legs won't grow 6 inches overnight). But I do find that working out does make me feel a lot better about my body. Somehow, after I work out I feel like I'm skinnier than if I don't, even though my body looks exactly the same.

I find that looking at myself naked in the mirror definitely helps me feel better about my body. I think it helps me to get used to how my body looks, even if it's not "perfect". I just get used to how MY body looks and I find little parts of it (like my shoulders, my back, my butt, and my tummy) that I really do like.

I don't really care so much what I look like but how I feel. When I was at the heaviest, I would lose my breath walking to the refrigerator (but I stayed to course so I would get at least SOME exercise) :)

Guys can go for that rugged look and fighting ability (meaning that body builder cannot fight his way out of a paper bag) for self-assurance so body image is not as much as an issue.

I do think most women I have met are concerned with their appearance and hence I dread the question, "honey - does this make me look fat?" There is no correct answer to that question... the only thing I've discovered is trying a preemptive strike before the question is mouthed like, Honey - you look beautiful today! And try to get out of the house fast. :)

I hope most women figure out how to focus on health and themselves instead of those twiggy models that guys do not really like anyway... my 2 cents.

I think women have it tough these days. All over TV, internet, magazines, there are women who have spent serious money and time (and maybe photoshop) to make them look as perfect as they do.

I'm glad my wife realizes that trying to look like all the celebs is ridiculous. She still eats well and exercises regularly and she feels great about her body. Great tips on how to improve body image also.

I don't compare myself to actresses and models. I do tend to compare myself to other athletes and that is so not my body. Especially right now (just had a baby) Ugh.

good tips, i'll try some of them tomorrow morning- how i am right is too much of a hassle....
In order for me to leave the house in an okay mood and a relatively form fitting outfit, i must do 3 things to help reasure myself i am okay. 1- i must examine myself in the mirror nude from every angle. 2- i must weigh myself to see that i am between 117 and 123- any higher and i will wear an empire waited top. 3- i must measure my waist to see that it hasnt gone out of the 24' range.... then i can go out... it sucks...

I look back at pictures of myself as a teenager & think "God I was gorgeous!" And I thought & was hideous. Than why was everyone telling me that I was beautiful? Then why were guys always looking at ME?

*Sigh*

I seem to have the opposite problem--when I look in the mirror or just mentally regard myself, I'm pretty happy with the way I "look." Not that I think I'm gorgeous, but most everything seems to be in proportion and healthy, etc. But then when I see a photo of myself, I'm horrified--I always look heavier or my face looks weirder than my mental image tells me. It's to the point that I seldom let people photograph me, because I don't want to be confronted with this less attractive self or have a record of it out there. Strange, I know.

Sometimes, people who diet and exercise have the wrong reasons why they're doing it in the first place. When you are dieting/exercising, it is best that you don't put too much pressure on yourself by looking at rail-thin models. The best way to be properly motivated to achieve your fitness goal is to choose a healthy, fit and toned looking woman like, Jennifer Lopez, as a role model. This way, you won't have unrealistic views when it comes to your weight. Usually, the stick-thin models seen in magazines are edited anyway.

It's difficult to think you don't look that bad when you're at least 25 lbs. overweight and you come home to the home computer splayed with pictures of half naked hot women...how do get a good body image from that?

Aish, I struggled with my body image from the age of 11 when I first overheard my mother passing a comment about my breasts. By the time I was 15 - I had pics of every beauty queen pasted on my walls as if it were wallpaper. I was obviously too dumb back then to realize they wouldn't do one thing to make me feel any better - so along came my friend anorexia. Still thought I was fat and revolting. Next I gained 267% of my body-weight. Decades of yo-yo dieting followed which wouldn't have if I'd realized that it had to do with self-esteem less than body esteem. There are some great activities for building self-esteem that have helped me enormously at
http://www.ditch-diets-live-light.com/activities-to-build-self-esteem.html

The great thing about growing your self esteem is that no one from Sports Illustrated is ever going to want me for their bikini calendar but now I know I'm a worthwhile person regardless - and all along it had nothing to do with my body.

Gal-pal conversations talking about feeling fat and wanting to loose weight make a LOT more sense if you substitute the work fat for sad/unhappy/depressed and thin for happy/successful/stress-free. Try it!

Feeling good about your body image comes from within not from how it looks on the outside. If you feel good about yourself, then you will automatically feel good about your body image.

The Beautiful Women Project (www.beautifulwomenproject) and The Genuine Men Project (www.thegenuinemen.com) both believe that it is how a person meets their challenges and carries their experiences that make them role models for us all. The physical body is a small part of an individual's overall attractiveness to others. Love, life, and strength shines through the body. We should all love our bodies for what they do for us each and every day, not for how we think others perceive us because of their appearance.

Look, I love being under 200 pounds @ 5'8 & 1/2 (sry if I offend, it's just how I am) and I love, love, LOOOVE being able to;

1) Fit into cute clothes (my 4 year old and I can share clothes, then again she's REEAL tall).

2) Be able to squeeze through tiny places.

3) Not be looked at like a freak/discriminated against (according to society, srsly not a fat hater or trying 2 offend!).

4) Keep up with my 2 small children.

But then b/c I lost sooo much sooo fast I have horrible amounts of saggy skin I just PRAY Buffalo Bill comes by to help a Bit*h out!

Plus it doesn't help to have this phobia/obsession of going over 200 again (not counting muscle which I've developed a ton of) and having my morbidly obese Mother scream at me that I'm too thin just b/c she's not used to seeing her first born so tiny (according to her) or could be just a bit jealous for all I know, she won't say if it is so (she let something slip whilst drunk).

I think it's safe to say I'm at a HUGELY confusing point in my life

LOVE the article! Just linked to it...
http://ronisweigh.com/2008/10/thursday-thoughts-vi.html

I'm still learning how to love my body after a 70lbs loss. Thanks for the great article!

Great Post! I agree with your ideas 100%. You have to point out the things you love about yourself. Sure somebody else may have something that you don't have, but then again you might have something they don't have. Comparing ourselves to others is not the best idea. Just imagine what this world would be like if everyone was exactly the same!

All positive points. I've seen many clients with unrealistic and unhealthy goals because of the way "beauty" is presented to us through the media and other mediums. It is always nice to see when clients break through those mental blocks and see the beauty in themselves.

magazines definitely don't help, but i feel like they just feed a beast that is already there. my poor body image (and eating disorder) did not come about because "the media made me feel fat." i think it is just a maladaptive coping mechanism, a way of transferring self-hatred onto my body and distracting me from the stuff going on in my head. it's just another form of self-injury.

developing that as my coping mechanism of choice was probably helped along by peers and family calling me fat even though i was never overweight. i used to stand up for myself, and say "no, i'm not fat, i'm a normal weight." but eventually i guess i internalized those messages. it's hard to fight of the cruel world when you're a teenaged girl.

i'm in my 20s now and working hard to get healthy, but it's not easy when eating is intertwined with mental illness, and everything seems so damned complicated.

This post is fantastic. I am a guy and I struggle with body image issues. I have lost 130 lbs and still feel or think I look fat. I know I am not fat, but it is just a thing inside my "fat" mind.

Before and after pics of this "fat" skinny guy can be found here

http://run4change.wordpress.com

I have long believed that unhappiness with body image is, like many other existential ennuis that we indulge in in the developed world, an excuse for really living life to the full and seizing the day----it acts as a procrastinator, a buffer between our half-lived lives and our best possible lives. We say to ourselves, I'll lose weight, get rid of cellulite, get my figure back...and then I'll be happy and be the wonderful person I could be if I had a perfect body. Of course that day never arrives, because we always find something to be unhappy with. Instead of focussing on body image, we should focus on our fear of living life to the full!

This article seemed to be talking directly to me! I have struggled with these issues, at times considering every curve of my size 14 body to be a flaw. I have spent some time working on my inner self in the past few years. Now I am able to see that the root cause of my insecurity, as mentioned in the article above, stemmed from a damaged self-esteem. I've gained a lot of insight and strength while reading a book called It Can Be Done! by Lisa Buldo. It talks about overcoming the mental obstacles that hold you back from living a full and complete life. Her words really helped me move into a better place of self-acceptance.

I think that people should feel good about themselves what ever size they are, and I`m sure most people do. I believe not to compare yourself to others for everyone is different. But by having this strong self esteem give creative licences for other people to judge you. They don`t have to stop judging you. What for! I have had times where I have felt great about myself,albeit being `overweight` to have douchebags ( men and women) come up to me and start giving health advice.
Everyone thinks they know what the key to health is, yet they know nothing. Just because you exercise and eat right, it won`t make you thin. It may keep you healthy, but for some people, not thin. Does that mean you are doing it wrong?

That is where the problem lies.

This society is cookie cutter when it comes to losing weight. That everyone must do the same thing in order to lose it. For some, myself included, its not as easy but my efforts are deemed as `not doing enough`for the external shell doesn`t match what the `end result`should be.

People need to feel great about themselves regardless what anyone says. People should learn also that its not fair to judge others because they don`t look like them. Maybe that`s the reason why we judge, because we are looking at someone that doesnt reflect the way we look or act. Instead of trying to understand, we shun because it means we don`t have to do any thinking.

If everyone felt great about themselves, the fitness and beauty billion dollar industries would fail and lots of people would lose their jobs. It would be an economic crisis.

With that being said, keep judging , the economy needs you to!!!!!!