5 simple things everyone can do to combat the effects of bad body image.

Your Body Image, Your Life

by Heather Rider
Ace,Affa,Acsm,Nasm,Certified

Today I was training someone in the gym, a gym where there are mirrors everywhere. Yesterday I felt like I could see my muscles, I had tons of energy and I felt like I was good at my job, today not so much. What is the difference between today and yesterday?

NOTHING, except the little flurries of negative thoughts about my body gently falling and settling in my brain. Suddenly in the span of 24 hours, I have gone from feeling great, energetic and knowledgeable, to feeling depressed, lethargic and a total sham of a trainer.

I notice my clients have on and off days too. Sometimes I am asked to stand in front of the mirror when they work out so they cant see themselves.

I have many clients with kids. Some  tell me that they are worried because their child is a little heavy. The interesting thing is that the ones who voice their feelings to their kids, inevitably come to me a year later asking for a therapist referral because their child now has an eating disorder.

The ones who say nothing seem to end up with pretty confident kids. I would rather my kid be a little heavy (although not in a way that would endanger their health) and confident than super skinny and always worried about gaining a pound.

Funny, maybe that same rule should go for adults. As a woman who has battled every eating disorder there is (and maybe a few new ones) I am the first to admit that on a “bad body day” EVERYTHING is bad. The traffic seems worse, friends talk too much or too loudly and the lines at the store seem twice as long. So what can a person do?

Sometimes there is no truth or correlation between how we feel and what we really look like, but does that even matter? If I eat  salad all day but I still hate the way I look, what’s the difference? So are we doomed to be miserable? NO! There are a few simple things everyone can do to combat the effects of bad body image:

1 – Beware of toxins!

I am not talking about pollution, I am talking about  people, conversations and media that can contribute to causing you to feel bad about your self. Lets face it, some people thrive on obsessing about their weight and what they eat and some people have a healthy outlook and are able to enjoy life. Which do you want to be? Surround yourself with people who are health minded like you and not stuck in the bad body image trap. If it means spending less time with family or friends who tend to be “toxic” so be it! Maybe they will come on up to your level but don’t let anyone bring you down!

2 – Stay away from the word “fat”

In my classes there are two words I do not allow. Fat and can’t. I don’t see the need for either. If you don’t give them your voice you might be able to make them slowly disappear from your thoughts. The brain is a funny thing, it will take you where you train it to. Take out the word from your vocabulary and you will have an extra tool of defense against feeling it.

3 – Exercise!

For many of my clients, exercise has been key to a better body image. Exercise, done in a healthy way of course, can shift  your mind from trying to be “skinny” to being healthy. If you can do a pull up, 20 push ups, punch a punching bag hard, in other words feel strong, you feel empowered. When you feel empowered and strong you stop focusing so much on the negative.

3a- Meditate

Mediating is all about training the mind. You’ve been telling yourself the same story for a long time about who you are and what you can or cannot do. Meditating and freeing the mind a bit can help you see that most of what we tell ourselves are stories we create and its just as easy to say “I feel great” as it is to say “I cant do it”.

4 – Eat clean and still have fun!

When you eat healthy you feel healthy. Sure everyone should indulge once in a while. But if you have cookies and chips everyday it takes away from the fun of having a special treat, not to mention you have more reason to put yourself down.

5 – Do not weigh yourself more than once a week if at all

This is a touchy one. Many people are very reluctant to give up the scale. As a trainer I will not weigh my clients ever. The reason? I don’t want them to focus on the weight. When its low, it’s a great day and when its not everything is awful. So release yourself from the scale cycle and just trust yourself. Eat right, exercise and stay healthy and most important of all be happy. Its not easy, but its possible.

www.heatherrider.com

Heather Rider holds a Masters degree in psychology with an emphasis on eating disorders and mind-body fitness. Heather was a Reebok University Master Trainer, and certified by ACE, AFAA, NASM-CPT, ACSM. Heather has appeared in numerous TV and video series including VH-1’s “Getting Brittany Abs”, Crunch on ESPN2, Body By Jake and the syndicated infomercial for AbRoller. She has taught at some of the hottest clubs in New York and Los Angeles, including Crunch, New York Health & Racquet Club, Voight By The Sea, Gold’s and corporate fitness centres located at the United Nations, The American Stock Exchange, Sony and NBC. Heather has also presented at the annual Cory Everson’s Fit Camp for three years.