Body image is defined as ‘the subjective picture or mental image of one’s own body.’ How we view ourselves can either make or break our diet success. For example, if you are constantly focusing on the flaws and things you’d want to change, comparing yourself to others, comparing yourself to versions of your past self, nine times out of ten you are going to end up feeling frustrated and defeated. These points will hopefully help change your perspective on body image; yes, it is definitely easier said than done, but the more you work to change your mindset the easier it will become.
· Don’t compare yourself to others. Why not? For several reasons, the first being every BODY is made different. People have different body types, some people are ectomorphs meaning they are generally more lean but have a hard time putting on muscle. Some people are mesomorphs so they have an easier time putting on muscle. People store fat differently, women tend to be more around the hips and thighs, men around the gut. We all have a place we classify as our ‘problem area,’ the spot that if you could just trim that up then you’d be happy. Plot twist, no you wouldn’t. You would find something else because that ‘problem spot’ is no longer there, that’s just how we think. So, how do we not compare ourselves to others when social media flashes these ‘perfect people’ in our face? Unfollow/mute them. If there is someone you are constantly comparing yourself to, who makes you feel worse about yourself, do not follow them or mute their notifications. Sitting in bed first thing in the morning and looking at pictures that make you feel crappy about yourself before you even get out of bed for the day is not going to help your own body image.
· Don’t compare yourself to yourself. Comparing yourself to a past version can be super frustrating as well; however, do not let yourself fall into the trap of consistently wishing you looked like you did in the past. Situations change, there is a reason your body composition did too. Instead of focusing on how you looked in the past, focus on your goals for the future, and THEN make the comparisons for the transformation photos to see how far you’ve come.
· Focus on how you feel. There are days that we feel better, leaner, like we are doing everything right, and days that we feel like a potato. On a day, or days, that you are feeling good write down everything you did that day. What type of workout did you do, what foods did you eat, how much water did you drink, what did you do the day before that set you up for success on that particular day? Once you have at least one really good day mapped out, refer back to that day in the moments you feel like you are not progressing. Turn your day around and try and map it out like the ‘good day’ that you had.
· Find one thing daily that you are proud of. Did your back squat go up? Can you climb a flight of stairs without getting winded (trick question, everyone gets winded climbing stairs I swear)? Do you like how your arms look in a certain shirt? Whatever it is, if you continue to stay focused on the positives, the more you’ll start to believe them.
· Focus on the process. Is your nutrition in check? Are you working out regularly but not too much? Do you drink enough water and not too much caffeine (guilty)? If you are controlling all the factors that you can control and doing everything you can to work towards your goals, then relax. Your body will change. It takes time so don’t hate yourself along the way and appreciate your body for what it is.
· Look for improvements anywhere but the scale. Take progress pictures, video yourself working out, see if your strength has improved, see if a certain pair of shorts fit better. Focus on what your body can DO rather than what you want it to look like.
In the two pictures below I am the exact.same.weight. These were about a month apart. What did I change? In the photo on the left I am eating roughly 200 MORE calories daily, 40g more carbs and 5g more of fat every day. I was not trying to lose weight or change body composition when I made the change, I was just listening to my body and realized that I was feeling hungry at the end of the day and not satisfied after meals. If I had gone by the scale, it would’ve said I didn’t make any progress, but looking at the photos helps solidify the fact that listening to my body was a beneficial choice.
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