July 2000 July 2000
Feel Good About Your Body
Take a look at any women's magazine. Chances are, it's full of articles about dieting: how to drop ten pounds fast; why you need to lose weight; how getting to the right size will magically fix anything that's not right in your life.
Lynda Zimmerman, zimmermanl@missouri.eduWhat’s more, the models featured in magazines today are farther than ever from depicting the majority of American woman. The average model is 5"10" tall, weighs 114 lbs., and wears size 8, whereas the average woman is 5'4" tall, weighs 144 lbs., and wears size 14!
Is it any wonder that many women feel fat, ugly, and inferior after just 15 minutes reading a fashion magazine? Research has shown there is a strong link between our self-esteem and body image.
Accept Myself Today?
Most of us are conditioned to believe that we can feel good about ourselves only after we lose weight. In fact, many people find it very difficult to imagine accepting their bodies unconditionally.
If this sounds familiar, ask yourself if self-criticism has ever helped you achieve your goals for health or fitness. It usually only results in short-term success (at best) followed by guilt and despair.
In contrast, learning to accept and feel good about your body -- the way it is today -- promotes a positive self-image. For many individuals, this is a critical first step in their journey toward adopting healthy behaviors that last a lifetime.
Steps to Self-Acceptance
- Throw away the scale. Weighing yourself regularly reinforces body dislike. Focus on improving your food choices and increasing your physical activity as your goals, not weight loss.
Practice saying nice things to your body. Use a "self-talk" diary for a few days to identify your mental dialog. Then turn negative talk into positive talk and see the difference it can make in how you feel about yourself.
Accept your genetic heritage. Your genes play the largest role in what weight range your body maintains. Only continual deprivation and obsession will maintain a thinner body than you were genetically programmed to have.
- Fill your closets with beautiful, comfortable clothes that fit now. Get rid of any clothes that don't fit (or at the very least, store them some place else other than your closet).
- Redefine your self-image to include more than just your physical self. A healthy self-esteem gives equal importance to all parts of your personality including your emotional, spiritual, and intellectual selves.
- Think past the size of your thighs, stomach or hips, and consider the wonderful things your body does for you every day. Valuing your body's capabilities can improve your self-image.
Build yourself a size-accepting environment.
It's not always easy to accept and appreciate your body in our weight-obsessed culture. It helps to surround yourself with people who appreciate you regardless of your size or shape.
Last, be selective about the magazines you read. There are now several to choose from which celebrate the diversity of all body shapes and sizes.
Source: Adapted from Weight & Eating Handouts v.2, Apple Promotions, 2000.
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