We all deal with insecurities with our bodies; even after we achieve our goals. This picture taken last Friday night was a real turning point for me.
We all deal with insecurities with our bodies; even after we achieve our goals
This podcast with John and Nicola was extremely helpful to me regarding emotional issues that I’m currently dealing with.
Sometimes I have a huge disconnect between how I see myself and how others see me. My husband Randy says I look perfect right now, but I tend to see myself as bigger than I once was, even though I lost 60 pounds!
Your body is your power house
Randy sees me as a whole person. When he sees my shape, he sees the whole shape and he does not nitpick at the parts like I do. When he hears me talk about my body he gets frustrated and tells me that I’m not looking at the whole picture or that my overall shape is beautiful.
He also sees how I work and use my body as the power house in all that I do.
Comparison is the thief of joy
I am constantly comparing myself to when I was at my leanest which was immediately after I’d achieved my Venus goals. My leanest is not a realistic body fat level to live my life especially as a female. At my leanest (10% body fat) I was able to create some great fitness model looking pictures.
But this is sometimes a drawback for me as I tend to compare myself to them. I am almost 53 years old and I don’t live my life prancing around in a bikini and high heels, at 10% body fat, and water manipulated! It’s just not a practical comparison.
It’s as bad as any of us who compare ourselves to all the fitness model pictures of girls who were ripped for a few nano seconds in time AND had their pictures enhanced with photoshop, AND we have NO IDEA what methods were taken to get their bodies in that kind of shape.
Even my own pictures were only a moment in time that took weeks to prepare for.
I did not see anything special in the picture
I took this silly locker room picture because I was happy that the new jeans and T-shirt felt good and brought back fun memories of my recent vacation with my dear friend Carla. We had gone clothes shopping together and she helped me pick these out.
The reactions I got from the picture were a turning point for me. I did not see anything special in this picture. In fact what I saw were arms that are too bulky, a torso that is too thick, and in my mind I pictured the fat on my legs and butt that I don’t like. You are supposed to have some fat on your body!
I wasn’t wearing makeup so I didn’t take off my prescription sunglasses that I had worn for work outside. I just wanted to take the picture so I could post it for Carla and let her know I was thinking of her and the fun we had going shopping the day I’d purchased these clothes.
Sometimes you need to listen to the truthful positive feedback
After I posted the picture on Facebook and MyFitnessPal I was brought to tears by the comments and compliments. It was a turning point.
Even though we can’t base our happiness on compliments and what others think, it is nice to get positive attention on occasion. I’m only human and this makes me feel good sometimes.
Not only was it nice, but it spoke to me on a deep level about how I was viewing myself. Something was wrong and I needed to take action.
You can have fitness goals and still decide to feel good about your body
Even if I have a short term goal of getting back to my pre-summer vacation shape I can feel good about my shape now. I can focus on the strength and health improvements that I’ve already achieved. I can focus on feeling good about the actions I am taking today to achieve my short term goals.
My goal is not to get back to 10% body fat and that is okay too. I can decide to be happy anywhere in my healthy body fat range and it does not matter what anyone else thinks.
What can you do about it?
You can tend to analyze your parts, not the whole.
You can tend to look at your body parts as something that is an object, not part of you.
- There is social pressure for a variety of reasons.
- You can develop insecurities early on. Then your body becomes a rejection point. You start nit picking.
How can I like my body when I have a lot of weight to lose?
It’s not easy. It takes work.
Your body is not just a visual object. It is a practical power house. It is you.
Today Nicola will give you something to start doing to help learning to appreciate yourself and your current efforts.
I am taking Nicola’s advice and I’m feeling better already!
-Ro
Listen to John’s interview with Dr. Nicola Bird here, and please “like” it when you’re done:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
About Roberta Saum
Speak Your Mind
You must be logged in to post a comment.