BodyBuilderMom
POWERED BY EXTOL SPORTS, LAC & WHAS 11
On Being
Perfectly
Imperfect
By Angie Fenton
In the April 2017 issue, I shared
my struggles with body image
and received much feedback from
readers who battle with negative
self-talk, too. In the words below,
Rebekah Hilbert of Norton Sports
Health offers a few valuable
suggestions to help you refocus and
start celebrating yourself.
–Angie Fenton, Editor in chief
like the All Woman Project to remind us that
being healthy and happy has nothing to do with
the size and shape of our bodies.
It’s 2016. Stop being so hard on
yourself and celebrate how beautiful
you are. Yes, you!
By Rebekah Hibbert
Coordinator of Sports Medicine
Norton Sports Health
You just finished a great workout, and you’re
feeling invincible. The sweat, the endorphins,
the stress relief were just what you needed.
And then there it is again. The negative self-talk
creeps back in. The doubt and criticism. Maybe
it starts after being on social media or when you
see a fitness ad, or maybe after flipping through
a magazine. All of the sudden you don’t feel as
good about yourself.
My arms don’t look like that. I run all the time
but I feel like my legs never change. I do yoga
but I don’t look like these ladies on Instagram.
I need to stop eating this. I need to cleanse for
10 days. I need to work out more. I’m not pretty
enough. I look terrible. I am fat.
Now everything that felt good after your
workout or when we made healthy food choices
disappears and you’re left feeling frustrated and
unworthy. Have you been there? I have.
Deep down we know that no two bodies are
alike, yet we still compare ourselves to others
around us — whether a friend, a stranger on the
street or a model in a magazine. And the media
isn’t helping. They might change their headlines,
but they don’t change their images of women.
Sometimes what we need to see is something
SPORTS
42 EXTOL SPORTS / MAY 2017
The All Woman Project is about realizing
that women are more similar than they are
different — embracing beauty in our diverse
body types and reminding us that no singular
size or shape defines health or wellness any
more than another.
I also believe it serves as a reminder that even
as we work out and eat healthfully, our bodies
will never look like anyone else’s no matter how
hard we try, and that should never be the aim.
In fact, we need to encourage, celebrate and
promote our differences.
Believe me, I know it is not easy — I deal with
my own body issues. Too often I fail to celebrate
the work I have put in or to simply appreciate
the body I have and all the things it does for me.
It’s time we refocus and celebrate how perfect
our so-called “imperfections” are.
Here are a few tips to refocus your positive
self-image:
Take a break from social media. We have
never-ending access to and are bombarded with
hundreds of photos each day, and I don’t think
we always know how those images can affect us.
Unplug, give yourself a break and return to your
own reality beyond that smartphone screen.
Find things that promote a positive body
image. Tune in to people, groups, books, stores
and the like that celebrate all body types and
don’t encourage fad diets or unrealistic beauty
standards. Spend your time on people and things
that encourage and appreciate the uniqueness
in all of us.
Appreciate the work. Too often we strive for
a certain size or number on the scale in order
to be happy. Delete that mindset. Instead,
congratulate yourself for making healthy choices
or for meeting your workout goals.
Be kind to yourself. Some of the worst things
we say are about our own selves. Harmful
thoughts, even your own, fester into negativity.
Make it a point each day to say two or three
positive things about yourself!