Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 66, January 2015 | Page 39

Women’s Running

Ma

Happy You
There are many women who are unhappy about their shape,
but more and more are discovering that exercise not only
improves their physical selves and keeps their health in
check, but also results in a boost in self-esteem.

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– BY LAUREN VAN DER VYVER
o a Google search for ‘women happy with their bodies’ and

the results are usually the exact opposite: Instead, you tend

to find women complaining about their thighs, or hoping
that they’ll get the perfect butt. That’s why the 2013 SA Body Image
Report found that only 27% of female respondents were happy with
their body image, and the study showed that women usually exercise
to look better, while men’s innate competitiveness means they tend to
focus on being the fastest, biggest or strongest. The same report notes
that there is a direct correlation between good health and having a
positive body image, and that is the approach taken by Modern Athlete
reader Angela Pettit of Johannesburg, whose journey from unhappy to
happy started three years ago.

Exercise is the answer

“I was overweight and after looking in the mirror one day, not

Images: Fotolia

recognising the person staring back at me, I decided to do something
about it. I started going to a small private gym where people are
motivated to work on their self-image through training and eating
right. I ended up losing 28kg and have never felt better about myself
than I do right now,” says Angela. “I now consider myself an athlete
and I don’t diet anymore – now I train and eat! A while ago I couldn’t
even finish a 5km fun run, Now I’m aiming to attempt my first full
marathon in 2015! I can’t say that it’s been easy, but my confidence
is through the roof and I am the happiest I have ever been about the
way that I look and feel.”
Angela is just one of many women who have turned to exercise and
fitness to better themselves, instead of dieting, and have learnt that
those changes can make for a happier self. Furthermore, a number of
psychological studies have shown that the simple act of exercise, not
fitness, can convince you that you look and feel better. So set yourself
exercise challenges to keep yourself motivated, and make yourself happy.

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