YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health YMCA SUMMER 2020 | Page 19

JODIE ARNOT, REGISTERED COUNSELLOR (M. COUNSELLING)
Jodie is a registered counsellor providing support via telephone, Skype, and in-person, and is
passionate about helping women to improve their relationship with their body so they can enjoy
the freedom to live a life they adore. You can read more at www.jodiearnot.com.au or follow
Jodie on Facebook @jodiearnotcounselling and Instagram @jodie.arnot.counselling
MAINTAINING A BODY
POSITIVE APPROACH TO
EXERCISE DURING SUMMER
Counsellor Jodie Arnot shares her tips for feeling good in your own skin this summer.
t this time of year, messages
about having a “beach-
worthy” body are everywhere.
We might attempt to alter our
appearance via exercise in order to feel
better about our body, but in reality,
this often backfires. In fact, by using
exercise to control our weight and
appearance, we may unwittingly be
damaging our body image.
A
Let’s talk about some ways that you
can support and improve your body
image via exercise.
Remind yourself that body
diversity is completely normal
} } The media is filled with one type of
male and female body, and there’s
big dollars in selling “solutions” so
that we can allegedly get closer to
looking like this physique. But we
are not all meant to look the same!
} } The next time you are in a crowded
place, take a look around at the
variety of body shapes and sizes
and compare this to what we see on
TV and social media.
} } Take a look at body positive media
campaigns like “This Girl Can” and
be reminded that bodies of all sizes
can be fit and active.
} } Detox your social media feed by
removing accounts that make you
feel bad about yourself, and expand
who you follow to represent a range
of body sizes and types.
listen to and trust our own body. We
might ignore pain, a need for rest, and
our dislike for certain types of exercise,
turning physical activity into
punishment. Nurturing our bodies with
feel-good physical activity helps us to
build a more positive and trusting
relationship with our body.
When choosing your exercise, let
enjoyment and feeling good steer your
decision.
} } How would a swim feel?
} } Would a hit of tennis with friends be
fun?
} } Does a group fitness class always
leave you smiling?
Be kind with your clothes
What we wear can have a significant
impact on how we feel about our body.
If clothes are digging in, or riding up, it
can leave us feeling uncomfortable and
keep us fixated on our body, instead of
enjoying the moment. Clothes that fit
well, help us to exercise without chafing
or restriction, and assist us to let go of
constant self-judgement. You deserve
to have clothes that fit you well and feel
good right now.
Set goals that are not
appearance-based
It might seem inspiring to set goals that
are about changing your appearance,
however studies show that appearance
changing motives for exercise are
associated with more social physique
anxiety, depression, and body
dissatisfaction.
People who exercise for non-
appearance related reasons like
enjoyment, skill building, and feeling
good, stick to physical activity longer
term. Perhaps you’d like to train
towards a hike, improve your basketball
skills, or feel more flexible? Start
thinking about what you’d like to do for
and with your body, rather than how
you want to change its appearance.
To find more information about body
image visit www.jodiearnot.com.au
Focus on enjoyment, and
feeling good, not calories
burned
When we make calorie burning the
focus, it compromises our ability to
SUMMER 2020 YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE
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