Damn Body Image Issues

If you know anything about me, if you have browsed past blog posts, then you know I have a very mutated view of my body.  Body Dysmorphic Disorder could possibly be one of the most misunderstood disorders that women and men can have.  There’s no real treatment for it, and usually, people are told to get over it.  SMH

But this isn’t about MY BDD – it’s about the body image issues so many of us have.  You don’t have to have full blown BDD to have insecurities about your nakedness.  You don’t have to have BDD in order to find fault with your body.  You just have to have eyes and be human.  

When will we ever accept our bodies for the amazing creations they are? 

As a personal trainer with more female clients than males, I hear it every day.  “I hate my boobs”, “I hate my legs”, “I hate butt” and so much more.  Today I even heard “I have my body so much that I’m going to have the bags under my eyes surgically removed.”  UGH.

Today I also heard, “well, you don’t understand what it is like to lift elephant trunks for legs”.  Ummm, yes I do.  Remember this….

The fight to lose weight is real.  The fight to be fit is real.  But it seems that even when we get healthy and fit, we are still in a fight.  The fight to just love ourselves.  My clients find it hard to believe that when I look in the mirror, I can find things I hate about my body.  Trust me, there’s some waist loathing going on with this body!  I am convinced that there are even Victoria Secret Models (no, I’m not comparing myself to a VS model) who have a body part (or two) that they hate. 

Somehow, some way, we need to begin to rethink how we see our body and this woman has been brave enough to actually address the issue on YouTube – which then made it to FB -

She gets it!!  We all need to start seeing our bodies for the awesomeness they help us achieve – whether it be running, walking, cycling, skydiving, swimming, hiking, giving birth, and whatever else we CHOOSE to do!! 

Until we quit comparing ourselves to the photo shopped images that surround us, we need to develop little key ways to keep reminding us how awesome our bodies are.  When my clients begin to say “I hate my…”, I remind them that those Elephant Trunk legs as they call them, those helped them do 30 jumping jacks, 30 burpees, lunge walking, and countless box jumps – all of which is way more than they did the day they started.  And when they complain about their arms, I remind them how many pushups, kettle bell swings, and pull ups that those amazing arms just helped them do! 

One final note, I really think seeing ourselves how others see us is crucial to “rethinking” how we see ourselves.  The other night, after I chastised myself for not having the perfect rocking body before going to bed, my husband gently reminded me how he sees me.  I woke up to a facebook post by him: 

Apparently, this is how he sees me.   This picture does not make me flinch.  In fact, I really like it.  So much so, that I have put a copy of it on my bedroom mirror – to remind myself that I can no longer body shame myself, but instead that I need to embrace the body I have created.  After all, it continues to get me across finish lines, it allows me to have fun with my children and it allows me to have rest when I need it. 

Now, go out there and embrace your body – no matter what size you are.  Our bodies do not define us – they empower us to be the best we are.