Three Ways to Overcome Body Image Struggles
It’s been a little while since I talked about body image on the blog, but I wanted to share a little today. Because lately, I feel like it is something that God has been laying on my heart and naturally, I felt like I had to journal it down for the internet to read.
First of all, I want to clarify, that even after recovering from an ED, I still struggle sometimes with those disordered thoughts. I’m guessing if you clicked on this blog post, you’ve experienced this too. Thoughts like, ‘Do I look fit enough?’ ‘Maybe if I just lost a little weight…’ ‘Oh my goodness, my legs look huge today,’ etc. And I’m assuming, if you are a woman, you’ve experienced these thoughts at least once before.
I think it is so sad that our culture puts value on women if they are a certain size, whether they are ‘toned,’ < whatever that means, or if they are a specific number on the scale. As a run coach and healthy living blogger, I do see the value of exercise, fitness, and self-discipline. I find that if I am the best version of me (that means I’m exercising and enjoying it, eating nourishing food for my body and spending time with my family) that I feel better, I sleep better, I have more energy, etc. However, that being said, I don’t see the value in comparison. I don’t see the value in needing to be THAT number on the scale. I don’t see the value in being a certain pant size. And I certainly don’t see these things (pant size, number on the scale, or comparison) as things that make you or I worth more than the lady sitting next to us at church.
And I’m preaching to the choir here. It is so easy to fall into this trap of thinking (and these are lies) that say that we are more valuable and more beautiful if we are smaller, wear a size 0, or can see are collarbones. How crazy is that to think? And yet so often, we fall for these lies again and again and again.
So what do we (I) do when I hear these lies or feel the pressure to look a certain way?
First of all, I remind myself of what IS truth.
And for me, as a Christian, I take it back to the Bible, which is God’s word. And in His word it says that we (I) are “Fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are your works and my heart knows it full well.” And in so many other parts of the Bible it talks about how our identity is rooted in Christ. Not in our body image, not in the size of our muscles, but in the person of Jesus Christ.
Secondly, I’ve found it helpful to surround myself with positive influences. This may sound so simple, but it is amazing how much of an impact social media/relationship/movies/books are in how we view life. Something I’ve enjoyed doing recently is watching the Crossfit Games documentaries on Netflix. One of the takeaways I had after watching them was the focus Crossfit has on STRENGTH. It’s not about how skinny the athletes are, it isn’t about how good their muscles look, and it isn’t about diet fads, trends, or their weight on the scale. The overall focus of Crossfit and the games is about how strong the athletes can be. Strong > skinny. AMEN
Lastly, take a minute to realize just what your body is capable of. When I have those thoughts like, ‘Oh my goodness, my legs look so huge today,’ I can either take it that way or turn it around and think, ‘I am so grateful for strong legs that help me carry my baby around and do all the chores around the house or run 26.2 miles. My legs are so strong, healthy and I am so thankful I have legs that can move me around from place to place.” Simply turning a negative thought into a grateful thought can make a HUGE difference.
…
Remember, that your value does not come from your size or your weight on the scale or the amount of muscle tone in your arms. Yes, it is good to be healthy, fit, workout, and eat clean, but remember, your true value doesn’t lie in that.
Questions
- How do you battle body image struggles?
- Have you ever watched the Crossfit Games?
- Recent favorite snack?!