HOT TOPIC: Positive Body Image VS Body Goals

I’ve been on the subject of mindfulness a LOT lately, and for good reason.

We need mindfulness in daily life in order to truly LIVE.

There’s a subject that keeps crossing in front of me. It’s in my social media feeds, in my inbox, in the gym and even in my yoga classes and small groups: Positive Body Image VS Body Goals.

Now, this can be tough for some and I totally get it!

I’ve been deep on both ends of the spectrum here and honestly, neither end was super fun.

SO, let’s open this can up and see what we can dig out.

The Positive Body Image Campaign.

Positive body image has been in the media for a while now. Its premise is that we are no longer going to allow society to dictate how we look. It’s kind of a rebellion for some and for others it’s an all out WAR. We say we are embracing our curves, loving ourselves and living our best lives right now.

ALL of that sounds FABULOUS, but it’s all happening right?

I mean, is your best friend embracing her curves…..or even lack of curves? (Can I get a yell from all my fellow boy shaped sisters out there???lol)

We’re still stuck in a love/hate cycle.

There are also those who are stuck in an unhealthy lifestyle and using body positivity as a crutch to keep themselves there.

Now, before we crack open that can, let me state me ABSOLUETLY TRUE belief after having lived and worked in health and fitness for nearly 2 decades:

You cannot judge the health of a person based on their size and/or shape.

Read that again, come at me if you think I’m wrong.

I have spoken to doctors on the subject, and they agree that weight and size no longer determines a person’s health. Period.

So, what does determine your health?

There’s always blood work and your general internal well being, but I tend to look at a few other things:

1. Do you FEEL good? Like, in general, do you feel GOOD?
2. Do you have energy for your daily needs?
3. Do you sleep well at night?
4. Do you digest your food well? I think I’m going to do an entire series on digestion, so I got you if this is an issue.
5. Do you feel like your body is capable of doing what needs to be done on a daily basis for both daily living and your dreams?
6. Are you able to move? I mean this one. Like, are you able to walk from your car to the store, walk up a flight of stairs, or (heaven forbid) run if you needed to?
7. Do you feel mobile? Meaning, can you easily sit and stand? Get on and off the floor?

Notice NONE of these markers had anything to do with your jean size or the number on the scale. They are overall health markers that tell health professionals how well your body is adapting.

Side note: If you ARE struggling with some of those (especially mobility and movement) I have a challenge coming in September that will ROCK YOUR WORLD, so stay tuned.

So, you may be carrying a bit more weight than you think society deems appropriate (though I honestly think even society is getting tired of this fight) and be HEALTHY. You may also be on the other end of the spectrum……

Body Goals.

Body goals are OK.

There, I said it. You don’t even have to read further if you don’t want to.

Body goals are something I work in right?

Wanna lose weight? I got you.

Wanna gain some muscle? My absolute favorite.

Feel the competition bug biting? Sign up now, I promise to get you there.

Here’s the thing though, personal body goals can become unsafe when they cross the line and become an obsession.

I’ll tell you a little story…..

Back in 2015 I competed in a figure competition. Due to the fact that my regular workouts were more geared towards looking awesome in my clothes and being able to shop off the rack, I hired a coach to help me put on muscle and create a figure girl physique.

It was a rough 16 months from start to finish. I can’t say I loved the process, BUT I did trust it. Mainly because my coach kept telling me to trust the process.

Properly preparing for a show takes a LOT of science and even more patience. The wins come in slowly and you feel like it’s never going to happen. But you commit to it (and you pay the $$$ so you have to right?) and you do the work.

Honestly, I really did enjoy the process. The sauna time at the end felt gross and I can’t say I enjoyed the hair and makeup process, but I got a HILARIOUS tanning story out of it and really felt super healthy when I took the stage. I was also fortunate enough to inspire some people in the audience who came to thank me and almost made me cry my thick coat of makeup right off.

Something weird happened to my brain after the show though: I wanted bigger, better, badder. I wanted to grow and see how far I could take this body. Well, that thought process landed me in a hip surgery and began my total derailment.

It wasn’t competing that did it.

It wasn’t even the body goal.

It was when a body goal became so all consuming that I stopping listening to body.

Lack of mindfulness: that was the problem.

So, can Positive Body Image and Body Goals exist in unison?

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!

Anytime a future competitor comes to me with a dream in her heart, I ask her one questions before we can start: Are you happy with your body right now?

You see, your body is only a part of who you are.

Sometimes we can tie our BODY to ALL of who we are. We feel as though everything in life will be better if we just ___________________________ (fill in the blank), but that’s not how this works.

I still have body goals, mostly structural but some aesthetic, and I am insanely happy and grateful for my body today.

I want to improve some things, but not at the loss of mindful connection with my body.

So, how can you improve your connection while still setting goals?

Start HERE:

1. Get realistic about your body goals. If you’re struggling here, enlist the help of a good friend to help you weed through it.
2. Be realistic about where you’re starting. You don’t reach any goal overnight and you need to be very clear about your starting point in order to have a plan.
3. Get a CLEAR plan. Avoid hopping around plans by getting a crystal clear plan tailored to YOU. If you can, invest in somebody who can help you, ahem, such as me
4. Keep a daily gratitude journal. THIS IS LIFE CHANGING! Gratitude journaling is great for all aspects of life, but you can really use it to be grateful for your body as it relates to the whole of you. Start by writing down something GOOD about your body every morning and evening. It may feel weird and silly at first, but I promise it will make a lasting change.

Now you have the mindset tools to keep your positive body image AND set some body goals.

Your next step?

Share these tools with your friends!

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