Loving and Accepting our Body Image

bodbuds
Feb 3, 2014
3 min read

By Kristy Hunt, CPT/FNS

Owner of Body Buddies

Many of you may know that I have a moderately severe case of scoliosis. Many do not because I have trained myself to hold myself normally and still do everything I love to do. I have done my very best to love my body and accept this difficult obstacle in my life that keeps me from doing much more in the realms of fitness and dance, but I will admit there are times I struggle. There are times that I am a little bit bitter and resentful. I have to pay attention to my feelings, catch them, and filter them into being grateful for what I can do and the blessings I have been given.

We all have physical traits that we wish we could change. Perhaps we can, perhaps others we can't. There seems to be every product possible on the market that will change our body to become something it is currently not. I drive down the freeway in the Salt Lake Valley and am disgusted by the billboards that feature everything a woman should be doing to change her body.

And that is where I draw a careful line, and where I have had some deeper thoughts this weekend that I would like to share. Between spiritual beliefs about the body and temporal beliefs about the body and especially the business I run and the industry in which I compete, there are definitely boundaries of which to be aware, and I feel I have found an apropriate balance for myself.

Perhaps some of the boundaries and guidelines I have set for myself might help some of you in your quest to find happiness with yourself and your body image:

#1: There is nothing wrong with wanting to improve the body I have been given. I should ensure that I am only taking maintainable, sustainable steps through proper nutrition and healthy exercise to make these changes. While this may require me to step outside of my comfort zone and practice higher discipline than others see fit, I will seek to keep balance in my life by focusing as intensely in other categories of my life.

#2: I will never tell myself that I hate my body.

#3: I will monitor progress on a bi-weekly basis and applaud my victories. Where there is weakness, I will make a plan of attack and choose to focus on improving my behavior. I will always focus on better behavior, instead of letting results be my guide.

#4: I will not surround myself with photos of women with bodies that will make me feel inferior or resentful toward my own body. This includes who I follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the magazines I read.

#5; I will accept compliments when I receive them, even if I do not believe them. I will do my best to look at the compliment objectively and appreciate the reason for which it was given.

#6: I will seek to gain a better relationship with each part of my body through muscle isolation training, cardiovascular activity, and stretching. I will seek to be able to understand how my body responds to certain training styles.

#7: I will listen to my body. I will seek to fuel it according to how it wants to be fueled, and push it to be stronger and more adept in physical activity.

#8: I will cultivate my mind and spirituality just as I do my body. I realize that I am the combination of spirit and body -- I am a soul. I will not neglect any part of my development in becoming a better and more refined individual.

Perhaps you have learned something from my personal guidelines of how I view and manage my body. Am I perfect? Heavens, no. But I do put forth effort in seeking to filter my mind and stay focused on what is most important.

What can you learn from this? Is it time to set your own personal standards for the way you think about and treat your body?