Can you achieve Body composition goals and improve your Body image ?

As women, we all know the struggles around body image. Whether that would be negative self-talk, comparing ourselves, or searching to change to be an "ideal body type" or whatever "body trend" was popular at that moment in time, Growing up in the 90's–2000's and from my own dance background. I know how important body image is and how it can suffer. Through my experience coaching a lot of women, I have seen firsthand how women struggle not only to achieve their goals but also their body image as a whole, and it is still a massive aspect of your journey to becoming your best self.

But what is body image? And how does that relate to our body compositional goals?

Body Image: A person's subjective picture or mental image of their own body.

Body composition is a term often used by doctors and health professionals. It refers to the percentage of fat, bone, and muscle in your body.

Can we achieve a good body image while achieving personal body composition goals?

If your goal is fat loss, building muscle, or if you are currently unhappy with your body, how do we do both?

In a world where we are filled with diet culture and ideal body types, the fitness industry is becoming more and more asethtic-focused. The fitness industry has become two-second scrolls of your favourite influencers, comparing their physique to yours.

But what if we have a body compositional goal? What if our primary goal is fat loss or building muscle?

How do we do it? Can we even do it?

The answer is yes, we can. I know because this is how I have helped hundreds of women with this exact problem. Body image is vitally important when achieving a goal. I'm sure some of you have heard that having a 6-pack won’t make you happy. If you want to be truly healthy and happy, we cannot neglect the internal and just focus on the external.

There are many studies to show that completely focusing on your external appearance can leave you with a negative outlook on your body. A mindset of never feeling good enough with your physique.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to change your physique; however, for us women, it needs to be started in a way that is not going to leave us with a poor body image or leave us constantly thinking about our eternal appearance.

This is why I strongly believe that focussing on other aspects with clients in terms of training, nutrition, daily habits, and mindfulness., will not only help improve body image but will also lead you to your personal goals.

Your personal goals will be achieved as a byproduct of becoming stronger and fitter, boosting your confidence and your relationship with your body. Changing your perspective of what your body can do, for you can enhance your mind-body connection and leave you in a much better position to achieve your personal goals.

Enjoying the gym and changing your perspective on training will help. If we constantly just train for aesthetic reasons, where does that leave us when we are completely happy with our physique? Do we stop?

If we focus on other aspects such as training to be strong, performance-related goals, and how we feel internally through training, we are more likely to incorporate this into our lifestyle, which again will put us in a very good position to achieve whatever personal goals we desire.

This is why, throughout my own coaching, I not only help women achieve their personal goals but also focus on the bigger picture. Training can benefit you in so many ways, and your external appearance is just one part of the puzzle.

Educating women about training to be strong, fit, healthy, and happy will not only improve their body image but also their relationship with their bodies and promote the longevity of a healthy lifestyle. Ultimately resulting in you achieving personal goals.

References:

SantaBarbara, N. J., Whitworth, J. W., & Ciccolo, J. T. (2017, October). A Systematic Review of the Effects of Resistance Training on Body Image. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(10), 2880–2888. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000002135

Martin Ginis, K. A., McEwan, D., Josse, A. R., & Phillips, S. M. (2012, June). Body image change in obese and overweight women enrolled in a weight-loss intervention: The importance of perceived versus actual physical changes. Body Image, 9(3), 311–317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2012.04.002

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