The five little things robbing you of body confidence
WE ALL have those moments that rob us of confidence. We’re walking along happily and then, bam, there’s our reflection. These are the five worst culprits.
GROWING up in the 1990s, body issues were only ever a glance-at-a-magazine-cover-at-the-check-out away. The adult women in my life were constantly calorie counting and tut-tutting themselves for eating “naughty” foods and by osmosis I quickly learnt that Magnums were VERY bad but artificially sweetened anything was SO good.
I knew that the scales should never top 58kg and that I had to start yoyo dieting with gusto by age 16 if I wanted to maintain this youthful slimness for life.
Thankfully, as I’ve gotten older I’ve realised that what I weigh or what size of clothes I wear actually matters sweet FA. So I haven’t weighed myself for about five years. It’s been liberating.
But recently at a gym launch for journalists, I was invited to take part in some body analytics. I jumped up onto a machine that would apparently tell me my bone density, hydration and body fat levels. And when the screen unexpectedly flashed with my weight, it was nowhere near the elusive sub-58kg.
Much as I’d like to tell you I shrugged it off, I’m ashamed to admit it really got under my skin. I went on to find out my fat levels are healthy and I have above-average fitness but despite this, old body gremlins kept chastising me for that stupid number (and I even momentarily considered lying to the trainer when he asked for it).
So I’ve rebooted my resolve with this list of things to avoid if you want to silence those stupid insecure voices.
Your scales
I know weight and body mass index (BMI) are the choice measurements for a host of health professionals, but more and more experts are saying it’s flawed because muscle and bone are denser than fat, meaning fitter, stronger people often have higher numbers on the scales and higher BMIs. The Australian government actually recommends we focus on our waist circumference because it paints the clearest picture of your disease risk. So why do so many people still have scales in their bathroom? Ditch them and feel the body love flow, I say.
#Fitspo
#Fitspo (meaning fit-inspiration) is a popular Instagram trend that allows you to see some stunning images of beautiful, fit people. Contrary to the very purpose of #fitspo, the only inspiration I get by looking at edited images of painfully attractive people is self-consciousness. Maybe it will inspire you to spend the rest of the year in plank pose … or maybe you could just live a little?
Mirrors at yoga studios
The purpose of this ancient practice is mindfulness and self-compassion, but that becomes almost impossible when you can see your awkward contortions from all those unflattering angles. Not to mention that graceful model next to you who doesn’t even get a belly roll in boat pose.
Goal jeans
I know so many people who keep their tiniest pair of jeans to motivate them to keep to a certain size but instead feel crap about themselves almost every time they try them on. Ditch ’em and embrace comfort, people!
Well-meaning comments
“Wow, have you lost weight?” God, I hate this line. Sure they mean well, but I always feel like it goes with the unsaid sentence, “because you looked quite fat the last time I saw you”. I used to respond snarkily to that effect, but these days I try to shrug it off and say, “Not sure!” Because I’m genuinely not (I don’t weigh myself, remember?).
Follow Kimberly Gillan on Twitter @kimberly_writes