Try This Mental Exercise

As a fitness instructor, I meet a lot of people who are trying to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle. It’s a privilege to help them succeed.

I know what it’s like to be fed up with being overweight. To be ready to make some changes. To permanently alter the way I eat and get to the gym regularly. I’ve been there. And now that I’m at a healthy weight, I’ve realized something else.

Some women are truly dissatisfied with their appearance no matter how thin they are.

It’s rather sad. They’ve put in their sweat equity and they choose healthy foods. They fall in the healthy range on the Body Mass Index. But they don’t think they look good.

A few of them feel worse about their bodies than other women who have a long way to go on their weight-loss journey.

I tell them to take a picture of themselves. In 10 years – a span of time when everyone ages a bit – they might realize just how great they do look.

We talk a lot about body image and young girls. Everyone is concerned about the way young girls judge themselves against models and magazines. What about grown women? Why are we so hard on ourselves? Aren’t we perpetuating the problem?

When I talk to exercise students about weight loss, I’m going to emphasize a new strength. Feeling good about yourself no matter what size you are. If you’re doing all the hard work, you should give yourself credit for it.

It’s OK to feel good about yourself. Really.

Alice Warchol is a fitness instructor and freelance health writer.