Body Confidence for Life
“Nearly 1 in 2 adult women report feeling more concerned with the way they look during the pandemic lockdown.”
“Nearly 70% of adult women report withdrawing from activities due to their body image.”
“In U.S adult men, 9% reported frequent body checking and 5% reported body image avoidance.”
Summer Slim Down. Summer Shape Up. Bathing Suit Ready Body. JUST STOP IT!
The message continues to be the same, each and every year.
Unfortunately, NONE of this speaks to what really matters. All of this external focus on quick results with zero appreciation for what’s on the inside has got to stop.
I know firsthand how poor body image can lead to unhealthy behaviors, illness, and negatively impact every aspect of life.
I’ve shared my story and I am committed to breaking the stigma of body image, eating disorders, and mental health.
I’ve created a FREE resource called Body Confidence (for Life!) to change the message and teach people steps that will build a positive relationship with their body, their exercise, and their nutrition.
Weight loss is a common goal and we see a lot of requests for programs with titles similar to what’s above. However, in our corporate wellness programs we never run weight loss challenges because they don’t teach anything about healthy behaviors and a healthy lifestyle.
There is a fine line between offering wellness programming employees request, such as weight loss, and not having it perceived as weight bias.
As business leaders it’s important to understand how weight bias, weight shaming, and weight stigma can impact your workforce:
“Weight bias is negative attitudes, beliefs, judgments, stereotypes, and discriminatory acts aimed at individuals simply because of their weight. It can be overt or subtle and occur in any setting, including employment, health care, education, mass media, and relationships with family and friends. It also takes many forms – verbal, written, media, online, and more. Weight bias is dehumanizing and damaging; it can cause adverse physical and psychological health outcomes and promotes a social norm that marginalizes people.”
We can do better. When people learn how to be kinder to themselves, the positivity spreads to the people they spend their time with. This can happen by the water cooler, on lunch breaks, or even in the parking lot.
Providing resources they can access on their own is a great first step. Please download this new ebook and check it out. Share the link with your team so they can access it when and if they want, with no pressure.
Let’s start changing the narrative and providing meaningful lessons that empower people to live the life they deserve, NOT to limit themselves for a body they “think” they should have.
Yours in positive health,
Karen | New England 360 Fitness
Sources:
Exploring changes in body image, eating and exercise during the COVID-19 lockdown: A UK survey. Appetite, 159, 105062
Etcoff et al (2006). Beyond Stereotypes: Rebuilding the foundation of beauty beliefs. Findings of the 2005 global study
Striegel-Moore R, Rosselli F, Perrin N, DeBar L, Wilson GT, May A, et al. Gender
Obesity Action Coalition. Cited 2021 January 25. Available from: https://www.obesityaction.org/action-through-advocacy/weight-bias/