Body Image

Body image involves our perception, imagination, emotions, and physical sensations of and about our bodies. It’s not static - but ever changing;

sensitive to changes in mood, environment, and physical experience. It is not based on fact.

Body image includes the picture one has of their appearance as a whole, including skin colour, physical disabilities, weight and size

Consider the positive and negative influences

Body image is part of self-esteem. Body image is the picture people have of their bodies and how they think others see them and their bodies. A person’s body image can range from very positive to very negative. Many teenagers feel uncomfortable with their rapidly changing bodies. Many are dissatisfied with their body weight; they may even think that their peers notice these features and do not like them either.

Body image influences behavior and self esteem. When we feel bad about our body, our satisfaction and mood plummets. If we are constantly trying to push, reshape or remake our bodies, our sense of self becomes unhealthy. We lose confidence in our abilities. It’s not uncommon for people who think poorly of their bodies to have problems in other areas of their lives.

Self-esteem is the confidence and satisfaction a person has in one’s self. It begins to develop from birth through relationships within the family, and continues to be shaped by the significant people in one’s life. Girls, more often than boys, are socialized to look for approval from others as a means of defining self-worth.

A number of characteristics add to feelings of self-esteem, including talents, social skills, intellectual abilities, interests and physical appearance. When people increase their confidence in their abilities and talents, they can reduce their dependence on their physical appearance.

When people have a healthy self-esteem, they feel more positive about their bodies. When they feel better about their bodies, they find it easier to make decisions for themselves that promote health.

Studies have shown that children as young as nine are trying to lose weight in order to “improve” their bodies.

Adults, peers and the media play important roles in the development of the image teens create of themselves. Movie stars and magazine models in North America often have body shapes that are too thin for good health.

Some ways people develop healthy self-esteem are by practicing positive self-talk, focusing on things they like about themselves, acting with confidence, and connecting with people who are supportive. Start focusing on feeling healthy and energetic and appreciate who you are.

Healthy eating and regular physical activity are essential for growth and development and are important components of a healthy lifestyle.

People who are physically active tend to have a more positive image of their body and healthier

self-esteem.

Physical activity and healthy eating are not about shaping the body to be “perfect.” There is no perfect body shape or size. People come in a variety of shapes and sizes, each unique to the individual.

It is important that teens develop healthy body images and accept themselves as people with unique personalities, body shapes, and sizes.

Young women who have not developed a healthy body image may restrict food to reduce the size of hips and thighs they have developed during puberty.

Young men may be tempted to use nutritional supplements, steroids, or growth hormones to speed muscular development.

Today in Western society thinness represents attractiveness, success, and self-control. Thinness has

become the ideal feminine body shape. However, throughout history this has not always been the case. Just a hundred years ago, full, rounded figures were considered

beautiful and fashionable.

Did you know that if female mannequins were real women they'd be too thin to have babies?

There are 3 billion women who don't look like supermodels and only eight who do.

Marilyn Monroe wore a size 14, and she is still considered beautiful.

If Barbie was a real woman, she'd have to walk on all fours due to her proportions.

The average woman wears between a size 12-14. The models in the magazines are airbrushed - no one, not

even models, look that good without some help! Models twenty years ago weighed 8% less than the

average woman, today they weigh 23% less

The ideal woman was ‘plump’ because she represented wealth and success. The ideal body shape has changed over the decades.

In the 50’s and 60’s, the well-rounded, shapely figure of Marilyn Monroe was considered attractive and beautiful. The 80’s saw the rise of the ‘super model.”

Super models such as Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer, who look like human Barbie dolls, began to symbolize the ideal body shape for a woman. The trimming and leaning of women’s bodies began around this time. Finally, in the 90’s an even thinner idea of beauty emerged. Models such as Kate Moss were on all advertisements.

What young people want most is to belong and be accepted. However, the entertainment industry and peer pressure is sending adolescents confusing and unhealthy messages about how to be accepted.

Most discussions about body image tend to revolve around issues of weight and shape dissatisfaction of teen girls. However, boys are also affected by pressure to shape their bodies to match the current trends and images. Many boys strive to get the ‘ideal’ body shape, which is portrayed in the media as a muscular body: the ‘macho’ look.

Eating disorder specialists are beginning to see many more boys with eating disorders today.

Most of boys’ body concerns focus on building lean body mass and sculpting their muscles. This can lead to extreme forms of exercise and body building. While over-exercising can cause physical damage, some teenage boys are turning to an even more harmful method: the use of steroids.

There are two types of synthetic steroids: anabolic and androgenic steroids. These substances have two effects:

the androgenic -causing the body to become more male, resulting in facial hair and deeper voice - even if the user is female

the anabolic - tissue building

Numerous health hazards are associated with short-term use of steroids, such as increased irritability and aggressiveness, acne formation, hair loss, bloated appearance, decline in sperm production, many of which are reversible. People who inject steroids run the risk of getting HIV/AIDS from sharing needles.

Years from now, baseball historians will view the current state of the game as the 'Roid Age. There will be no precise way to determine when that period began, but its heyday will be 1998-2003 when offensive numbers, namely home runs, skyrocketed. The 'Roid Age ended in 2003 with the introduction of steroid testing.

There will be no accurate way to discern which players used and which didn't. Some players — Jose Canseco and Ken Caminiti — are admitted users, and others were anonymously busted in mandatory steroids tests.

All body shapes have beauty and value Focus on abilities, not appearance Follow healthy eating and physical activity Decide for yourself how much to eat by following

Canada’s Food Guide Feel good about yourself. Think positive Be aware of the negative messages in the media Help those who may be suffering from an eating

disorder and poor self-esteem

Is having a healthy diet the same as dieting for weight loss?

Dieting means limiting your food intake, obsessively watching your weight, and depriving yourself of the things you really want to eat.

One of the most common methods to try to lose weight is dieting. The lure of quick, easy weight loss is hard to resist. People who go on diets may initially experience quick weight loss due to water and protein losses. However, severely restricting food intake may leave a person with a lack of energy and whole new set of physical and emotional problems.

Metabolism slows down when calories are low. This means that the body burns less energy and the body begins to adjust to the low energy intakes. So, restricting calories causes an imbalance in metabolism.

Most people who diet not only regain their weight, but also are left with a feeling of failure, may suffer from further weight gain, and may be affected by unhealthy physical and psychological (mental) effects. Diets are unhealthy especially for adolescents who are still growing. When young people diet, they put themselves in danger of not getting enough nutrients for the body to function properly.

Diets teach people that there are good foods and bad foods.

But there are no such thing as forbidden food. It is okay to eat things like chocolate, cake and cookies as long as they are not the only foods eaten. Foods should be eaten with moderation and enjoyed without guilt.

When dieting, people may become excessively preoccupied with looks and body image. This, in turn, may lead to social withdrawal such as not attending parties, or interacting with friends. When a person reaches a nutritionally deprived state, she or he usually begins to show signs of an eating disorder.

There are many fad diets around today, such as: Atkins Diet: avoidance of

carbohydrates The Zone Diet: divides

calories into 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat = a metabolic state that will keep you thin

Eat Right for Your Type: diet based on blood type

South Beach Diet: you actually lose water, not fat

These diets are generally based on testimonials and very little scientific research.

Not only are the majority of these fad diets unbalanced with respect to Canada’s Food Guide, but they often lack enough calories for adolescent growth and development.

Other specialized clinical diets also exist for some medical conditions. Examples of these “therapeutic” diets or “eating plans” or the “diabetic meal plan” are not fad diets but meal plans based on scientific research and are usually prescribed by a dietician or doctor.

Sports dieting is used to describe weight loss strategies for athletes.

Athletes often want to reduce their body weight in order to compete at a lower weight class, to improve appearance for judges, or to achieve perceived improvements in performance. Many athletes reduce body weight for purposes of competition.

Many dietary recommendations that are made for athletes have not been proven to enhance athletic performance. For example, a high protein diet that is meant to build muscle may, in fact, build fat stores in the body. In the long run, these “sports diets” may really slow down performance.

Is self-starvation. People with this disorder eat very little even though they are thin. They have an intense and overpowering fear of body fat and weight gain.

Characterized by cycles of binge eating and purging, either by vomiting or taking laxatives. People with bulimia have a fear of body fat even though their size and weight may be normal.

Means eating large amounts of food in a short period of time, usually alone, without being able to stop when full. The overeating or bingeing is often accompanied by feeling out of control and followed by feelings of depression, guilt or disgust.

Exercising compulsively for long periods of time as a way to burn calories (measure of energy supplied by food) from food that has just been eaten. People with anorexia or bulimia may over-exercise.

A weight range for adults that is related to good health. Being above or below the range increases the risk of health problems, and decreases the likelihood of good health. Since adolescents grow at different rates there is no way to accurately measure their healthy body weight.

Think about your best features and your talents.

Make a list of your top 25.Keep this list in a safe place.

Whenever you feel down about yourself, get out your list to remind yourself of how amazing you are!