I don’t remember exactly when it began, but I know I was fairly young when I first started criticizing my body and comparing myself to friends. Until High School I was taller than most of the boys, which meant I was easily taller than my girlfriends as well and that always left me feeling BIG in comparison to them.
I look back now and can see I had no reason to feel that way – I was not a big child, and I didn’t struggle with weight issues as an adolescent. But I remember those feelings being SO consuming at the time, and wreaking havoc on my self-esteem. I’m sure many of you (both female and male) can relate.
I cannot remember one woman saying “I love my body” or “I’m proud of how I look!” when I was growing up. I do, however, remember the constant quest for perfection . . . to be thinner, have better skin, the perfect hair, and to fit the “ideal” that society has sold to us of what a beautiful woman should look like.
Let me be very clear – I grew up in an incredibly loving home and was always affirmed by my parents and other elders about my worth. But all that love and affirmation did not prevent me from feeling insecure, analyzing every flaw, and silently comparing myself to others.
A healthy body image begins at a young age and is influenced by things we do not even realize. If you didn’t develop a healthy body-image when you were younger (most of us didn’t) then you will spend a lot of time (and effort, and money) fighting to find it as an adult.
I’m sure many who know me will be surprised to hear all of this. I’ve always been a quite confident, self-assured person, and to see me now you would probably think that I can’t possibly understand what it’s like to struggle with my weight, fitness, or body image. But the truth is that I’ve spent a good part of the last 20 years in the endless pursuit to attain an impossible ideal. And it is EXHAUSTING.
However, in the last few years I’ve finally learned how to embrace how God created me . . . to stop fighting to change it and instead work to be the best possible version of that creation that I can be. It is because I’ve worked to change my MIND about how I approach this that has made all the difference and allowed me to truly transform my body in the process.
Something that inspired my business name “Transform Fitness,” which recently opened in Mahomet, was the verse Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
How you feel about your body, how you approach your health and fitness, and even the results you get from your efforts – they all begin IN THE MIND. Start there and work to transform the way you think about yourself and how you approach taking care of your body. Start saying to yourself “I LOVE my body!” and “I am PROUD of my body!” Declare this to yourself and it will start to shine through in ways you never imagined!
Lindy is the owner of Transform Fitness Studios in Mahomet, a group fitness and training studio located on Commercial Drive. She is a graduate of Mahomet-Seymour High School and Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Lindy has been a fitness professional since 2004. She holds certifications in 11 fitness formats as well as nutrition and personal training. Prior to opening her business in Mahomet, Lindy was the Director of Refinery health club in Champaign. She is also an online fitness coach and serves as the Development Director for Salt & Light Ministry.
Lindy specializes in health & fitness coaching & training, leadership & business development, and is dedicated to inspiring others to change their lives through the power of personal development, faith, health, and fitness. You can find her online at www.lindygault.com
