Article for January, 2005
BODY IMAGE: Are you imagining the wrong body?
This
health article is brought to you by our Featured Health Article of the month:
Nancy Clark, MS, RD
Sports Nutrition Services
Healthworks Fitness Center, Chestnut Hill, MA
As a registered dietitian (RD) who specializes in nutrition for exercise and sports, I spend much of my counseling time with women who are exercising to lose weight and to change their body shape. They want thinner thighs, firmer abs, and stronger arms. They use exercise as punishment for having more body fat than desired. They come to me tired, frustrated and feeling out-of-control. They spend way too much time hating their bodies.
Few of us naturally possess the illusive physique of a model. Rather, most of us are ordinary mortals, burdened with bumps, bulges, fat, and fleshiness. Many of us spend considerable energy covering up our perceived blemishes with large jackets, bulky sweaters, and baggy clothing. We try to reshape ourselves with rigorous diet and exercise programs. Year after year, we spend hours at the gym, burning off calories while fantasizing our lives will be better once we acquire a phenomenal new physique. We struggle with feeling inadequate and insecure, wishing we'd been born with the perfect body.
The reality is, few women will attain their desired shape of being sleek, slender, and slim. Yes, exercise can help change body size to a limited extent, but few women will become “model perfect.” The purpose of this Featured Health Articleial is to offer you another way of living in your body. I hope the message helps you better enjoy 2005, feeling at peace with and proud of your beautiful body.
Read the rest of this month's article, BODY IMAGE: Are you imagining the wrong body?
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Last updated: January, 2005
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