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Body Envy

It’s tempting isn’t it? Body envy sets in. You see another woman in the gym with an amazing backside or incredible arms and body who’s just run 20km nonstop and you say to yourself “I wish.”

As women we are bombarded by images of how we should look. On TV and billboards and in magazines and movies the majority of women are thin and beautiful and are all having a perfect hair day. We know this is not reality. The truth is we are all different; different shapes, colours and sizes, and that’s ok. In fact it’s a wonderful thing.

There have been times when I have seen someone in the gym and wished I was more like them in some way and it’s only ended in me feeling bad about myself. I felt guilty and weak for not exercising enough and for giving in and eating all those chips and chocolates that I shouldn’t have.

I told myself I could never be like that and that trying to be was way too hard. I was still exercising but not as much as I could so I was going home and eating to help ease the pain of feeling like a failure. It made things worse and my weight loss came to a grinding halt.

“Appreciate the powerful, courageous and foxy women around you.”

The truth is all of us are at different places in our journey to become as fit and as healthy as we can be. Some of us have stacked on too much weight and need to lose weight to reach good health and to look and feel better. To me, healthy is attractive and that’s what I’m looking for.

It’s also easy to fall into the trap of criticizing other women in our minds to try and make ourselves feel better. I can guarantee it won’t. If you constantly criticise others you are much more inclined to criticise and be hard on yourself. Instead, praise the efforts of others both in your mind and to them. Smile and be encouraging but not condescending.

Appreciate the powerful, courageous and foxy women around you who are all fighting to better themselves.

In the same way, be kind to yourself and build yourself up by giving yourself a pat on the back for each accomplishment. Focus on what you have already achieved. If you find it hard to find the time or the motivation to even go to the gym, congratulate yourself when you do go and you will be more likely to do it again.

When I started my journey at Fernwood I felt intimidated and self-conscious but now I have learned that we are all at different stages in our journey and we are all working hard. I know that if I am kind to myself and have a positive mindset I can stay motivated and achieve all my dreams and then some.

Emma Moon lives in Narre Warren in Victoria. Her favourite thing is to spend time with her husband and two young sons. She is proud and grateful to be a Fernwood fox.

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