Lesley Brey
Reporter
The end of the semester is a wonderful time, but especially in the spring. The grass is turning green, the birds are returning, the trees are waking up and the temperature is rising. Soon, summer will be upon us, free of papers or finals, but alongside it comes the unwelcome yearly push to achieve that ever impossible goal: the beach body.
Surely you’ve heard the term before, despite the definition changing slightly every year. The basic idea being that if you’re going to dress for the weather, then you need to change how you look first. Usually this involves a call to “lose those winter pounds” or to get in shape.
This message is nearly omnipresent, featured for decades in magazines, tabloids and most recently being promoted by social media influencers. Every summer we are assaulted by article after article detailing anything from grueling diets to insane workout strategies, all laboring under the idea that if you happen to look human while wearing a swimsuit you are doing something wrong.
This sort of messaging has real life consequences. In a poll conducted by The Bengal on our Instagram page, 80% of respondents said that they have avoided doing certain summer activities because they were uncomfortable with their bodies. However, looming underneath the entire issue is something few tabloids or influencers would want you to know.
“98% of diets fail. That meaning that that person may lose that weight and gain it back in a few years or they were never able to lose that weight in the first place. Our health is not defined by one thing alone,” says licensed dietician Alyssa Hines, who works with the Idaho State University Wellness center counseling students and athletes on healthy eating.
Read that statistic again a few times and let that sink in. A beach body is not merely difficult to achieve, but quite literally impossible. For the vast majority of people, what your body looks like in adulthood is a function of genetics and environment. In the Greek tale of Sisyphus, a man is condemned to push a boulder up a hill only to have it roll back down again at the end of the day for the rest of eternity. In similar fashion, no matter how you try to control your appearance, there’s only so much you actually have control over.
Often, when students come to Hines with a specific look in mind, she has to work with them to find more attainable goals instead. “Usually if someone’s having issues with weight or food, it’s actually not about the weight specifically. There’s usually something underneath that, that they’re equating their worth to their weight or what size they are,” says Hines.
The ISU Wellness Center offers meal planning services to students for $5 for the first three sessions, however Hines also provided her basic outline for 10 ways to develop a healthier relationship with your body.
Stop the Negative Self Talk
“We’re not as nice to ourselves as we would be to a friend or family member,” says Hines. It’s really easy to be overly critical of ourselves when we fail to live up to our expectations, doubly so when it comes to appearances. However, that negativity serves no purpose. It doesn’t motivate us to do better, and frequently only worsens how we feel about ourselves creating a vicious cycle. Try asking yourself if you would talk that way to a small child. If the answer is no, rephrase or eliminate your criticism.
Eat What You Want and What You Love
Food is not a moral concept, thusly it cannot be “bad” or “good.” Food is just food. One way to form a better relationship with what you eat is to stop enforcing moralizing rules over your diet. Eating can be a lot of fun, so allow yourself to enjoy it.
Watch Your Words
Just like you need to be gentle with yourself, remember to be careful with what you say to those around you. Try to avoid complimenting people on things they can’t change, even if you think it’s a positive thing. Better yet, don’t remark on people’s weight no matter the situation.
Wear What You Want
Here’s a tip, you don’t need to have a certain type of body to wear clothes. If you like the way something feels or looks, don’t be ashamed to wear it. When we treat clothing as something we have to “earn” we aren’t doing our self esteem any favors.
Move Your Body For Fun
“Don’t force yourself to do an exercise you hate to do, because if you hate to do something chances are you’re not going to want to do it,” says Hines. It’s far more important just to get active than it is to follow a specific training regiment. Furthermore, movement is a much larger category than what you may have thought of as “exercising.” Try dancing in the mirror to a song you love, taking the stairs instead of the elevator or even mowing the lawn.
Take A Selfie
For those of us that are camera shy, it can feel overwhelming to be in front of the lens, however that doesn’t negate the benefits of allowing yourself to feel cute. If you like the way something looks on you, or the way your hair is looking, snap a picture! You don’t have to post it, but it helps to reinforce a body positive mindset.
Filter Your Media
The internet can be a beautiful place to learn new things, see amazing art and make friends. At the same time, it can be very damaging if the only message we’re receiving is focused how inferior your body is to someone else’s. Luckily, you have absolute control over most of what you see online. Take a critical eye to the people you’re following. Are they posting content that helps you or are they taking up space with negativity? Adjust accordingly.
Study Up
Don’t just take our word for it, there are plenty of resources talking about the issues with diet culture. Reading about body positivity can help you find new ways to interact with yourself.
Use Positive Affirmations
“One of my personal favorites is ‘you’re more than just your body,’ or ‘my body is the least interesting thing about me.’ Things like that that can remind you to get out of your head,” says Hines. Bad mental days happen, so be prepared to push back on the negative mental talk by using affirmations.
Appreciate the Journey
As with anything worth doing, not every day will be easy. Some days body positivity can feel harder than others, however when those days happen avoid picking at yourself in the mirror, or focusing on the things that make you feel insecure. Wear something comfortable, eat the foods that make you happy and remember that bad days pass.
“We deserve to take up space. We are allowed to take up space. We’re allowed to enjoy the world that we live in and do the activities that we love, regardless of what our body looks like. No matter what your body size is, it has nothing to do with your health. Your body is what you’re born in and we have to be able to find a way to be okay with that,” says Hines.
