Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Body Image

How do you see yourself when you look in the mirror? Do you worry and think, “I’m too fat,” “I’m too skinny” or “I’m ugly”?

Maintaining a healthy body image is a challenge. Teens are constantly surrounded by images of celebrities who look like they have “perfect” bodies or bombarded by ads telling them how to lose weight or have shiny hair and clear skin.

Changing how you view your body doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time, patience and a positive mindset to learn how to see yourself in a healthier way. Here are three places to start:

• Confidence – Believing in yourself is an important part of maintaining a healthy body image. Respect yourself, no matter what body type you are. When you’re looking in the mirror, focus on your good features and give yourself some compliments. When you respect yourself and your body, you’re less likely to engage in unhealthy activities.
• Exercise –Exercising at least 30 minutes a day reduces stress, lowers body fat, improves sleep and boosts self-confidence.
• Proper nutrition – Eating healthy foods helps you maintain your weight, prevents disease and boosts your self-confidence.

Signs of an Eating Disorder

Having a negative body image can lead to an eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia.

If you’re worried about yourself or a friend developing an eating disorder, look out for signs such as:

• Skipping meals or eating tiny portions.
• Developing rules about food or creating rituals about eating.
• Losing weight rapidly.
• Eating secretly or hiding food.
• Picking at food, or pretending to eat in public.
• Continually talking about being fat.
• Spending time in the bathroom after meals.
• Using diet pills, illegal drugs or alcohol.
• Coming up with excuses not to eat.
• Excessively or compulsively exercising.
• Becoming withdrawn and socially isolated.
• Binge eating.

Steps to a Positive Body Image

The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) has some great tips to help maintain a healthy body image. Remember that learning how to think about your body differently can take time and requires changing some behaviors.

Maybe spending so much time looking at posts and videos of thin celebrities or spending time with friends who are constantly talking about their bodies and how they lose weight doesn’t help you think of your own body positively.

Instead of surrounding yourself with images and negative body-image talk, use that time to try a new exercise class or cook a healthy meal with a friend. By spending more time doing the healthy, fun activities you love and less time obsessing over your body, you are well on your way to having a healthier body image.

A Personal Opinion

Written by Pallavi Battar

Media has a great deal of power and influence in the lives of teens and preteens. The media portrays beauty in a very stereotypical manner, with the average boy or girl being unhealthily skinny, blond-haired, blue-eyed, tall and with unblemished fair skin. This puts a lot of pressure on teens who are constantly battling with their bodies to attain this ideal body image.

Many of these battles result in starving, over-exercising and drug use. Although these methods may have some of the desired effect on the body in the short term, they often come with negative side effects.

Starving and over-exercising will halt growth and result in bone deficiencies and other difficulties later in life. Teens often use drugs to control their weight. Drug use, however, will have an even greater negative effect on the vital organs in the body than starving or over-exercising. Over time, drugs will cause damage to the vital organs such as the heart, brain and lungs.

Teens often feel that going to extremes to have the perfect body will provide them with greater and faster results. However, the best way to become slim and fit and still stay healthy is to get regular checkups, follow your doctor’s directions, exercise daily, eat the proper foods and get plenty of rest at the end of each day.

Last reviewed: October 2018