How Do You View Your Body?

Whose view of what’s beautiful and sexy are you listening to? Whose body do you compare yours to? How often do you criticize your self and the way you look?

I worked in sales at a high end fitness club a few years ago. A big part of my job was giving tours to prospective members around the gym. Each day I made many laps throughout the gym and the ladies dressing room. I also had an office with a glass wall that faced about 30 machines. What I saw was shocking. Beautiful women with perfect bodies who still hated the way they looked. I watched the way they looked at themselves in the mirror, the way they moved around the club and interacted with others. I watched them compare themselves to other women and walk away distressed. It really hit me. Nobody is happy with the way they look. Even when the body is in perfect condition, there is still a constant drive to lose just one more inch, one more pound. WHY?!

We don’t see ourselves as we truly are.


I have also suffered from this. Thinking I was fat, gaining 20 pounds and then later realizing, wow, I actually was thin back then. I was too focused on a future image to enjoy who I was in the present. I had my happiness & satisfaction based out in the future, so even when I was great in shape my futuristic thinking kept driving me to do more, because this wasn’t enough.


When we constantly say things like, “I’ll be happy when I lose 15 pounds”, “I’ll be happy when I get those nice boots”, “I’ll be happy when I get my degree/job/house/mate, etc.”, we create that happiness is out there, and not here, right now. Happiness can only be experienced in the present moment. If we’re constantly comparing ourselves to others and putting the achievement of happiness in the future, we’ll never get there. Even when we do achieve it, we’re not able to fully enjoy it because we’ve been conditioned to think that it’s still out there in the future. You’ll always think that you have to accomplish more to have it. How many times have you gotten something that you wanted and after the excitement wore off found that you still weren’t happy?

I noticed that when I quit calling myself fat, I lost weight without any other change being made. If you keep thinking that you are fat, you’ll keep living into being fat. Whether that means overeating, not exercising, not being able to drop pounds or simply not seeing yourself as you truly are.

Listen to your inner tapes. Are you mean to yourself about your body? Would you be as mean to your friends and family as you are to yourself? One of my good friends once said to me, “Don’t be mean to Amanda. She’s my friend.” Boy, did she really get my attention!

Just think about the phrase “I am fat”. Really? All you are is fat? Aren’t you also bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons? With a brain, mind, organs, heart and capability for tremendous love & compassion? Try on saying, “I am healthy. With every day I become more fit and beautiful.” I promise you, it will make a difference.