Bites & Body Love (v)

What is body image? What is body image work?

• Jamie Magdic

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Join us on Bites and Body Love as we unpack the complex world of body image, breaking down personal perceptions, emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that shape how we view ourselves. We'll shed light on the powerful influences of weight stigma, nutrition, and media, and discuss the four crucial aspects of body image: perceptual, affective, cognitive, and interconnected elements. By understanding these foundational components, we set the stage for developing a healthy, confident, and trusting relationship with our bodies.

We'll also tackle common myths, like the simplistic notion that altering your appearance will automatically fix body image concerns. Instead, we emphasize the importance of embracing a holistic and sustainable approach to body positivity. As we wrap up, we delve into the concept of food and body freedom, encouraging you to reach out with questions and offering a free mini-course when you DM "freedom" on Instagram @jamierd_. Tune in for an episode that promises to open up new possibilities for a fulfilling and liberating relationship with your body and food.

https://www.jamiethedietitian.com/
@jamierd_

Journal available:
https://www.amazon.com/Food-Image-Freedom-Workbook-Journal/dp/B0CTYPDBLH/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1Y7SVVVA2XQYP&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.eKHUkaG57h0yHo5_bFpctLfybEzUkWvkgF7TdXV2ko7A5YwK7uob051NmmmF_tpgm-f5S9es2_jx2Ohj2afCrruCJTkvICMRV2cOb7-wuAc4BzKcH3OnILGyebOl9l6i8IjwAvURfFn-aMdXq6OjMsnH6A-RlapmPGPMcB5zZQgHKtmw33hllabfbJD763LnZk2eanHvvv_8mx0khOzs8p2fI614IZpgmif2-7G44WQ.EvYdR7689EyID0oXWilOTD1HR7CC1AWtNBJ7oa-futM&dib_tag=se&keywords=true%20food%20and%20body%20image%20freedom%20journal%20and%20workbook&qid=1715002223&sprefix=%2Caps%2C113&sr=8-&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1FNBVWL3A56DB--guTVUoNFYTkHERjeSM77Fg94b30co9NK9V3xuJwyFg_aem_AYS6NkX3LoBNgW8xsgx9wIdz64u6Z3WXgHUctS7XJCPBK46KEa6YkvhA9c7VwV_mhs_aTLGFuvo0qEdb0tC0IFhl#customerReviews

Speaker 1:

Hello everyone, welcome to another episode of Bites and Body Love. I am super excited to introduce an activity today. We are going to talk about what body image is and I am going to ask for your feedback. So there's going to be a lot of education and then reflection around what you personally think body image and body image work is. Now this is a foundational discussion to be able to or to just, I guess, more solidly move into body image work, because we have to know what the heck it is, we have to know what body image work entails. We have to know what body image entails, and so I'm pulling from my journal and workbook called Food and Body Image Freedom Workbook and Journal for Everybody, which is used alongside my program, true Food and Body Image Freedom for Everybody. So we're going to talk about and explore what is body image and what is body image work. So, without further ado, let's go ahead and dive in. Even better, if you have this journal, open it up and let's do it together.

Speaker 1:

So the objectives of this the purpose of this activity is to assess your current and prior knowledge and understanding of what the concept of body image is and what it means, and then, in turn, what the work entails. So I want you to answer these questions for me. Okay, we're going to do some reflection as we get started, before we move into the education part, to assess that prior knowledge. I want you to try and journal freely or think freely if you're in the car or if you just don't want to journal or if you're on a walk Definitely don't need to write it down in order for this to be beneficial and I want you to jot down whatever comes to mind, while catching any judgment that you have as well and trying to be neutral and extend some self-compassion to yourself. Okay, I want you to zoom out and think in broader terms, as if you were teaching a classroom of students, okay, so I want you to ask yourself what are the words or phrases that come to mind when you hear body image? I'm going to say that again what are the words or phrases that come to mind when you hear body image? So, terms and phrases, all right.

Speaker 1:

Next question Define body image as if you had to put it into a dictionary. Body image is Define body image as if you had to put it in the dictionary. I feel like I'm back in school. I used to be a teacher for four years and it just brings me back All right.

Speaker 1:

Now that you have those two answers, I want to ask you was the question harder than you thought? Were those questions harder than you thought? Why, and what do you think about that? Do you think that it was? It's get curious about that. You might have found, wow, it's kind of hard to define body image because it entails so much. Or you might find, no, that was easy. I couldn't stop writing phrases down because there's so much that body image impacts and so much work I have needed to done. Found that I needed I need to do for myself around body image. Found that I needed I need to do for myself around body image.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so, now that we've reflected a little and, of course, like, pause, continue. Pause the podcast, continue to journal it out. I really want you to have that knowledge for yourself of where you're at. But if that is not you and you don't need to pause, let's go ahead and continue.

Speaker 1:

And I want to talk about the complexity of body image. To get started and a lot of times is great for a if I had a screen and I can show you this picture of the really messy entangled web of what makes a body image and you can't see that, but that is what I have down in front of me in this activity. It's a messy tangled web of all of these different bubbles with words in them that name something different, that has to, that has impact on body image, that has that needs to be looked at when we're talking about and working with body image. Okay, and I'm going to start naming those and not all of them, because there's so many and these do not still and these these are, don't encompass everything. I'm going to start naming them Weight, stigma, nutrition, relationship with food, belonging perceptions, security, fat phobia, self-worth, trust with your body, trust with food, behaviors, safety, comfort, emotions, trauma, identity, environment, relationship with exercise, society, media, compassion, embodiment, coping, functionality. I can keep going on and on and on and on. With the complexity of body image work, and even when we just pull your relationship with food, that is a big, big part of it. I want to ask you what stands out to you with all of the different things I named. What stands out to you? Have you worked on some of them? Have you considered working on some of them? Do some surprise you? Are you questioning how some of these might have to do with body image work. How are you feeling with that web that I just spoke to you about? These are all different aspects I work on to leave no stone unturned with people for their relationship with food and body, to have a healthy, confident relationship with their body, and a trusting one.

Speaker 1:

Okay, now into some education and the research and behind body image. So body image can be thought of in four different aspects and I want to go over those aspects today and break those apart so you can conceptualize and understand body image when you're working through it and when you're navigating from day to day. Okay, so let's go over the four aspects. Number one the way you see your body is your um is your perceptual body image. So that's the first one perceptual body image, and that is the way you perceive your body. Okay, the way you see your body. That is one aspect of body image work and body image. Number two is effective body image. So the way you feel about your body is your effective body image. Number three the way you think about your body is your cognitive body image. Okay, so, cognitive body image, the way you think about your body. And then, lastly, the behaviors you engage in as a result of your body image are your behavioral body image. Okay, so that last one is behavioral body image. So there are four. I'm going to name them again without defining them Perceptual body image seeing, effective body image, feeling. Cognitive body image thinking about. And behavioral body image, which is behaviors you engage in about. And behavioral body image, which is behaviors you engage in. So, wow, right, think of all of those different things. That needs to be considered when we're thinking of those four different parts. But, according to research, those are the four different aspects of body image, and now let's dive into each and every one of those.

Speaker 1:

Let's go into perceptual. I want to ask you some questions, because these impact your relationship with your body and I want to see where you're at and I want to help you raise awareness. So you have awareness around, okay, so if perceptual body image is a thing and it impacts me, do I have a strong perceptual body image? Is this really a weakness? How is it a weakness? What is the? What can I do about it? Ok, so we're going to raise some awareness around these certain areas, because awareness is the first step to creating some change. Education is the first step to creating some change and deciding if you want to create change, ok, and deciding and understanding where you need to create that change, ok.

Speaker 1:

So how do you perceive your physical appearance when you look in the mirror? Do you focus on specific aspects or features? Do you compare your body to others? How does this comparison affect your perception of your own body? Okay, now we're going to go into effective. Now, if you want to pause for that perceptual and you're answering those questions about how you perceive your body and what that looks like for a day-to-day for you, maybe you can also jot down or think a little bit about well, is this a strong area for me? Is this a weak area? Is it generally strong? With a really weak thing that really impacts me? How does that thing impact me? Am I always checking, looking in the mirror and constantly body checking? How does this impact my relationship with food? Go deeper, really, think about it. These are the questions I would ask you if you're a part of the program and I would want you to start thinking about.

Speaker 1:

All right, effective, some questions here, and remember, effective is how you feel about your body. So how do you feel about your body on a daily basis? Think of that feelings wheel Sad, anxious, excited, happy, peaceful. Are these feelings generally positive, negative or neutral? What emotions arise when you think about your body image Today, yesterday? How do these emotions impact your self-esteem and overall well-being? How do they impact your behaviors, your decisions, your goals, the way you take care of yourself?

Speaker 1:

Okay, cognitive, remember. So. Cognitive is the way you think about your body. What thoughts or beliefs do you hold about your body image and where do these beliefs come from? So what beliefs do you have about body image in general, about other bodies, about certain body sizes, about your body? Are there any internalized societal or cultural standards that influence your thoughts about other bodies and your body? And lastly, behavioral, how do you behave in response to your body image concerns? Do you engage in specific actions? Do you over exercise, do you restrict, do you diet? Are there behaviors you've adopted to cope with negative body image? So think about those behaviors that are impacted by body image. And then I want to go one step further and ask how is that working for you? Are the current behaviors that you're using helping you to have a better body image? How long have you been engaging in those behaviors and finding the same result? What road is that bringing you down? Is it actually helping or is it a false sense of coping?

Speaker 1:

All right, now that we talked about what body image is, I want to talk about what body image is not. So we're going to talk about some myths and misconceptions and this is really a must to call out all the myths, misconceptions and assumptions that can hold us back in our journey. It's really important to speak to the nature of the work, because we often have a picture of what it should look like, what body image work should look like. Okay, and that's going to affect your exploration in your journey. So this is important because the picture that you paint right off the bat when you are on this journey is going to impact every step of the way, as well as the ultimate destination. Okay. So I want to examine the following myths and misconceptions all right that are often held that I go over with clients that can really hold them back or confuse them. Okay.

Speaker 1:

So myth one change your body to change your body image. The truth is that it is not change your body to change your body image. This is so commonly believed and promoted and fed to us that your body is the problem and creates the problem and your life and everything would be better if you change your body or your appearance. But your body is not the problem. Your body image and your behaviors are the problem and we need to focus on that and healing that in the way that actually is going to be sustainable, to be healthy, to be intuitive, to feel good. That's not built on shame. So this is a huge misconception when you just think of diets right Built on shame restriction, changing your body to have that ideal life. That is their whole way of advertising and there's a bunch of podcast episodes on that advertising and there's a bunch of podcast episodes on that. So I'm not going to go deep into that today at least.

Speaker 1:

All right, the second one the truth is. So the misconception or myth is that body image work is easy. It's just simply, you know it's easy, it's one size fits all. The truth is that body image work is not easy and the nature of body image work is complex, non-linear and messy. We will always have a body and therefore we will always have a relationship with our body and changing and a changing body image. We will consistently inhabit a physical body and, as a result, our connection with our body. It evolves in response to our diverse life experiences and our connection with our body. It evolves in response to our diverse life experiences and how we perceive our body as it transforms over time. But when you build that foundational relationship with your body as it changes over time, you have the tools, the knowledge, the trust, the understanding, the respect and the compassion for body image. But you got to do it the right way. That works. But you got to do it the right way that works, all right. The next one. There's two, three more.

Speaker 1:

Having a general positive body image is not having negative body image moments. Okay. So having a general positive body image is not having negative body image moments. So having a positive body image is the absence of negative body image moments False. Having a positive body image is going to still mean that you have some negative body image moments. It's normal to occasionally experience self-doubt or negativity about your body. A positive body image is about overall self-acceptance and resilience in the face of these moments, still choosing healthy behaviors, promoting a healthy self-relationship over time. Because this takes time and it takes practice and it takes consistency. And it's okay to have that self-doubt. But what happens the more and more and more you practice and the better your body image improves with the right tools is you're able to bounce back. It doesn't impact your whole day. You know today, when you have a negative body image, it might impact all your decisions and how you feel for the whole day. When you transform your relationship with your body and you have a positive body image overall and you have an intuitive, trusting one, that means you might have a negative body image moment. Maybe you see an ad that's kind of shaming with diets in it, maybe it sparks something and you have a hard five minutes or a harder five minutes, but then you bounce back, you don't act on it. It's not going to impact your decisions and maybe you don't think about it for the rest of the day and you just bounce back. All right.

Speaker 1:

Next one Positive body image contains different components and it is possible to strengthen these different parts, which will lead to improvement of the whole, even if some components won't budge. So this is this is a truth. I didn't say the myth first. So this is a truth. That positive body image. It is made up of so many different elements and it's really important to know that if you're stuck in one piece and you can't budge one negative piece of body image that really needs to be improved on. You can work on other aspects until you're ready to work on that harder piece and ultimately it's still going to improve your overall perception of your body, even if some remain a challenge. So you can feel better about body image, have more trust, have more love and still create a lot of positive change in the right direction. Even if there's some unmovable pieces at the time, you got to honor that, have more trust, have more love and still create a lot of positive change in the right direction. Even if there's some unmovable pieces at the time, you got to honor that. So, in other words, focusing on and improving specific facets of your body image, such as self acceptance or your relationship with food, can contribute to the overall positive body image, even if you struggle with body confidence or comfort in your body at the moment or exercise right. So there's still a ton to work on. So if you don't have the motivation, ability, understanding to work on one piece, that's not an excuse to not work on all the other things if you are ready and willing.

Speaker 1:

And last, body image healing is not what we are sold through diet, culture Period. We won't talk, we won't get too much into that. I have a ton of episodes on diet culture, but a reality and a truth is body image healing is not what we're sold through diet culture. It gets us way, way, way further from where we actually want to be. Okay With that.

Speaker 1:

I hope that was super helpful. Let me know if you have any questions. I would love to hear from you at hello, at jamierdcom. Dm me the word freedom on Instagram at jamierd underscore for a free mini course to learn more about how to achieve full food and body image freedom. I hope you have a wonderful day. I hope this was helping to build a solid foundation to continue to support your relationship with food and body and get the relationship with food and body you deserve so you can open up your life to more. And I want to again scream from the rooftops and end this episode by saying it is absolutely available for you. Do not settle for less. If you do not want to settle for less, it's there. Okay, I will see you next time on Bites and Body Love and I hope you have a