Body Image

Ambro photo

I recently watched a powerful film called “Beauty Mark.” It was written and produced by Diane Israel, a Boulder, Colorado-based psychotherapist and former world-class triathlete who tells her own story of her struggles with body image while also interviewing other professional athletes, personal trainers, fashion models, and inner-city teens about their experiences relating to self-image.

Since I was in junior high school, I’ve always been conscious of my body image. I went through those teenage struggles of feeling “fat,” even though when I look at photos when I was at that age, I was a beanpole.

I have always been active. I ran cross-country, rode horses, toured on my bike, and Nordic skied all through junior high and high school. In college, I continued my running and biking, enjoyed lifting weights, and also played Ultimate, which entails a lot of running. Post-college, I continued to stick to my cardio and gym routines, as well as Ultimate. I kept up my “plan” of burning more calories than I consumed to keep my weight in check.

In “Beauty Mark,” one of Diane Israel’s biggest struggles was not eating enough while at the same time expending far more calories than she consumed. By her late 20s, her body was wasting away from too much exercise and racing and too little food. It took her years to realize what she was doing to herself.

It’s scary how easy it is to fall into this trap. We are bombarded by images of skinny women in bikinis on the cover of most every women’s magazine (except Women’s Adventure!) and of rail-thin models in fashion magazines. Why wouldn’t young (and old) girls be sucked into thinking that they MUST look just like these women, or else they aren’t attractive.

Now that I’m in my 40s, I feel that I’ve matured past most of the desire to have that “perfect” body. I won’t deny that I don’t look at myself in the mirror without noticing something that I’d like to change, but I’m much more accepting of my body. I live a healthy, active life in which I eat good food and get a nice amount of exercise, but I don’t overdo it in either area. Well…. I do like to indulge in yummy, frosted cupcakes now and again.

I recommend that you watch “Beauty Mark” if you haven’t seen it. As the film progresses, the message becomes clear: Love your body and love yourself for who you are. Words to live by.