Function > Physique | Overcoming Negative Body Image

One of the reasons I went into the fitness industry was due to the unparalleled impact that exercise and nutrition has had on my life - not all of it for the good.

Many of my regular readers will be aware that my relationship with food and exercise has changed dramatically over the last 5 years having suffered with anorexia for the best part of 2 years in 2017-19.

A defining characteristic of my experience with ED was hatred of the self - to a point at which the sight of my Rig would make me physically ill. 

An all-encompassing headspace that drove behaviours that came very close to breaking me.

Although that period of my life is well and truly behind me, one thing that remains to a degree is a somewhat dodgy opinion of how I look.

Not for want of trying, but I doubt I will ever ‘like’ the body looking back at me in the mirror; something that puts me in the minority in an era where Self-Love is the norm.

However, I feel better about my body now than ever before; even though those feelings of insecurity about the Rig are still well and truly in the chat.

Why?

A simple shift in values.

What I value above all else now, and has been the case for the past 2 years, is not HOW my body looks, but WHAT my body can do - something that provides the basis of my coaching philosophy with my Athletes…

Redefining Possibility

The Human Body is truly incredible.

Look at some of the feats that one singular human has achieved in the last 12 months.

Russ Cook running the length of Africa in 352 days.

Camille Herron breaking 12 World Records running for 6 days straight as part of the Lululemon FURTHER project.

The late Kelvin Kiptum breaking the Marathon WR with 2:00:35 - and would have undoubtedly broke the 2-hour mark before his tragic death earlier this year.

Every year, the bounds of human endurance are being pushed further and further from the realms of traditional possibility - and we are undoubtedly going to see individuals extend the definition of just what is humanly possible in years to come.

Believe it or not, they are human. Russ, for example, is just a normal (sort of) bloke from Worthing - not genetically gifted, nor from a background of elite sportspeople - who has achieved one of the greatest feats of physical endurance of all time…

Rewriting the Script

To reiterate, the human body is TRULY incredible.

I spent so long berating my body for how it looked aesthetically without comprehending the value of its function - lost in a cycle of judgement and dissatisfaction that left me a little bit stranded.

The turning point in my own journey came when I took a step back and reevaluated what actually mattered; coming to the ultimate realisation that my body ALLOWS me to do some pretty cool stuff.

Yes, I still didn’t like how I looked - but that was so insignificant in the wake of, at the time, my first official half marathon September 2022. A milestone that gave me clarity, purpose, and an overwhelming sense of satisfaction; a feeling that was pretty new to me.

I started to value my body for WHERE it would take me in terms of movement - the weights it was lifting, the places it would take me, and the feelings it would give me following bouts of movement.

Instead of pursuing the feeling of content that would never come in how I look, I chased the feeling of achievement in training for a movement-based goal (an event, a specific distance/time, lifting x for y reps etc.).

In doing so, you will develop a much more positive, growth-orientated mindset towards movement and exercise; one where the process of trading and the goal itself are equally as rewarding.

And, with individuals like the above kicking about, there’s never a limit to what the next goal can be once you’ve ticked one of the list - there’s always something to work on for the future…

Narrative Identity & Body Image 

Narrative Identity in psychology is “the internalised and evolving story of the self that a person constructs to make sense and meaning out of life” (PsychNet).

How you define the self can have a transformative effect on your health and wellbeing, both for better and potentially for worse.

Regarding body image, I have previously defined my ‘self‘ by the way I look - I was the fat kid who needed to lose weight (even though I was far from it), which fuelled a wholly negative mindset towards my exercise and nutrition.

A key aspect of how I overcame this, and my eating disorder in general, was by redefining my Narrative Identity; whereby I became an ‘Athlete’.

This simple shift in the identity I gave myself completely changed so many aspects of my mindset - it gave me purpose, direction, and refocused my brain towards actualising my body’s physical potential through an effective, appropriate training programme and high quality nutrition.

Again, this is another part of my coaching philosophy that I apply to my clients. I refer to them as my Athletes for exactly this reason: to help THEM refocus their minds from preoccupation about what they look like.

But how does this get results…?

Take Care of the Pennies

When you implement the shift in mindset explained above, you automatically make better choices. I have seen it myself so many times with individuals I have worked with over the years.

Someone comes to me wanting to lose a bit of timber. They also tell me they want to learn how to strength train, and maybe build up their running to be able to do a parkrun with the kids.

So we set some goals in the gym, and create a weekly routine that has a couple of run-walk sessions in the mix that increase in intensity/duration week on week.

They have a clear, performance-based goal that requires changes to be made to your lifestyle in order to be achieved.

They focus on being consistent with their activity, progressively overloading their training, fuelling the fire with the good shit in the kitchen, and adjusting areas of their life such as walking more as means of active recovery.

From a physiological perspective, they will be creating a calorie deficit. Simply by focusing their attention not on how they look in the mirror day to day, or indeed scale weight; but by making better choices across the board.

The focus centres around daily actions that get them one step closer to running the 5k, and as a result will be creating an environment that pertains to sustainable weight loss. 

With the added benefit of becoming stronger, fitter and more mentally resilient in the process; WITHOUT the excessive worry about what your body looks like.

Becoming the ‘Athlete’.

My point is, concentrating on supporting your Function over worrying about your physique will be more effective in getting you the physique you desire.

Take care of the pennies (daily actions), and the pounds (aesthetic goals) will take care of themselves.

TGPT Legend G with an insane running-based transformation

The Final Word

I should probably have titled this post ‘managing negative body image’ rather than overcoming - because to be blunt, I’m still waiting for the ticket on the #selflove train on that front.

That said, I fucking LIVE for what my body can DO.

That feeling of entering unchartered territory in terms of distance on a long plod.

Of pulling a double-bodyweight deadlift for reps in the Shrine.

The moment I changed my values towards fitness, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders and I made so many positive changes in my life that have ultimately led to where I find myself today.

It is by no means the ONLY way to approach health and fitness - and by no means the best - but I have seen more progress (both with myself and my Athletes) than ever before by valuing Function over Physique.

If you struggle with body image issues, and can’t seem to shift it, trust me - focus on performance, and it will open up a whole world of purpose, clarity and mental satisfaction that will positively affect your life.

For tips on getting started, or questions about my own experiences, feel free to drop me a message!