Sad Stat
March 30, 2009
I read a really sad stat in the April issue of Women’s Health at the gym this weekend that I want to share today, at the beginning of a new week. It was buried on the lower left corner of page 22 in one of those By The Numbers sections.
“19: Percentage of women who say they’re happy with their bodies.”–
Source: Survey by the American Dental Association, Crest and Oral-B.
WHOA. This gave me pause. It was a little teensy newsflash that has legs, will travel … if only anyone else picked up on what a telling stat it was.
My first thought: THIS should be an investigative report in and of itself, Women’s Health, not a miniscule blurb! (And mind you, WH is probably my fave of all the fitness/health mags to which I subscribe).
Don’t you think? I mean, I imagined the numbers to be maybe 50, maybe 60 percent … but only a mere 19 percent? of the women sampled were happy with their bodies?!!
We all know surveys are a sampling and not the be-all, end-all… but how does that translate to the general popuplation? Are you saddened or surprised by that stat, or did you think it spoke the truth?
Admittedly, most days I don’t fit into that 19 percentage grouping anyway … but I’m working on it, every single day. Lifting has REALLY been helping me get more in tune with my body.
(Last week was my first full week of doing the trainer’s plan. I am not sticking to her food recommendations (sticking to Sparkpeople) but I am more than excited to be doing her lifting plan — maybe I’ll spell out her lifting schedule for me if anyone’s interested this week).
Anyway, d a stat like this — whether a good sampling of women or not — hits home. If it’s even remotely accurate, this means that nearly three-quarters of American women out there (in theory) are unhappy with their bodies.
With all the challenges we’re facing in the world today, it sounds terribly vain to share a stat like this. But I think we all know, our self-esteem affects so many other areas of our lives — including our professional lives, which, in an economy like this, can feel perpetually in jeopardy.
When we feel good about ourselves … we exude confidence. When we put a little lipstick, or take five minutes to do our hair, or slip on new jeans … oftentimes, we feel better about ourselves — irrelevant of our butt size.
I might not be a binge eater, but I’ve been 100% guilty of using retail therapy as a means to placate emotions, good and bad. And during tough economic times when our spending power has shrunken and we can’t necessarily consume to feel good about ourselves … we turn to other alternatives.
Maybe we wear our “lucky” suit or blouse and nail a job interview because we feel confident in that item of clothing. Maybe we score a deal on our cell phone plan because, in our tall leather boots, we were able to command the attention of the sales representative by looking him in the eye and not wavering until we are satisfied with the sale. (Huzzah!)
Psssst ….! These things have nothing to do with our actual size and everything to do with how we carry ourselves.
So let’s take this sad stat and turn it around, today. In a world of uncertainties where many of us are battling internal struggles that could seem vain to anyone who doesn’t get it … how can we get to the place where that 19 percent is 25, and then 40, and then 50 and beyond?
They say the journey of a lifetime begins with a single step. What if each of us took a small step today, March 30, to show our bodies some love today? What could we do?
I don’t expect any of us to necessarily wake up tomorrow loving our bodies … but if we show a little love to it each day, perhaps we will get there.
As for me, I’m going to lift weights tonight: back, tris, and bis, per my new regimen.
When I lift, I feel lean, strong, powerful. I don’t think about my body as an entity when I’m lifting, but rather appreciate what I’m doing for it, and what it’s doing for me. The more I lift, the more I love my body. So that’s my contribution.
As my husband loves to pipe up when I say I “hate” something (like mayo or science fiction movies)… “Don’t hate … appreciate!”
I don’t think he ever realized just how literal — and powerful — those three small words can be.
How about you? How will you love your body today? Let’s not hate, but rather appreciate.
Entry Filed under: Body Image/Body Dysmorphia, Progress, exercise. Tags: body happiness, economy, exuding condifence, how we carry ourselves, women's health.
12 Comments Add your own
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <pre> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed
1.
Yasmin | March 30, 2009 at 6:56 am
I have to say, I am hating my body today. Stomach hurts and I have the weekend bloat. But I am going to try and ignore these feelings, drink lots of water, and be thankful I have two walking legs to get me through the day.
2.
Baylee | March 30, 2009 at 7:24 am
wow. i actually thought it would be quite a bit less than that. most of the magazines i read, which coincidentally happen to be all about teenage girls (who are obviously more triggered by body image), it said that almost 60% of 12 year olds are unhappy with their bodies and have been on a diet, and the percentage went up the older the girls get.
i think most days, it isn’t really a matter of being unhappy with my body (as long as i have been eating relatively well, and have been exercising 5-6 days a week.) Mostly, its the number on the scale im displeased with.
3.
Holly | March 30, 2009 at 7:42 am
Wow….that is so incredibly sad. Like Baylee, it truly saddens me to hear stats of young girls who are dieting and already dealing with “body hate.” I’d have to say…MOST days I love my body. Especially now that I’m working out and eating clean - both have a HUGE effect on how I feel. And even on those days when I might have a little more to eat than I should, I’m learning to not beat myself up about it so much and start that vicious cycle.
4.
inmytummy | March 30, 2009 at 7:55 am
I appreciate that my body was strong enough to run a half marathon yesterday. I might not be at the weight that I want, but I am strong and fit.
5.
jenngirl | March 30, 2009 at 8:09 am
As sad as those stats are, I don’t find it hard to believe. I mean, I just spent an entire weekend at a conference with over 1200 girls, and I definitely heard my fair share of body comments MORE than once a day. It’s terrible.
But I agree, don’t hate, let’s appreciate. I’m so thankful that I have the ENERGY to do all of the things I want to do, yesterday, today, and tomorrow!!
6.
Susie | March 30, 2009 at 9:25 am
I just discussed this on my blog because it came at such a key time. I recently started to fully try Intuitive Eating and work on some other things but I actually feel good about my body right now. It’s a weird feeling but I think the major changes are that I gave myself permission to be happy with where I’m at right now rather than trying to continuously improve and I’m trusting my own hunger rather than following an outside diet plan or exercise plan. I’ve spent so much time telling myself I’m not good enough that I believed it. I just recently decided to question that. Our bodies are quite good at letting us know what we really need. We don’t need a plan to figure it out. We just need to pay attention. I used to look in the mirror and say negative things.. for years and years. As long as I can remember. Sometimes I would try to force myself to say nice things but it was not something I did without a reminder. The last few days after literally ditching the scale and honouring my hunger, I’ve caught myself appreciating my body in the mirror. It’s a great feeling. I think we just have to tell ourselves that it’s ok to be happy with who you are. And stop measuring ourselves based on things like weight and how well you follow some plan prescribed by an outside source.
7.
lissa10279 | March 30, 2009 at 9:38 am
So glad this post is resonating. Susie, thanks for your insight — I loved the IE book. And I’m glad you’re feeling so good!
Feel better, Yasmin!
Way to GO Inmytummy!
Baylee, but what if the scale didn’t impact how your clothes fit? I know even if the scale is up but my jeans fit well, I feel good … just some food for thought.
8.
lara | March 30, 2009 at 9:48 am
I agree Lissa with your comment to Baylee. I have always said that the scale can lie but pants don’t. The number on the scale is just that, a number. It can be artificially high (or low) due to hormones, fluid retention, food in digestive track, humidity (can make you retain water), medications, etc. But your pants will always be the best mechanism for feedback of where your body is “at”.
9.
lissa10279 | March 30, 2009 at 9:58 am
Thanks, Lara. Very true, indeed. The scale is a moment-in-time snapshot; pants don’t lie.
10.
Kim | March 30, 2009 at 11:18 am
Wow, unfortunately, I can’t say I’m surprised. It is a very sad stat. I have to think that if we liked our physical bodies more, we would be more confident in general. Oh, the ways we could take on the world!
11.
Cathy | March 30, 2009 at 5:21 pm
This is interesting because I’m traveling around Europe now, certainly steadily gaining weight as I’m not working out as much as I do in the us(though still running nearly every day) and eating more than I normally do and am beginning to adopt the European body approach that is much less critical than the American. People here eat because they need and enjoy food and also know when enough is enough or too much is too much. But daily chocolate is not take taboo. And I also don’t see so many rail thin people- at the same time not an obese person in sight. They have such a great sense of balance.
For the first time in a long time I’m realizing that where I stand weightwise- which is by no means skinny-is fine and human. I look fit and healthy. What else could I ask for? The time I spend obsessing about my weight is just time lost on something else . Anyway, just wanted to say I am witnessing other countries obsessing far less than we do and it’s wonderful.
12.
lissa10279 | March 30, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Cathy, I’ve noticed that same thing both in my travels in Europe and South and Central America. The whole “perfect body” thing seems to be an American fixation. I am so glad you’re at this place of acceptance — amen!!
Safe travels back home! I’ve missed our chats!