10 Top Tips for Building a More Positive Body Image

1 Develop a lifestyle that keeps you healthy and vital as an ongoing, lifelong process 

Invest in yourself, and have fun. Try shifting your focus from what you look like, to being comfortable in your body. It is important not to put your life on hold until you lose ‘x’ number of kilograms. Make choices right now, about how you wish to live your life in your body. 

2 Build on other aspects of your life 

Be with people who respect and accept you for yourself. Go out, meet friends for a coffee or explore art galleries. Look around for some (voluntary) work that will stimulate and satisfy you. Ring up the local community health centre and see what things they offer. Get out and do some walking in the bush, or join a sporting team. Be discerning about the amount of time you spend with people who are always focused on looks and food. 

3 Recognise negative self talk about your body 

Catch yourself in the act, and speak gently to yourself. Do some rephrasing of your self talk. You might even imagine your self talk as if it was coming from a television, which you choose to turn down (or off!). 

4 Be interested in why you hold on to negative feelings and thoughts about your body 

Talk about them with a friend or counsellor. As you learn more about the reasons why you might struggle with negative body thoughts, you can find ways to deal with them. 

5 Protect yourself from cultural bombardment 

Watching TV and reading magazines and newspapers can give us a false idea of what is a normal or average body shape and size. If people from another planet landed here and just watched TV and read magazines, I am sure they would assume that 99% of the women on Earth were size 8!! We only have to walk around any major shopping centre to see that people come in all different shapes and sizes.

6 Dress for now 

Many people have a range of different size clothes hanging in the wardrobe. It is thought by some people that by keeping the small size clothes in the wardrobe it serves to motivate them to again get back into the smaller sizes. However, for many people just the opposite seems to happen. By going out and buying some new fashionable clothes we increase the chances of feeling better about ourselves, which in turn helps us to look after ourselves better. 

7 Be on the alert for ‘size’ prejudice 

Size prejudice manifests in many different ways, from offhanded jokes at the workplace to preschool books that give inappropriate messages. Learn to value people of all sizes. Try to create an environment that is supportive of people of all shapes and sizes. 

8 Don’t get health messages and thin ‘ideal’ messages mixed up 

Thin does not equal health, and thin does not equal a healthy lifestyle. 

9 Don't allow others to criticise your body 

It is normal to get older. Each of our lives have a remarkable story to tell. In many ways our body reflects this story to ourselves and other people. Each of our own stories are very important. Read Kaz Cooke’s book ‘Real Gorgeous’, particularly chapter six on how to deal with the 'body police'. Refuse to participate if other women and/or men talk of dieting and ‘body loathing’. 

10 Discover who you are, learn to trust and value the self that lives in your body 

Cultivate compassion for yourself and your body. You are much more than your body. As Kaz Cooke writes: ‘You are not your buttocks’.

Obtain the Books

You can purchase Dr Kausman’s books through The Jean Hailes Foundation, book stores or through his website www.ifnotdieting.com.au. 

Dr Murkies’ book (co authored with Rita Erlich) can be purchased through The Jean Hailes Foundation or book stores. 

To purchase a book through The Jean Hailes Foundation you can download the order form at www.jeanhailes.org.au or call 1800 151 441.

You can Exercise at any Age 

By Marg Sherburn, physiotherapist, Jean Hailes Medical Centre and The School of Physiotherapy, The University of Melbourne

Don't settle back, because this article involves active participation by you!

Sit forward, away from the back of your chair, with your back long, feet on the floor and relax your shoulders. Now, circle your shoulders a few times, one at a time, then together. Drop your chin forward and draw four half circles with your neck, then relax your neck and shoulders. 

Now rock your weight back and forth on the seat of the chair feeling your lower back stretch and move. Hitch your hips side to side a few times, relax, then lift your arms overhead and bring them down in a big circle back to your sides. 

To finish, take three deep breaths right down to your stomach and congratulate yourself on doing some exercise! 

No one is ever too old to begin exercising. There is always something you can do, although if you have not done any exercise for a long time it is wise to seek professional advice first.

Some of you might be saying to yourselves: why do I need to exercise as much as I did when I was younger? I have a bit of arthritis in my knee, sure I can’t look up any more to brush cobwebs from the cornices. Or, I DO get aching feet if I walk around the shops too long BUT, I am getting older and I've got to expect that haven't I? 

To an extent, yes, there is no fountain of youth. Our bodies are designed to age, but let's enjoy ageing, not endure it. 

SO, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF BEING MORE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE? 

Less risk of, or less severe, cardiovascular diseases - angina, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack.

How does exercise work in these conditions? 

In two ways: 

• Activity burns off fats so they are not so prone to collecting in the blood and hardening the arteries. 

• By regularly making the heart work a little harder, you increase the size of the heart muscle itself and make it stronger. This means that your heart can pump more blood per beat and can rest longer between beats and it therefore tires less. 

What sort of activity is best to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease? 

Sustained aerobic exercise, which is any activity that makes the heart pump a little harder for a sustained period of time. Some types of aerobic activities are brisk walking, swimming, dancing or gardening. For best effects, aerobic activities should be carried out on all or most days of the week for 20 – 30 minutes. 

So, walk along the beach at sunset, walk with a friend and rediscover your neighbourhood, go bushwalking with a group, go dancing again, or surprise your family with your newly acquired tap dancing skills. 

Better bone health 

How does exercise work to maintain bone health? 

Daily exercise helps to keep bones and muscles strong, maintain flexibility and reduce the chances of injury. Our bone minerals are laid down in our adolescents years, maintained through adult years and then are quite suddenly reduced after menopause. Osteoporosis is the thinning of bones and with more fragile bones the biggest problem is risk of fractures or breaks. The most common fractures are at the hip, spine and wrist following a fall. 

What sort of activity is best to maintain bone health? 

Weight bearing and muscle strengthening exercises. Bones love unpredictable forces on them such as when we are dancing, playing tennis or netball, digging the garden or jumping and skipping. In fact, walking is not as good as the activities mentioned, so if you use walking for a bone health activity, try varying it.

Challenge your bones by going up and down stairs and hills, walk faster and increase the challenges when the last changes you made are becoming easier to do. 

And what muscles should you strengthen? 

Your thigh and calf muscles in particular. In particular do squats, step on and off a step and do heel raises. For your arms, try weight lifting. Yes weight lifting! Start lifting a light weight such as a half full water bottle in each hand. Raise your arms overhead, hold momentarily and then slowly lower your arms back to the side. Of course, your posture as you do this will be ideal – with a long straight back and relaxed neck! As you improve, gradually increase the weights you lift and the number of times you repeat the lift. And there’s more good news. Medical research has proven that strength training not only improves strength, but also your balance, gait, flexibility and coordination, which in turn improves your ability to lift, walk, bend, climb stairs and enjoy life (according to Council of the Ageing’s [COTA] Living Longer Living Stronger Program) 

What about activity if you have joint pain from arthritis, or any other cause? 

It’s best to do some daily flexibility activities for your joints and add some strengthening for the muscles that support the joints. Your joints probably would not like the impact and weight bearing exercise required for bone health. Your knees probably could not cope with a night of dancing, but would love some gentle flexibility movements - especially in a warm hydrotherapy pool - or on land doing something like Tai Chi, which is practising meditation and relaxation to movement. The Arthritis Foundation slogan sums it up: 'Move it or lose it'. 

Even though you might feel like you don’t want to move your sore joints, it is the best thing for them, within limits of course. By the time you have finished your activity, your joints and muscles should feel worked yet relaxed. And then there’s incontinence, that leaking feeling, just when you don’t want it to happen, or having to rush to the toilet NOW!

We now know more about the risk factors for incontinence during the menopause years and many of these factors, but not all, can be altered. You may have had babies and you may have had some associated surgery and each of us will pass through menopause, all of which we can’t alter. But those extra kilos that have appeared from seemingly nowhere, constipation and how we lift and carry weights can be modified. 

What sort of activity is best to help with incontinence? 

The best thing for incontinence is pelvic floor muscle training. But just as important is education about how you lift and carry and what foods you eat. So many women say ’I tried that squeeze exercise, but it didn’t do much good’. This is one area of health that probably needs some professional guidance to get you on your way, so your voice is not added to those who have been disappointed in the outcomes of pelvic floor muscle exercises.

CAN DOING SOME PHYSICAL ACTIVITY HELP WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS? 

Yes it can. And it is not just all in the mind!

When we do sustained aerobic activities our bodies produce natural hormones called endorphins, which are natural opiates and which make us feel good. Have you ever wondered why people can get hooked on exercise? Expressions like ‘gym junkie’ or getting the 'runner's high', come from this hormonal release which comes from aerobic exercise. So, if you feel like life is getting harder, or you are not on top of things, or you want more energy at the end of the day, try some type of sustained aerobic exercise that you enjoy. Try walking, cycling, yoga, tai chi, an exercise class at a community house, a gym workout or bush walking. It may seem strange, but it is actually best to burn up energy when you feel low in energy! It may be really hard to get out of your chair and put on some exercise shoes or shorts when you are feeling low, so get someone to go with you. Now, there are all the excuses in the world when it comes to changing habits and becoming more active and I think I have heard most of them. 

None of these excuses count, just in case you were thinking of using any of them: 

‘I’m too busy’ 

If you don’t make time for your health now, you will have to make time for ill health later on! Do something simple like park the car further away from the shopping centre entrance and push the trolley all the way to the car (with good posture, of course). Get off the tram one stop earlier and walk the block especially if you are carrying a briefcase or bag. Walk to the milk bar or market. Use the stairs, not the lift, especially if you are just going up one floor. All this physical activity adds up in a busy person’s day. 

‘I went to a gym once and felt out of place’ 

If the place is not right for you, it is not the activity that is wrong, just the place. Try somewhere else. 

‘I’m embarrassed…’ 

Understand what it is that you are embarrassed about and exercise where and when you feel most comfortable and wearing whatever clothes make you feel okay. 

’I can’t afford it’ 

With some creative thinking we can all find a type of activity that suits our budget. We don’t all have to be members at commercial gyms or wear the most expensive runners in the shoe shop. 

‘I’m needed at … home, work, with my family’ 

It is wonderful for our souls to be a needed member of any group, but we are also individuals and need space for our own inner peace. To do this we need to take time out for ourselves, especially when it impacts on our own health. Besides which, we are much better mothers/sisters/ daughters/friends if we are feeling good about ourselves. 

‘I have a slipped disc’ 

Research shows that after the initial treatment for a back injury, rest is the worst treatment for back pain, so there goes that excuse too! Remember those Workcover advertisements from a few years ago … ‘Back pain – give exercise a go’, ‘Walk away from back pain’ and ‘Back pain, don’t take it lying down’. Workcover didn't just pull those slogans from thin air. They were founded on compelling research, so turn them to your advantage. 

SO NOW, GETTING STARTED IS THE NEXT ISSUE. 

Remember: 

• To seek professional advice before you start, especially if you haven’t been active for quite a while. 
• That moderate and regular exercise is best. 
• To decide which type of physical activity suits your health goals, your abilities and your personality style. 
• To set goals in stages, write them down and tell people who will support and encourage you to achieve them. Don’t aim for the Olympics right away, but plan for next week, then next month’s improvements. 

Measure the success of this article by your actions tomorrow and beyond, not by the fact that you have just read it. 

So, stand up tall now, with your feet apart and circle your hips five times in each direction. Now, stretch your arms to the ceiling, one at a time, feeling a stretch along your ribcage. Stretch up both arms together, linking your fingers and turning your palms to the ceiling. Hold that for five seconds and repeat the sequence. 

Take three deep breaths and breathe out as slowly as you can while you set your physical activity goals for the rest of today.

Getting Active 

VICFIT Physical Activity InfoLine – 1800 638 594 

This is a free telephone based service available to all Victorians providing information, exercise programs and referral services to people wanting to develop or maintain a more active lifestyle. It is also a resource for organisations involved in physical activity promotion. 

VICFIT Neighbourhood Walk and Talk Program 

This program is part of VICFIT’s strategy to encourage people to become more active. People are recruited as ‘walking guides’ in local communities, who then encourage friends and neighbours to participate in regular activity. There are currently 70 Walk and Talk programs in Victoria, involving over 2,500 walkers. To find out about a walking group close to you please contact the Health Promotion Officer at VICFIT on 03 9412 4348. 

VicHealth Active Recreation Program: Beyond the Farm Gate 

This is a walking program coordinated by South West Sports Assembly, funded by VicHealth, that focuses on social interaction and mental and physical wellbeing of women in rural and isolated areas in Victoria’s South West. For further information contact Sheryl Hutchins on 03 5561 1689. 

National Heart Foundation 

The National Heart Foundation has various programs encouraging people to become more active. The National Heart Foundation can be contacted on 1300 326 787 or try the Heart Foundation in your state. 

Local Community Health Service 

Your local community health service will also be able to recommend programs and activities in the surrounding area.

The Jean Hailes Foundation magazine is designed to be informative and educational. It is not intended that The Jean Hailes Foundation magazine provide specific medical advice or replace advice from your health professional. The Jean Hailes Foundation does not accept any liability to any person for the information or advice (or the use of information or advice) which is provided in this magazine or incorporated into it by reference. Information is provided on the basis that all persons reading the magazine undertake responsibility for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its content. 

© The Jean Hailes Foundation. Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under copyright legislation, no part may be reproduced or reused for any commercial purposes.

Note: This article is an archive. Whilst the Jean Hailes Foundation for Women’s Health has made every effort to ensure this information was accurate at the time of publication, the article content has not been updated since the date listed below. 

Content March 21, 2003