Inside the Mind of the Naked Woman in the Mirror

Have you ever looked in the mirror at your naked body and critiqued yourself?

Whether you want to lose a couple pounds or gain some muscle it sometimes always feels like you can improve. Welcome to being an athlete.

Now, have you ever been in the same situation as above, but with a friend who is obviously in better shape than you and you hear her say the same thing?

I know I have thought, STOP. SERIOUSLY, JUST STOP. She is in such great shape, how can she say something like that, or even think something like that. I would die to look like her.

I have been on both sides of this scenario, but your mindset doesn’t really change.

With every body composition I have had, my mindset still continues to stay the same, there is always room for improvement. Always.

It is interesting to think that the majority of athletes feel the same urge to improve their body, no matter how fit they are….It doesn’t matter if you have a six pack or have 35% body fat.

There is always room for improvement.

But the most fascinating part, is we look at each other’s bodies with envy and comparison, even though each person essentially feels the same way about their body.

It’s kind of sad actually if you think about it.

Your view of your body is based around your own perspective, and I think that is what everyone forgets. I personally am a very fit individual based on what society deems as fit, but just because I have a lean frame up doesn’t mean that I don’t feel the exact same way about my body as others with higher body fat percentages.

It’s all relative to the particular person.

A great example is I am very in-tune with my body, so I can feel when I start holding on to a little extra fat. One day I was in the gym and I told one of my friends “I need to start running more, I can feel the weight coming on.”

She knows me well and together we planned a couple runs, but a heavier set woman in the locker room scoffed and rudely mumbled “yeah, like you need to go on a run.”

At first I was appalled by her reaction, but then I understood where she was coming from, especially because I have done the exact same thing.

It’s easy to forget that everyone is going through their own fitness journey.

In her eyes, I was who she wanted to be. But in my eyes, that was me being out of shape. It’s all relative.

The judgement (vocal or silent) is what destroys everything.

As much as we hate to admit it, we are continuously judging ourselves and our progress on others. It’s so easy to do. But the issue is….there will always be someone more fit than you.

Seriously, I will be in a great headspace, then one look on instagram and I am back to being insecure about my body.

This isn’t me being psycho, or negative because I do like the way I look and I am positive about how far I have come. There is part of me that thinks we could all focus a little more on ourselves… knowing we all are thinking the same thing.

As athletes we strive for perfection. It’s one of the reasons we got so good at our sport and it's a habit that drives us forward. With that being the tendency, it’s easy to slip into a comparative mindset.

There will always be someone better than you and you will always be better than someone else.

When we excel towards perfection in regards to our bodies, the same principle applies. We all look at ourselves through a similar lens, but we are all at a different stage of reaching our goals.

Remind yourself that your goal takes time and have the patience to let yourself get there.  

I challenge us as the trend setters, to change our perspective. Let’s share positivity, even to ourselves. Especially to ourselves.

Focus on our goals, rather than others. Let’s bring up the other women around us as they strive for their goals.

Be the leaders.

We are the 2%. Let’s act like it.