Despite runners' bodies being amazing, many runners endorse a high level of body dissatisfaction. As runners we often internalize ideas of what it means to have a “runners’ body” which often leaves us feeling bad about how we look rather than celebrating our bodies’ capabilities. Below are three strategies you can try to improve your relationship with your body!
Listen to your body
We are getting information from our bodies all the time. Trying to fight against what our body wants and needs can make us feel frustrated. Listen to what your body is telling you. This might be food, water, rest, additional challenges, etc. If you’re struggling to do this, journaling can help! Trying to make note of what you do that makes your body and running feel better and do more of that!
Focus on what your body can do rather than how it looks
As runners, we often have a sense of what our body “should” look like and we rarely live up to that expectation. Rather than focusing on appearance, weight, etc. focus on what your body can do. When you start to feel yourself criticizing your appearance try to refocus on the amazing things your body can do (e.g., run long miles, run fast, recover from injury, etc.)
Evaluate the messages you’re receiving
The messaging we receive about our bodies as runners comes from many different places – fellow runners, coaches, social media, families – it’s worth evaluating the types of messages we’re receiving and determining if they are serving us or not. For example, if your social media feed is filled with runners talking about appearance, food restriction, or criticism, consider unfollowing people who are sharing these messages and replace them with body positive or body neutral running messages.
Or if you have a running friend who constantly talks about their body (or your body!) set a boundary that's not something you want to talk about. Controlling the messages we receive can help us think less about our body’s appearance, leaving more energy to celebrate the joys of running!
This article originally appeared in The Connection, TCM's weekly e-newsletter. Subscribe here.
Hayley Russell, PhD, is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant, runner, and professor of health and exercise psychology. She is one of the team of Motion Experts TCM has gathered to help its subscribers and participants get the most out of their running. You can reach Hayley at: [email protected].