[POD] 190. 3:18:25 - How to quiet body image noise FINAL AUDIO
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[00:00:00] Hello. Hello. I am here today with a solo episode. We have had some really great guest episodes on the woman of wellness podcast. That's something I am trying to lean into more this year. I hope you have enjoyed some of them. And I also hope you're patient with me as I learned to become a better host and a better question asker.
And, um, I'm really excited for some of the interviews that [00:01:00] we have coming for this year. And also some of the interviews. I don't know where coming that will come because our community needs it. And I'm really excited for that, but I wanted to jump in and do a solo episode today, you know, these are my favorite and they're usually based on what's happening in my community, in my memberships.
Um. that they're struggling with or that I'm hearing that you're struggling with. And so today I really wanted to talk about, um, body image. And a few months ago I released a podcast episode called how to quiet food noise. And that has been my most downloaded episode, I think ever, or at least for the last year.
And I thought, you know what, we need to have a conversation about how to quiet. body image noise and how to change or I guess improve a negative body image. And if you struggle with that, if you struggle with your relationship with your body, I [00:02:00] hope this episode is very useful for you. And if it is, please share it with someone you love, who you want to know how much you love them and that their body is good and worthy and All of the above as it is, and we can also help you create healthy habits to support that body through healthy, happy change.
Okay. I've said it on here before that you, you don't have to change your body to love and accept it. Right. And it's also okay to love and accept your body. And work toward change. Those two things can coexist. This episode actually came about because of my membership community. I had a really dear friend asked me to speak, um, at one of her kind of family get togethers with all the women in her family about body image and self love.
And I just think this message is so important and it is the first step to being able to [00:03:00] accomplish anything you want with your health goals, because if you are in a place of. dissonance or combativeness with your body, right? You're frustrated with your body. You don't like how you look. You don't like how you feel.
You're constantly belittling different things about your body or just, just not feeling good in your body, right? We can't get where we want to go because that relationship So, I've had lots of women, and I've shared this on the podcast before, but I've had lots of women, um, come to me in the past and say, you know, I lost all this weight, but I still don't love my body.
Like I thought I would, I thought, you know, I lost this weight and I would love it. And the reality is, is if we don't work on this piece first, no amount of change is really going to be happy change. We have to learn how to work with our body instead of against it. And so many popular diet programs, the messaging.
and weight loss [00:04:00] programs, the messaging is that we want to escape the body, right? We want to get away from what it is. But the reality is like, it's you and it's just you with different habits. Let me repeat that. Your body now is still you. It's just you with different habits, different habits maybe you've had before, different habits than you've, than you will have in the future.
And that's my goal, always, is to help you build that relationship with your body, and then create those habits that match. That make you feel like, yes, I'm doing what feels good for my body, and I feel good in my body, and I can show up and take over the world, right? Like, just that feeling, and that's what we're going for.
Okay. So before we jump into the episode, um, here's what I'm doing. I want this message to get everywhere. I really want, not even everywhere. I want it to get deep in your heart. If [00:05:00] one person listened to this and felt that depth in their heart that they can heal their relationship with their body and start creating habits that support that body, that make them feel better than I've done my job.
And that's what I'm here to do. So I have a 14 day self love audio course. It's just short. They're less than 10 minute audio lessons that will help you heal your relationship with your body, create a better relationship with the body that you're in and take those steps toward, um, Healing and it's yours for free.
I want to gift it to you. Okay. The caveat is you've got to go sign up for it. Okay. It's, it's totally free. So, um, you can just go to the link in the show notes. I'll have the link there. I don't have the handle on the top of my, um, mind, which I really should, but, um, The link will be in there. You can just download it for free.
You can download each of the [00:06:00] audios. You can save them to your phone and utilize them whenever you need. They're so powerful. I've used them myself. My clients have used them. Members of our community have used it. It's so, so powerful. So for my podcast listeners, I want you to have this. I want you to start creating that relationship with your body because we're going to be diving into habits and, um, you know, nutrition and exercise.
And if we don't have this foundation built. None of that's going to matter. Okay. So go get that. It's totally free. And I want to jump into the episode now. Welcome to the woman of wellness podcast, a show dedicated to empowering you to make peace with food. Embrace your body and enjoy the journey to lasting health and wellness.
I'm your host, Elizabeth Dahl, a certified exercise physiologist and women's nutrition and behavior coach, passionate about helping you build sustainable habits, achieve your goals, and create a lifetime of health without dieting or restrictions. And because women's health is such a [00:07:00] multifaceted journey alongside sharing my expertise, I'm bringing you conversations with leading women's health experts to explore the many dimensions of wellness.
From nutrition and weight loss to mental health, hormones, and self care, we'll uncover the tools and strategies you need to create a life of health and balance. To the woman who's tired of the dieting roller coaster. who feels disconnected from her body or overwhelmed by food and fitness rules, this is your invitation to make a change.
To the woman who's ready to achieve food freedom, lose weight in a way that feels good, and discover the true meaning of health, you're in the right place. It's time to ditch the guilt and shame of diet culture and embrace a new path to wellness. My friend, you are already a woman of wellness. Your worth is not defined by a number on the scale.
You deserve to show up in love for your body today and every day. Join me each week for inspiring conversations, expert insights, and [00:08:00] practical strategies to help you discover what your body truly needs. It's time to reject the lie that health and weight loss have to be hard, painful, or miserable. I'm ready to link arms with you and experience the joy of wellness together.
Let's talk about body image noise. How do we quiet the noise? Well, first, I think we need to define what body image noise is. And it's a little bit easier if we compare it to food noise, right? I think when I say how to quiet food noise, you automatically have like a list of things, right? Well, it's very similar.
You're constantly thinking about it. Maybe there's an obsession there. Maybe you're constantly worrying. Maybe you feel shame, guilt, or distrust. You don't trust your body. Or if we're thinking food noise, we don't trust food, right? This is how we would define body image noise. Those thoughts that are coming in all the time causing you [00:09:00] to Obsess over it or worry about it or constantly point out the flaws or sit there and say I don't trust this or I'm I'm disgusted or I'm um, I feel shame about my body or i'm constantly like what can I do?
You know that that desperation mode. That's Body image noise. And if you feel it, the goal of this episode is to help release some of that and help you, um, have less of it, have a less body image noise that is not supportive and more noise that is supportive. Where does it start? It starts with our stories.
The stories we tell ourselves are the truths that we hold. Let me say that again. The stories we tell ourselves are the truths we hold. Just consider that for a minute. What stories or beliefs do you have about [00:10:00] your body? What have you said to and about your body? before. What kinds of things do you say about your body?
I can't do this, or I'm too big for this, or my legs are this, or my stomach this, or I can't control this, I'm an overeater, I don't feel safe around food, right? Like, what stories do you have about your body? I'm lazy. What do you say? Oh, my legs. Oh, my arms, right? What is going on in your body? And also, what stories do you have about like bodies in general or healthy bodies in general?
What story do you have like, what does a healthy body look like? And you've created an ideal image in your mind and your body isn't like that. Right? Or what stories have you created? Okay, [00:11:00] a healthy body is this size, this weight, this look, right? All of these things. Or a beautiful body, or whatever. What, what stories are you telling yourself that is making you feel less than whatever ideal standard you've created?
In your head, based on outside sources, right to like, I mean, we have these outside sources coming in saying like, this is what beauty looks like, or this is, this is what health looks like. Um, and so we take all of that noise, that information in and create stories and beliefs about it. And then we make it.
personal, right? Then we start to say, well, my body's not this. I don't have the long legs, so I will never, or, um, I am this, so this, right? Like we create, we create the story that becomes the truth that then leads to. the beliefs that we [00:12:00] have that lead to actions, right? Because I believe this, then I do this, or I don't do this, right?
I'm not a runner, so I can't run. I'm not going to do cardio, something like that. So think about that for a minute. It doesn't matter if they're universally true, right? If you're like, okay, well, I, in my brain have decided that this is what health is. That's not a universal truth. I don't want to discount the fact that they're true for you, right?
They're true for you, and your heart, and your feelings, and what you are feeling, and that's okay. So what do we do next? First of all, we have to identify these stories. Um, from there, we have to identify the source of the stories. Where is this message that you're feeding to your body [00:13:00] coming from? Is it coming from social media?
Is it coming from childhood? Right? Is it coming from a mom or a grandma or an aunt? Is it coming from friends in your circle that are all doing this particular diet or, or not speaking good about their bodies? Or even maybe, you know, friends in your circle who aren't doing anything but just the way they look causes you to compare and make assumptions and make stories.
Right? Create stories about yourself. So, and so I'm not like her and I'm not like her and I fit in here. Like we're constantly, um, trying to, um, find our place. Right. So we, first of all, need to identify where the, um, messages. This noise is coming from, right? And then from there, ask ourselves, what is the [00:14:00] intention behind the source of the noise?
It might be something like very intentional, a mom who put you on a diet, who was very obsessed with body image, or, um, a particular social media account that is very specific to weight loss and dieting, right? Or. Or specific to a particular body look or image. And the intention is to say, Hey, like this is what health is, or this is what this is.
Right. And we have to identify that intention first. It, it might just be, Hey, there's no intention here. I'm creating intention from it. Like maybe it's that circle of my friends that is really great, but I'm finding myself comparing that's coming from within. Right. Um, and so we, we have to identify where the source of the noise is coming from and what the intention.
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Now that you've identified the source of the stories and the source of the noise and, and some of the intention, your next step is to now start curating. Your noise. Okay? Noise is not inherently a bad thing. Right? We, noise means the input that we're given. And so you have an opportunity now to say, Okay, I want to heal my relationship with my body.
I'm looking to create a better relationship with my body so I can support it in the unique way that it needs to be supported to create change, to create healthy habits, to create [00:17:00] a lifestyle of health that feels good to me.
I get to curate that. I get to choose what noise comes in. Isn't that the beauty of it all? You get to choose what comes in. You get to be the gatekeeper. And you get to choose what comes in from outside sources and also What's coming from internally, and that might be interesting to navigate, right? Those internal feelings, those things that you're saying to yourself that maybe you don't have a source, an outside source, but identifying that you're creating your own noise with negative words, negative thoughts, negative feelings.
So those, those are two real places that noise comes from outside as well as within. And sometimes the within has a source outside, right? It has, it has a, it has a [00:18:00] source from a social media account or a blog post or a family member or friend, right? Like it can come from there, but then it becomes internal.
Here's your chance to curate your noise. Be mindful, even rigid, of the noise trying to get in. Okay? Think about creating kind of that safe, a little bit of a safe zone for yourself, I guess. And, like, I think about, you know, like creating some form of a barrier where It's not a barrier that nothing can get in, but it's like identifying who can come in based on their credentials, right?
Like if you wanted someone to come into your home, you're not just going to open your home and say, everyone come into my house based on credentials. Like you'll be respectful [00:19:00] and you're my friend, or I am aware of, you know, your values or I know things you can bring those people in. Well, that's the same thing.
We need to be mindful of the noise trying to get in, and here's the simplest way to do that. If it makes you feel less than in your body, it's not the noise you want. It's that simple. If it leads you to negative body thoughts and stories, It's not the noise you want, and we turn it off. That's, that's when we close the door, right?
We, we lock the door, we say, That's not what I, that's not what I'm looking for. That's not what I want. Curate your noise. Go do this on social media. Maybe do this in your friend group. I don't know. Um, or with your family, if we need to have a conversation, like, Hey, you know what? I'm happy you guys like to talk about this.
Do you think you guys could do it without me around? Like maybe you could start your own text [00:20:00] message thread. Like I'm working on this and I'm, I'm more than happy to support you guys in what you're doing. Will you support me in what I'm doing? Right. Um, I don't have any sisters, so I don't, I haven't really experienced drama in that way.
I guess I only have brothers. It's very different to only have brothers, but I have. Many clients have said, you know, sometimes family dynamics, especially with a lot of women who have body image struggles can be a struggle. Um, and so I think it would be valuable to just say, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm curating my noise.
I'm being mindful and I'm trying to keep good positive thoughts for my body so that I don't spiral out of control. Or go back on that diet or feel just constant shame and disgust for my body. That's not what I want to do. I want to nourish it to change and nurture it to change and not shame it to change.
So that's the first step really is to curate your noise. Be very mindful, pay attention this week, pay attention. If you're just scrolling [00:21:00] through social media, pay attention to what you see. And if it's like, Oh. I feel that I notice a story come up. Oh, she looks like that. I should, or so and so is living this lifestyle.
I should, right? Even if as good intentions, and I think most places have good intentions. Um, it doesn't matter their intention so much as how you receive it and you will find, um, support out there. And I, and I hope this podcast and my social media is a support for that. Um, but if it's not. Shut it down.
Anybody watch new girl? That is a new girl reference. And if, if you don't get it, it's fine. I still love you. Um, but curate your noise. Let's move on. Turn inward. Now that you've curated this outside noise, turn inward and find your own noise. What is your body telling you? Your [00:22:00] body has a, you have a unique gift of a body that wants to communicate with you.
Headache, that's a communication. Throat hurting, that's a communication. Tight shoulders, that's a communication. Hunger, hunger cues? That's your body saying, Hey, I need something. Fullness cues? Hey, I need to stop eating. Fatigue? Hey, I need to sleep more. Pain? Hey, I need to move my body more. You have an incredible, already built in system in your body to provide feedback for you on what it is that it needs to support.
I have a little example here. I, um, If I don't exercise consistently, like strength, train consistency, consistently, my back starts hurting a lot. Like my low back. Um, and I'm working on some things with [00:23:00] them doing some like rehab stuff that I need to do because I've. I haven't taken good care of it. It's kind of like my dad's a general contractor and, you know, they always make other people's houses look great, but then growing up, your house was always unfinished.
It's kind of the same way. Like I know what to do. It's just been like, Oh, I need to pay more attention to that area of my body. And I notice when I'm inactive, like when I'm. If I go, you know, a week or two without work exercising, um, my back gets really, really sore and that's my body saying, Hey, remember, we actually love exercise and it's really good for us.
So get back to it, right? It's just that little like indicator your body is telling you things. And you need to find that noise for yourself, okay? The other thing to remember is that all bodies are imperfect. You might say, well, my body doesn't work this way, or I have this condition, or everything. And those feelings are valid, okay?
Those feelings are valid. Maybe you have chronic fatigue. Maybe [00:24:00] you have an autoimmune. Maybe you're aging. Maybe you're arthritis. Like, there are so many things. Maybe your body didn't work the way you wanted to during pregnancy. Or maybe, you know, you have been through some grief and you're struggling right now.
Um, or depression, right? These things are real and we're still allowed to say, my body is imperfect and it has some things that I have to work with a little bit extra, but it's also still valuable. The relationship. Should be still very valuable to you, right? We still want to create that relationship with your unique body, regardless of the things that feel hard sometimes, right?
So just recognize that all bodies are imperfect. All have things, some are worse than others, I acknowledge that, right? Some seasons are better than others or worse than [00:25:00] others. They're all imperfect. And sometimes our bodies let us down. Sometimes things don't work the way they're supposed to. Sometimes we go through seasons where you're like, what is this problem?
Why am, what is, what is happening and, but it's still a signal, right? It's still, it's still a communication with your body saying, Hey, something's a little bit off. And when we can communicate with that, we can get at the root cause faster than anything else. When we can sit down and look at and say, okay, am I doing, am I moving my body and supporting it in this way?
Am I providing it with good nutrition? You know, we can list out these healthy habits that, um, help support anybody, right? And then if we're still struggling, we can say, okay, now I need to go get some extra help because I've, I have these basic things and I'm still struggling with this. So. All bodies are imperfect.
Okay. And then from there, I want you to ask, why not? [00:26:00] Why not me? Some so, so often we find ourselves in a place where we feel like our body's not worthy of doing what, or it's not worthy of, um, I don't even know what the right, right word is. I don't even, I'm not sure if worthy is the right word, but we've, we find ourselves in a place where we feel like.
I'm too this for this, right? I'm too big to do this. So my body's not worthy of nourishment, right? It's not worthy of receiving that because I've taken poor care of it or, um, like it. It's in a bad place. We, we, we look at our body and we say, well, I'm not where I want to be, so I should like punish it and cut out carbs and sugars and write all of that.
Um, but instead when we're working with our bodies, instead of against it, we ask the question, why not? Why is my body not worthy of nourishment where it is right [00:27:00] now? Why not? Why not support it right now? It's the body you have right now. The body you have right now is. The only thing you have and we can still support it and it's still worthy of nourishment now and if slash when you lose weight because you're nourishing it with healthy habits.
So ask yourself, why not? Why not take good care of my body? Why not go on a walk? And don't let your brain tell yourself the story that a walk is going to do nothing. Take a walk. is significant. One walk leads to two walks, leads to three walks. In fact, I'll give you a little tiny example. This is a little bit different, but, um, I am training for a Spartan race, which is like an obstacle course race.
And I [00:28:00] had a baby a year ago, so I haven't been, like, in my best shape because me and exercise and nursing, like, they don't all really go together very well. Um, and I nursed for almost 10 months. And so, you know, I was just focused on supporting my body through that. That was more important. I was walking, but I wasn't doing a whole lot of, like, hard exercise.
And Anyway, I decided to sign up for the Spartan Race and I had to start from a, um, what, what's the word? Um, a disappointing start. I don't know if that's the right word. Um, but I, I realized, you know, I had to start from a place I hadn't been for a while because, you know, I, I, um, hadn't really been doing a ton of exercise fitness wise.
Maybe, you know, I was trying to get out and walks with the baby. I was trying to do, you know, some core things like all this stuff, but, um, The reality is like life with a newborn, you're just focused on healing and [00:29:00] supporting your body. And I'm not a believer in like six weeks and then go for it in terms of exercise and all of that and weight loss.
I just really believe you listen to your body. And I, and I believe that in all stages of life. Um, but it's been interesting for me to watch, you know, myself progress through this and realize, okay, I'm feeling stronger and I've been able to do more than I was at the beginning, but it took me some time in it.
If you are struggling. Give yourself six to eight weeks of consistency before you even feel like, okay, this is making a difference. You'll feel some difference in the beginning, but, um, it takes some time for our body to respond, right? So just remember that your body, why not? Why not? Why isn't my body worthy of nourishment today?
Why not give it what it needs today? Because what I give it today is what I can expect for my body to give back tomorrow, right? Okay. Hopefully that was helpful. [00:30:00] Reducing body image noise begins with curating your know your own noise. Let me start that over. Reducing body image noise begins with curating your own noise that is supportive and nurturing.
Start creating your own noise. In forms of stories and beliefs, my body is worthy of good nutrition. My body is worthy of movement today. Whatever feels good. My body is worthy of positive words. You know what you're doing fine. You're doing great. In fact, um. One of the, on day 14 of the audio course, I actually don't, I don't think I have an audio for it, but on day 14, I suggest that you write yourself, write your body a letter, um, just a conversation with your body about, you know, what you've been through, what you're grateful for, what you're like, the, just a letter that might say, Hey, I want to start a [00:31:00] relationship with you.
I want to improve. I want to get better together. So, yeah. That could be something that you could take away from this episode and go do that. You could also go through the audio course and do that at the end. If it, if it feels like you might feel a little bit better and more available to having that kind of conversation with yourself, um, don't shy away from this.
Okay. Just because it's hard, um, doesn't mean it's not worth doing, right? It's hard because sometimes we have a lot of stories about our body and what. an acceptable body image is and what it's supposed to be and what it was and all of the above. And what I want you to take away from this is that your body is worthy of acceptance right now, and it's worthy of nourishment and support right now.
And if you're having a hard time with that, That's what this episode is for, to help you change those stories, curate your own noise so that you can create these [00:32:00] stories and the actions that support a healthy body. Okay. Thank you so much for joining me with this episode this week, and I've got a few more guests coming, um, in the next few weeks.
So look forward to that and grab the audio course as well. And if you are someone. If you're struggling with healthy habits and you want a framework, okay, you want a framework for creating healthy habits in your life. If you're like, I don't know where to start, or I feel way too far gone, or I feel like I'm just really struggling.
Inside our Women's Wellness Hub, we have A framework for healthy habits that you can start today that is simple and helps you build up to a lifestyle of health that fits your own lifestyle. And we've got a community coming in the next couple of weeks, which is amazing. And I'm going to be starting, um, coaching calls and all of the above.
So if you're part of that, you get all of that as well as all the masterclasses that I've been sharing on our podcast. And I have some really good ones in the work, which [00:33:00] I'm excited for. Um, so please, please join us there. Thank you so much for joining me today. And I'll be back next week with. Another episode.
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