According to the Center on Media and Child Health, a teenager's body image is closely related to her self-esteem. If a teen doesn't feel good about her body, this will translate into a lack of confidence in other areas of her life that have little to do with health and fitness. One effective way for a teenager to improve body image and boost self-esteem is through exercise.
Teen Body Image
As defined by the Center on Media and Child Health, body image is the perception a person has about himself based on the way he looks. Body image, however, is not necessarily based on facts, and is highly subjective. A teenager's body image can chance due to influences from a variety of factors, ranging from biological to psychological to social, and media imagery plays a key role in influencing how a teenager feels about her body. During the teen years, having a poor body image can lead to an array of problems, including depression, eating disorders and even a desire for cosmetic surgery to alter physical features a teen find unattractive. Although problems with body image are typically associated with teenage girls, teen boys can also suffer the negative effects of having a poor body image.
Exercise and Body Image
According to a 2009 study published in the "Journal of Health Psychology," the simple act of exercising can improve a teen's body image. The study examined all intervention studies that were undertaken on the relationship between exercise and body image up to June 2008, culling the results from studies that appeared in 57 publications. The researchers found conclusive evidence that exercise improves the way both adults and teenagers view their bodies, regardless of the amount of exercise undertaken and the level of fitness achieved. Although the frequency of exercise was a factor in how much improvement was seen in improving body image, the duration, intensity, length or type of exercise made no difference whatsoever.
Exercise Tips
A 2004 article published in "Visions: BC's Mental Health and Addictions Journal" offers a number of tips for teenagers that can help make exercising a more positive experience, and thus improve body image. For example: avoid exercising in front of a mirror. Create an atmosphere of emotional safety when exercising. Try to dismiss media images that make you feel bad about the way you look. Focus on the pleasure you feel when exercising, not the way it appears. And finally, pay close attention to the way your body is responding to exercise and respond appropriately, especially if you feel any pain or fatigue during exercise.
Compulsive Exercise
Although exercise can improve body image, too much exercise may be a sign of a psychological disorder known as compulsive exercise, also called obligatory exercise or anorexia athletica. This condition is essentially an addiction to exercise that is fed by an exceptionally poor body image, similar to an eating disorder. If a teenager exhibits a compulsion to exercise, and feels undue guilt and anxiety when she doesn't exercise, this may be a sign of compulsive exercise. Other symptoms of this disorder include an insistence on exercising while injured or ill, exercising during bad weather conditions, and exercise that takes precedence over other social activities. Teens that suffer from this type of disorder tend to measure their self-worth by their exercise performance, and cope with emotional issues by pushing their bodies to the extreme with rigorous workouts.
References
- Kids Health: Compulsive Exercise
- "Visions: BC's Mental Health and Addictions Journal;" Body Image and Physical Activity; Kate Maliha; 2004
- ScienceDaily: Exercise Improves Body Image For Fit And Unfit Alike; October 2009
- "Journal of Health Psychology;" Effects of Exercise Interventions on Body Image; Heather A. Hausenblas; September 2009
- Center on Media and Child Health: Body Image
