The topic of a healthy body image for female athletes hits home for us. We've personally suffered / still suffer from poor body image and negative thoughts about ourselves. We know that we aren't alone. When doing a poll on our Instagram, it showed that...
86% of you Ladyballers have dealt with or are currently dealing with negative body image issues.
When asking our audience "What's a negative thing you think about your body?" they said:
- That their thighs were too big [We could never fit into skinny jeans]
- That they felt fat, especially if they were injured and could not work out
- That they always had weird tan lines
- Their feet were too big or too small
- Their calves
- They had scars
- They were too skinny
- They were short or too tall
- They were suffering from acne on face, back and entire body
- A lot of them said one thing they didn’t like about themselves [ex. They hated your stomach].
This is a problem! How could we possibly be our superhero LADYBALLER badass selves if we are constantly worrying about our exterior looks? We spend hours a day worrying about our appearance when we could be putting that energy into other things that truly matter - like spending quality time with your friends, volunteering, calling your mom, helping a neighbor, or even NAPPING!
The question is...how can we change the narrative?
For one thing, we truly believe that we should take a second to realize we are SO LUCKY TO BE ON THIS EARTH, TO BE BREATHING, TO BE ALIVE! When it comes down to it, we don't want to waste another precious day on our "looks" that won't matter when we leave this earth.
Think about it...What will be your positive impact on this planet that is greater than yourselves?
One ladyballer commented saying, “I was born with arms and legs so I have to be thankful for that, not everyone is that lucky”. This almost brought tears to our eyes.
We need a daily reminder that the FUNCTION of our beautiful and strong thighs are way more important than anything else.
That being said, we are here to help you Ladyballers. We compiled OUR all-time favorite ways to love ourselves on a daily basis. We challenge you to pick ONE recommendation and try to implement it into your life today.
- Appreciate all that your body can do. Every day your body carries you closer to your dreams. Celebrate all of the amazing things your body does for you—running, kicking, yelling at refs (jk but not really), jumping to celebrate a win!
- Positive Affirmations & Train your Brain. We know that positive self-image is not something that happens overnight. Like athletes, we need to train. We need to train our mindset, to flip a switch, to practice daily positive thinking. Because for those who don't realize it, your thoughts become actions. So if you're thinking positively, you'll act positively. And making that a daily habit..becomes a lifestyle. Change your iPhone background to positive words! Leave inspirational post-it notes on your mirror! You got this.
Alright ladyballers, we hope that you found those tips helpful. We talk a lot more about body-image in our latest podcast. Click to listen now!
We're setting you up for success,
Carly, Shannon and Alanna
Team SoccerGrlProbs
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