Chances are that if you’ve been going to the gym, whether you just started or you’ve been going for years, you’ve experienced the phenomenon of body dysmorphia at some point in time.

According to Google, body dysmorphia is, “a mental illness involving obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance”.

No matter how hard you train, how consistent you are and how good you may look to OTHER people..

When you look in the mirror, you can’t stand what is looking back at you.

Some may experience mild cases of it, while others severe. From a mental standpoint, a severe case of body dysmorphia has similar repercussions to an eating disorder. In many cases, severe body dysmorphia leads to an eating disorder or vice versa.

How do I know if I have body dysmorphia?

Symptoms include:

• Regularly checking your body in the mirror (too frequently)
• Avoiding the mirror at all costs
• Wearing clothes a specific way to cover certain parts of your body
• Comparing your body frequently to others
• Spending hours a day in the gym or working out (excessive exercise)
• Refusing to miss a workout even when you’re sick
• Taking no rest days
• Avoiding social events where your body may be “on display” aka the beach or the pool

If you’ve experienced any of these, chances are you’ve had a mild case at some point in time. I think it is pretty normal to experience at least one or a few of these from time to time but not on a consistent basis.

If you’ve experienced all of these on a regular basis, chances are you had a severe case of body dysmorphia to the point you also had an eating disorder. If you are currently experiencing this, you may just now be realizing this is what is going on.

Click here for some resources that may be able to assist you (there is absolutely no shame in getting help).

Why do gym goers experience body dysmorphia?

There are many reasons why gym goers may experience some form of body dysmorphia but there is one reason that is crystal clear to me.

The media.

And I don’t just mean social media, I mean television, movies, magazines.. everything.

In 2023 though, social media plays the biggest role due to its high visibility and frequent use.

Men are portrayed to be massive, have a ripped 6 pack, and biceps big enough to crush skulls.

Women are portrayed to be toned, but not too muscular because thats too manly. Curvy, but not TOO thick because thats considered overweight. A flat stomach, a huge butt and big boobs.

That is what the media portrays.

Picture. Perfect. People.

Or that’s at least what they’d like us to think is perfect, when in reality every person has a different idea of what is perfect.

As a frequent social media user, I 100% understand why people are looking at themselves in the mirror and doubting that their bodies are good enough.

This is the compare game that we NEED to stop. As humans, we naturally tend to compare ourselves to other people to gauge where we are but this ends up leading to a lot of outside pressure to be someone or something that we are not.

I’ll be the first to admit – it is extremely hard to stop. I still do it sometimes too (oh my god, I’m admitting a fault? That’s a step in the right direction).

I look at a girl on social media with muscle mommy quads and a fat 🍑 and think wow I look nothing like that. I don’t have those features and to be fair, I don’t think I ever will which makes me feel not worthy of being a trainer and trying to help other people.

I think that if I don’t have those features, what makes me think that someone would want to hire me to get them those features?

Every time I get into this mindset, I get down on myself for a minute or so but then I remember what a lot of people fail to realize is this:

1. Many people on social media are not natural. Don’t get me wrong there are plenty of people who are natural and look amazing but I think sadly many people hide the fact that they are on steroids OR have implants.
2. Looks are highly genetic. You have muscle mommy quads? Chances are that it runs in your family. Sure you can always grow your quads but some people will NATURALLY have features you don’t and that is okay. Not everyone is built the same and not everyone is meant to look the same. For me, I am naturally more upper body dominant so that is evident when you look at my body even though I train everywhere equally. So if you’re looking to get shoulders like mine, it may just not be in the cards for you HA (just kidding but not really I’m serious).
3. People who are very lean and defined are usually only very lean for a very short period of time because it is unhealthy, especially for females, to have a very low fat %. I think this poses a problem because many people are aspiring to have a body type that is simply unsustainable for a long period of time.
4. Many people on social media use photoshop, especially for their pictures. It takes a minute to drag and reshape your body however you’d like and you magically have a picture perfect body.
5. Even people who are natural and don’t use photoshop put their best foot forward on social media so that they are posed and in perfect lighting in pictures. I can say I fall into this category (maybe I’m part of the problem) & I can indeed confirm we do not walk around looking as good as we do in those pictures. Such is life though, think of social media as a highlight reel of peoples lives not something to look up to or expect for yourself every single day.

I strongly believe that another part of the issue is that a lot of people don’t understand the difference between being healthy and looking fit. Sometimes they go hand in hand, and other times they strongly conflict.

You can be really fit and extremely unhealthy.

You can be what most people wouldn’t really consider “fit” but be extremely healthy.

You can also be fit and be really healthy too.

Achieving the right mindset for the gym

The number one reason people go to the gym is to look good and that’s it.

This is the WRONG mindset to have when it comes to the gym and training.

This will lead you to just going through the motions day by day, not enjoying your time in the gym, and ultimately lead you to failure. You may look really good by the way while all of this is happening, but mentally you will not be good and your mental health is just as important as your physical health.

You should go to the gym and strength train to improve your heart health, make your bones stronger, lower your risk of disease, increase your mood and brain health, manage your blood sugar levels, improve your sleep, and EVERYTHING else that comes with it.

It’s not about the muscle or the weight you lose, its about the life you gain from all of this. The benefits that come with the gym. The ultimate goal is a long, healthy life.

It is important to train with focus and to train with intention. Train with the intention of living a long happy life for you, for your family, for your friends, and all the people that you love and care about.

You don’t need to train like a bodybuilder or train like a powerlifter to be healthy.

You don’t need to be the biggest or most muscular person in the gym to be healthy.

You don’t need to be the leanest or most defined person in the gym to be healthy.

You just need to find a style of training you enjoy and stick to it long term to be healthy.

If you’re doing all the right things, eating healthy most of the time, training with the right intentions, and showing up consistently for yourself, your body will reward you tremendously.

So instead of going to the gym with the end goal of looking good, switch it up.

Start going to the gym with the end goal of being happy and healthy and EVENTUALLY you will look good as well without even thinking about it. All good things come with time.

Hit the gym with the intention of training for a lifetime not for a month.

When you enter those doors at the gym, you leave your ego behind. Everyone in there is equal. Everyone is just trying to work on and improve themselves.

Whether you’re a newbie or bodybuilder, it doesn’t matter at the end of the day. You should never compare yourself to anyone else in the gym but yourself.

It’s you against you!

The same thing goes for social media.

Instead of comparing yourself to other peoples highlight reel, simply appreciate them and their features if you scroll by them. Maybe give them a compliment if you’d like but just know that you are not them and you’re not meant to be them. You are you for a reason.

You have your own strengths, your own struggles, your own goals.

Express gratitude for your strengths, appreciation for your struggles and get to work on being the best version of you because at the end of the day, you’re all you got.

Until next time,

Coach Emily