In the week or two before your big race and you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror while you are trying on your race day outfit or you come across a recent picture of you training and racing. What thoughts go through your head as it relates to your body image?
No matter how you think you look like or how you feel about your body, don't let negative body image thoughts sabotage your taper.
Body image is the mental picture that you have of your own body but also how you see yourself when you look in the mirror. It also refers to the way you believe others see you. Self-esteem is how you respect and value yourself but also how you take care of yourself physically, nutritionally and emotionally.
Because body image and self-esteem are closely related, when you have a healthy body image, you know how to and want to take care of your body. When you are dissatisfied with your body, you will not feel comfortable about your body and will not make smart choices to take care of your mental and physical well-being.
Athletes who are vulnerable of attaching self-esteem (or self-worth) to one's athletic performance (or feel judged by how well or don't well you perform) may find themselves with a heightened sense of body dissatisfaction - and vice versa. One big reason for this is that if your performance doesn't match your predicted outcome, you may feel as if your body weight/size/composition is to blame.
For many athletes, a drop in volume and a change in routine may cause a heightened sense of awareness of body image. Self imposed pressure to perform and worrying about the many things out of your control may lead to self-defeating thoughts about your body. If you find yourself in this place, I encourage you to change this thought process immediately.
A vulnerable athlete who feels uncomfortable with body image is likely to look for coping strategies, like dieting and over-exercising, in order to gain control. Never is intentional undereating/underfueling or overexercising performance enhancing.
If you are getting ready for a race but struggling with body acceptance during taper, I encourage you to change your focus on what your body looks like and instead, go to a place of what your body can do. When was the last time you thanked your body for allowing you to train for your upcoming event?
Direct your energy to your body strengths that have nothing to do with looks....
- What are your personal strengths and positive qualities?
- Have you improved your skills or technique?
- What are you able to do now that you once could not do with your body?
- What's amazing about your body?
- What do you love about yourself?
- Take a self-image inventory.
- Confront distorted or unhealthy thoughts.
- Challenge misleading assumptions about body appearance.
- Refrain from comparing yourself to others.
- Give yourself positive affirmations.
- Accept who and how you are.
- Be comfortable with your body.
Your taper is the culmination of many months of training. It is a very critical time in your training plan where you intentionally change up your normal training regime to sharpen your body for race day
A drastic change in your training schedule, alongside changes in your appetite, sleep pattern, body signals, lifestyle and mood can make you feel a little "off." This sudden, yet expected, time in the season can bring question, doubt and uncertainty, alongside an intense fear of athletic readiness. While a different phase in your training as you change your "typical" routine, taper is not the time to try to change, stress or worry about your body composition.
Taper is an uncomfortable time for many athletes as it means that your big race is quickly approaching. But it should be a time when you celebrate all that your body has accomplished - not bashing your body for what it looks like.
Embrace your taper. Embrace your body.
Taper is an important time in your athletic journey. Be sure to take good care of yourself mentally and physically.
Remember - you trained yourself to do something amazing with your body on race day. If you are training because you want to change how you look or how you want others to see you, you are training for the wrong competition.
Taper is an uncomfortable time for many athletes as it means that your big race is quickly approaching. But it should be a time when you celebrate all that your body has accomplished - not bashing your body for what it looks like.
Embrace your taper. Embrace your body.
Taper is an important time in your athletic journey. Be sure to take good care of yourself mentally and physically.
Remember - you trained yourself to do something amazing with your body on race day. If you are training because you want to change how you look or how you want others to see you, you are training for the wrong competition.
Your body is not an object. You are so much more than an image. Be amazing with your amazing body.