{"id":376688,"date":"2019-06-26T12:15:09","date_gmt":"2019-06-26T19:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=376688"},"modified":"2019-07-08T11:33:14","modified_gmt":"2019-07-08T18:33:14","slug":"body-neutrality-a-new-way-to-view-your-body","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/body-neutrality-a-new-way-to-view-your-body\/","title":{"rendered":"Body Neutrality: A New Way to View Your Body"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Haley Wen, Swimming World College Intern.<\/em><\/p>\n

The body of a swimmer is incredible.<\/h3>\n

It wakes up before the sun is up, works out crazy hard for three hours, then comes back for another three grueling hours later that same afternoon. We spend so much time training and honing our athletic ability in order to achieve lofty goals. When we finally reach them, we use our bodies to celebrate. Unfortunately, due to outside pressures, sometimes it can be hard to live in the body of a swimmer. The ideal pushed by the media doesn’t always align with the reality of a swimmer’s body. Negative body image can affect all people, and swimmers are no exception.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Photo Courtesy: Dennis Wen<\/p><\/div>\n

In the past few years, <\/span>swimmers at the highest level have spoken out<\/a> about the pressure they feel to have a certain body type<\/span>. Athletes’ bodies are constantly scrutinized by coaches, teammates, and themselves. Being a swimmer means that your body is particularly on display<\/a>, thanks to skin-tight swim suits. Female swimmers in particular are more likely to have broader shoulders and higher muscle mass than the average expectation society has of women. But this issue doesn’t just affect women – men also deal with this pressure. Athletes are put in a precarious position. This body-consciousness can mean success in swimming also comes with feeling uncomfortable in your own body.<\/span><\/p>\n

The worst case scenario is that this discomfort could lead to an eating disorder<\/a>. <\/span>A study conducted on Division I athletes<\/span><\/a> found that over one third of female athletes were at risk for developing anorexia nervosa. This is just one of the eating disorders that can stem from the stresses and pressures of being a performance athlete. An eating disorder could be catastrophic not just to your performance in the pool but also your life overall. It is incredibly important to maintain a healthy relationship with your body, no matter how it looks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Body Neutrality<\/h2>\n
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Photo Courtesy: Em Bhoo<\/p><\/div>\n

Body positivity – or loving your body\u2019s appearance the way it is – has been preached by many well-meaning people over the years. However, another trend has risen recently that may be even more helpful. That trend is called <\/span>body neutrality<\/span>. Body neutrality is all about focusing on what your body does rather than how it appears. It shifts any focus whatsoever about appearance onto function. Not only is the pressure to reach an unattainable body type lessened, but so is the pressure to care so much about how your body looks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to an article written by Leigh Weingus<\/strong> in HuffPost<\/a>, the concept of body neutrality first appeared in blogs and online searches in 2015 but gained momentum when Anne Poirier<\/strong> –\u00a0BS, CSCS, and CIEC – started started leading programs on it<\/a> at the Vermont wellness retreat Green Mountain at Fox Run in 2016.<\/p>\n

“Poirier\u2019s goal is to help participants acknowledge that loving their bodies isn\u2019t always realistic. Sometimes, it\u2019s OK to land somewhere in between \u2015 in a more neutral place. Body neutrality is about seeing your body as a vehicle that, when treated with care, can help you move about the world in a way that brings you joy. That\u2019s it. No thinking about how you look, either good or bad.” -Leigh Weingus<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mindfulness to the Rescue<\/h2>\n

Body neutrality also goes hand in hand with mindfulness. <\/span>Mindfulness<\/span><\/a> is the mental practice of awareness of your thoughts and feelings on a day to day and moment to moment basis. Meditation has been practiced for hundreds of years, with its roots in Eastern and Asian Buddhist practices. In more recent decades, the mindfulness movement has extended beyond religious affiliations and into the broader population. Thanks to the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn<\/strong><\/a> –\u00a0Ph.D., founding Executive Director of the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School – the general public has been able to accept mindfulness practice not only as a secular but also scientific practice.<\/span><\/p>\n