The Unhealthy Truth
ABOUT WOMEN & TEENS
FRO CHRONIC DIETIN
TO OCIA
EDIA PRE
RE AND O
E F-
ORTH By: RACHEL ORNSTEIN PACKER
A s a health coach, you get to work
with people every day to help
guide and educate them on healthy
emotional and physical behaviors.

With this ex perience brings some
eye- opening insight into the
lifestyle similarities between certain
individuals. So what is one of the
most common observations in health
coaching? It’ s the alarming, frequent
connection between women and teens
in regards to nutrition and healthy
living. For both groups, there seems
to be many similar perceptions about
food guilt, body image, calorie defi cit
and self- worth.

o doubt, many of our hang ups and
harsh criticisms of ourselves appear to
be deeply rooted in our past. So how
do we change our adult perceptions,
and is it too late to change teen
perceptions so they don’ t grow up
carrying the same baggage? In order
to create a healthy body, we have to
shift our thinking toward healthier
pursuits.

ften, we set ourselves
up with false ex pectations and
misinformation. Take a look below
at fi ve common misperceptions and
beliefs women share with teenagers
regarding nutrition and healthy living.

1. CHRONIC DIETING
Both groups fall into the social
media trap of believing that there is
a perfect diet for a perfect body,
such as the
Whole
or
Keto” diets you see all over
Instagram. But more often
than not, these diets fail
us miserably. This leads
us to believe that it’ s our
fault, or that we have no
will power, when in fact,
maybe the diet is at fault.

Furthermore, warped
ex pectations of what a
body of our dreams”
should look like is a
common thread.

2. OBSESSIVE NEGATIVE
THOUGHTS
o you wake up critically ex amining
your body?
oes it continue
throughout your day as you get
dressed or pass a mirror? The
obsessive nature we feel about our
aws truly inhibits us from living
in our personal and best moments.

Social media can make us weary
with seemingly perfect bodies, not to
mention transformation pictures that
often times make us feel like we can’ t
live up to ex pectations. Rather than be
inspired by someone else’ s progress,
we conversely feel de ated.

3. CALORIE RESTRICTION AND
MEAL SKIPPING
Client food
ournals repeatedly reveal
women eating less than
,2
calories.

ost are frustrated that they aren’ t
losing weight, especially when they
don’ t eat breakfast or they skip a meal
during the day in order to decrease
calorie consumption. Similarly, in the
teen world, it’ s not uncommon to see
them replacing a standard, balanced
meal with a large, sugary
calorie drink from Starbucks to hold them
over until dinnertime. Calorie
restriction does not equal weight loss.

In fact, it can only inhibit weight loss
as the brain slows the metabolism to
conserve energy, sending the body
into starvation mode.