The Unhealthy Truth
ABOUT WOMEN & TEENS
FROM CHRONIC DIETING TO SOCIAL MEDIA PRESSURE AND LOW SELF-WORTH
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 experience 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.

No 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. Often, we set ourselves
up with false expectations 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 30” 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
expectations of what a
“body of our dreams”
should look like is a
common thread.

2. OBSESSIVE NEGATIVE
THOUGHTS Do you wake up critically examining
your body? Does it continue
throughout your day as you get
dressed or pass a mirror? The
obsessive nature we feel about our
fl 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 expectations. Rather than be
inspired by someone else’s progress,
we conversely feel defl ated.

3. CALORIE RESTRICTION AND
MEAL SKIPPING
Client food journals repeatedly reveal
women eating less than 1,200 calories.

Most 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 600-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.




THE THREE-PRONG PROCESS
So, how do we incorporate change? Start by slowly adhering to the
three-prong process, which includes the physical (nutrition and fi tness),
the emotional/spiritual and fi nally, the social — because true health and
wellness require the sum of these three parts. Obsessing over one prong
creates imbalance, sett ing us up for a lifetime of frustration. We aren’t
just made up of our bodies, but our spirit, thoughts, community and
the people we hold dear. Teens and adults alike need to fortify
themselves in these areas in order to truly live their best life.

If you fi nd yourself or your teen struggling with any of these
issues, follow the exercises below, and try practicing them
on a regular basis.

DEPRESSED GIRL SITTING : ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS / KATARZYNABIALASIEWICZ; WEIGHT CHECK: ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS/VLADIMIRFLOYD
4. BINGING-PENDULUM DIETING
A pendulum swings back and forth
going from one extreme to the other.

Pendulum dieting starts from a place
of deep, dissatisfaction with one’s
body and becomes a negative, ongoing
patt ern. It begins with full resolve,
along with a new dietary plan. And
while the motivation is high at fi rst,
it usually goes awry toward the end
of the fi rst week, when the body and
brain rebel. No longer can one keep
to such restrictions because the body
does not like to support cutt ing carbs
or eating packaged food fi lled with
chemicals, and thus a binge ensues.

After the binge, we experience food
guilt and even more disregard for
ourselves, causing the pendulum
process to repeat itself.

5. FEELING LIKE A FAILURE
Working as a health coach, you see
a lot of smart, creative, funny and
successful women, yet all of these
amazing qualities seem insignifi cant
to them when they step on the scale. A
three-pound gain or a zero-pound loss
seems to dictate their entire self-worth.

Similarly, smart, active, competitive
and savvy teenagers feel like failures
when they can’t reach their beauty
ideal either, especially when comparing
themselves to other peers online.

Nutrition/Fitness: Start with whole foods that make you feel
good. Don’t worry about carb or calories, and don’t eat anything
you don’t like just because it’s deemed healthy. Enjoy the sensations of
real food. Ditch anything that has too many ingredients in it you can’t
pronounce. As for fi tness, don’t kill yourself. Overexertion can lead to
burnout, not to mention injuries and infl ammation. For starters, fi nd
something you like. Just get out and move every day. Start by turning off
your phone for 10 minutes and practice some kind of movement instead:
run, walk, stretch, squat, jump — anything to get your heart rate up,
which is important for your general health.

Emotional/Spiritual: Take 5-10 minutes in a quiet spot where you can
hear your thoughts and just breathe. Try practicing gratitude for the
small things which gives us a bett er perspective on our lives in general.

Finally, create a “small happy.” A small happy is something that brings
joy to you every day and connects you to something other than your
diet, like buying fresh fl owers for your house or reading a few chapters
from your favorite book.

Social: Assess who your real friends are, the ones who bring positivity
into your life, and make a coff ee, dinner or walking date with them. This
kind of connection is integral, as good friends heighten our happiness
and bolster our self-worth. If you are truly pressed for time, then
schedule a time to talk with a friend on the phone, but don’t text.

As teens and adults, we are works in progress, growing, stretching
and developing all the time. While it is defi nitely diffi cult to banish the
old voices and criticisms from our past, a whole new approach is well
worth the eff ort. And it’s a crucial and positive example to set for your
teen. When taking this leap, it’s important to be patient and kind to
yourself in order for these small actions to take root, ultimately creating
a healthier body and mind.

Rachel Ornstein Packer is a health coach/writer and owner of
Matz oBall Fitness. She can be reached at Matz oBFit@gmail.com or
matz oballfi tness@Facebook.

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