Mirrors Hurt Body Image and
Exercise
 We're
constantly being told that exercise is good for us: good for
our health, good for our moods, good for fun.
Truth be told, though, we exercise mostly to shape our
bodies. We want to look toned and trim, like all the smart,
successful men and women that fill the media.
Our body image and our willingness to exercise, especially
those of us who tend to be sedentary, appears to be
negatively affected if we exercise in a mirrored
environment.
Dr Martin Ginis and colleagues at McMaster University found
that even women with good body image felt worse about their
bodies after exercising in a mirrored room.
Constantly checking out our bodies in reflective surfaces
encourages us to judge them negatively, comparing them to an
unrealistic ideal. "Get rid of the mirrors" suggests Merryl
Bear, director of the National Eating Disorder Information
Centre, www.nedic.ca. "Let's celebrate and enjoy our
capacity to move in different ways".
"Physical activity is important to our physical and mental
wellbeing," says Bear. "We need to ensure that the exercise
that we do is good for us - many individuals use excessive
exercise to try and manage their emotions through
controlling their weight and bodies."
On the other hand, says Bear, individuals who don't get
enough exercise are missing out on both the joy of being
able to move their bodies well, and the health benefits of
being active.
The experts' message is that being active can be part of
one's daily routine, like taking the stairs instead of the
elevator. Playing with the dog. Or the kids. It all
accumulates, and is good for us. No need to go for the burn
- go for the fun.
- News
Canada
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