Blog Post #3 – How does physical activity and nutrition affect body image? Is this the sole cause of issues such as body dysmorphia?

Inquiry Question: How Does Physical Activity and Nutrition Impact Individual Brain Chemistry?

Research Step 1 – How does physical activity and nutrition affect body image? Is this the sole cause of issues such as body dysmorphia?

Body image encompasses one’s thoughts about their physical body in a multitude of mental and physical realms. (1) It is most often influenced by personal beliefs and ideals, as well as standards perpetuated by social media trends. (1) Negative body image can lead to eating disorders, body dysmorphia, over-exercising, multiple other harmful affects that directly result with bad body image. (1) In many cases, a seemingly healthy relationship with nutrition and exercise serve as a starting point for many with negative body image, but what does this do to the mind to further disrupt one’s self perception? (1) In other words, how is eating well and exercising consistently a double-edged sword when it comes to developing destructive habits and worsening mental health (1). Is this always the case and why? (1)

The pursuit of the ‘perfect body’ has emerged as one of the most prominent ideas in modern-day society. (2) The emphasis that society has put on this seemingly unimportant facet of our lives has transformed into an anxiety inducing, disorder perpetuating behaviour that doesn’t stop at just the awareness of it going on in one’s life. (2) Exercise is most frequently stated to bring upon a ‘goal physique’ to regular members of society, the mastermind marketing behind it creating an increasingly believable notion. (2) For example, this is seen in the emergence of toned females who claim their workouts are best suited for people who want defined muscularity in their physique. (2)

Concerns about physical appearance span from fostering a healthy relationship with food and exercise, all the way to Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Exercise Addiction, and Muscular dysmorphic disorder. (2) This doesn’t even address the underlying withdrawal from food and healthy eating when one tries to restore an energy imbalance that has been created through the practice of unhealthy behaviours. (2)

A study conducted by the National Institute of Health focused on the relationship between exercise and compulsively unhealthy behaviours that all too often resulted in negative affects to overall health. (3) Two main factors emerged, exercise fixation, as well as exercise commitment and frequency. (3) Pathological obligatory exercisers spent significantly more time exercising each week when compared to the exercise fixators, or those who did not exercise whatsoever. (3) Committed exercisers scored better on the satisfaction scale compared to pathologically obligatory exercisers. (3) However, no differences were found in subsequent BMIs between any of these groups; painting the picture that one’s set point is largely applicable whether or not they exercise. (3) There are exceptions to this, especially in severe cases of Anorexia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder. (3)

Conversely, positive body image is directly correlated with healthy relationships, happiness, fertility, and quality of life. (4) Unsurprisingly, negative body image bleeds not only into mental well-being, but also presents itself as detrimental to the physical. (4) Negative body image additionally defers people from seeking help for issues such as eating disorders and addiction to exercise as they would rather hold onto their unhealthy body for aesthetic purposes. (4) On the other hand, positive body image is associated with increased, healthy physical activity, as well as general well-being. (4) Body neutrality has emerged as an incredibly useful tool for those suffering from incessantly bad body image. (4) This approach focuses on what your healthy body can do, aesthetics aside, to promote the recognition of its functionality on a natural level. (4)

A concerning occurrence among young people often pertains to achieving a body perpetuated by the media rather than one that their genetics prefer them to have. (5) Girls tend to experience more body and weight dissatisfaction than boys as the standards set out for them are unhealthily unnatural for biological females. (5) Risky behaviours such as dieting and excessive exercise go beyond the simple concept of eating healthy and exercising frequently. (5) Rather, this behaviour is deeply rooted in the psyche of an individual, influenced by trauma that encompasses related areas of their lives. (5) The biggest triggers for bad body image, dieting, and over-exercising are social media, followed by comments by familial, romantic, and platonic members of one’s life. (5) Understanding these causes and the overall complexity of the situation, combating this issue can be made much easier and less stressful. (5)

At the end of the day, thoughts about body image, whether positive or negative are deeply engrained in the mental psyche of an individual (6). It is unfair to blame someone’s start to eating healthy and exercising frequently as the cause of disorders (6). It goes into a much broader feeling of self-hatred and known dissatisfaction that must be addressed head on before decisions are made regarding a change to one’s diet or exercise (6). Collectively as a society, we have the ability to stand against diet culture, to foster a world where everyone can live with peace of mind in all of these aspects (6).

Citations

1. Services, Department of Health &. Human. Body Image and Diets. http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/body-image-and-diets. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
2. Corazza, Ornella, et al. ‘The Emergence of Exercise Addiction, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and Other Image-Related Psychopathological Correlates in Fitness Settings: A Cross Sectional Study’. PLoS ONE, vol. 14, no. 4, Apr. 2019, p. e0213060. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213060.
3. Ruiz-Turrero, Juncal, et al. ‘The Relationship between Compulsive Exercise, Self-Esteem, Body Image and Body Satisfaction in Women: A Cross-Sectional Study’. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 19, no. 3, Feb. 2022, p. 1857. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031857.
4. ‘How Body Image Affects Health and Well-Being’. EverydayHealth.Com, 29 Jan. 2024, https://www.everydayhealth.com/body-image/how-body-image-affects-health/.
5. Body Image in Childhood. https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/articles/body-image-report-executive-summary/body-image-childhood. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
6. ‘Body Image and Eating Disorders’. Verywell Mind, https://www.verywellmind.com/body-image-and-eating-disorders-4149424. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.