the power of body image

Body Image or Body Perception

Hi guys! Have you ever wondered does your body image effect how your physical activity? Weather you realise we all have a body image of our selves. Body image refers to the thoughts, feelings, and perceptions you have about your body appearance and shape. (Appliedsportpsych.org. (2018) In today’s blog I will be discussing how body image can impact participation levels in physical education and how can create more positive body images.

My own personal experience of body image when teaching

When I was teaching on second year school placement I felt the students had a generally positive body image. However, I had one student in my first-year gymnastics class that was bigger than the other students. When I told the class, they were going to be doing gymnastics for the next 4 weeks he said that he would not be able to do gymnastics. This is clear evidence of how that students body image or body perception led him to believe that he would not be able to do an activity just because of the shape of his body. When we started our first class he was very unmotivated and it took a lot of encouragement to get him active. But, after a couple of weeks he really got into it. He was really enthusiastic and started to have more self-belief in himself. His body image became irrelevant to him in gymnastics class and he was almost surprised by what he could do. At the end of the gymnastics scheme he told me that he really enjoyed it and that he would never have tried this activity before. His body perception had always led him to believe that his body type was not the ideal body type for gymnastics. I feel like he now has a more positive perception of his body.

key messages from literature  

Now it’s time to see what the research and literature says about body image and how it effects participation in physical activity. In the coeducational setting girls have been reported to feel that their bodies are under scrutiny from boys, which leads to reported increases in body anxiety (Flintoff and Scraton, 2001). Girls tend to want to be thinner and are more likely than boys to judge themselves as overweight. For example, close to 70% of adolescent girls perceive that they are overweight (Lodewyk, K.R. and Sullivan, P. (2016)

A study from the Timisoara physical education journal found that “body image is one of the most valued aspects in today's capitalist society” (Pop, G.M. & Pop, H. 2017). This highlights just how much people value their body image. If this image is negative it is going to have a very negative effect on them.” Individuals who are self-conscious and anxious about their appearance tend to prefer to exercise alone and have lower levels of enjoyment. Physical activity involvement is improved when people experience social support and find enjoyment in the activity” (Appliedsportpsych.org. (2018). “Those who do physical activity a few times a week or daily have much better body image than those who exercise a few times a month or never.” (Pop, G.M. & Pop, H. 2017) This indicates to us as teachers that we need to get our students active to increase their perception of their body images”. Duncan et al. (2002a) have also suggested that development of a positive body image may lead to lifestyle changes including increased physical activity participation, exercise motivation and development of greater self-confidence in the physical domain. This may be particularly relevant to physical education as it may foster a sense of value for the body and could therefore help enhance body image.

What would I do going forward with regards to teaching practice

So, I guess you’re wondering what we as teachers can do to create more positive body images in our class. At the beginning of the semester you could give your students a survey to gain an insight of student’s body image or perceptions. An example would be https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/body_shaming.  You could educate your students on the different types of bodies and tell them that being thin and toned is not the only health body type. For example, shot put throwers are much bigger than 100 metre sprinters but this does not mean they are not healthy. Here is a useful site from the Irish nutrition and dietetic institute on tips for promoting healthy body imagery https://www.indi.ie/fact-sheets/fact-sheets-on-nutrition-for-babies-children/400-promoting-a-positive-body-image-to-children-a-practical-guide-for-parents.html. “It is crucial that children are encouraged to build this strong attachment to physical activity, as research suggests that children with body image concerns are those who tend to be most anxious and resistant to engaging in sport” (digital commons). I suppose the “key is encouraging children to find the activity that suits them. When they find this activity that lights a spark inside of them they will soon start to enjoy the many benefits that regular physical exercise must offer and they will also soon gain an appreciation of what their body can do, rather than what it looks like.” (physically active body images 2013).  You can also introduce less traditional activities. Dance is very popular now and you can use it to show that exercise can be fun by showing Strictly Come Dancing in lesson time. You could even ask local professional or semi-professional dancers to come in and give a talk. When students are enjoying activities, they get a more positive body image. Dance is also a great way of getting in touch with your body and creating positive body images (Hill, Sandford and Enright, 2015).

References

·         Lodewyk, K.R. and Sullivan, P. (2016) 'Associations between anxiety, self-efficacy, and outcomes by gender and body size dissatisfaction during fitness in high school physical education', Physical Education & Sport Pedagogy, 21(6), 603-615

·         Pop, G.M. and Pop, H. (2017) 'The relationship between the frequency of physical and sports activities and the body image', Timisoara Physical Education & Rehabilitation Journal, 10(19), 154-158.

·         Duncan, M.J., Al-Nakeeb, Y., Nevill, A. and Jones, M.V., 2004. Body image and physical activity in British secondary school children. European Physical Education Review, 10(3), pp.243-260.

·         Digitalcommons.wku.edu. (2018). [online] Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1172&context=ijes [Accessed 28 Mar. 2018].

·         Appliedsportpsych.org. (2018). Association for Applied Sport Psychology: Body Image and Physical Activity. [online] Available at: http://www.appliedsportpsych.org/resources/health-fitness-resources/body-image-and-physical-activity/ [Accessed 28 Mar. 2018].

·         Hill, J., Sandford, R. and Enright, E. (2015). ‘It has really amazed me what my body can now do’: boundary work and the construction of a body-positive dance community. Sport in Society, 19(5), pp.667-679.