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Core Content
Body image concerns are very common among children, adolescents and adults. Even those with a positive body image can have moments where they don’t fully accept or appreciate their appearance. You don’t need a ‘perfect’ body image to be a body positive coach, but you do need to be aware of your own body image concerns and how these might impact your athletes.
For example, when speaking with your athletes, do you promote appearance ideals (e.g., “I wish I looked like [insert athlete]; she has the perfect amount of muscle, but is still thin”) or model harmful dieting behaviors (e.g., “I’ve been trying intermittent fasting, and it’s really helping my training”)? Reflect on your own body image concerns and how you express them, taking care to avoid verbalizing them while coaching.
If you worry your own body image concerns will negatively impact how you coach and interact with your athletes, you can find some resources at the end of this module that may be useful.
