How The Media Wants You To See Yourself VS. How You Should See Yourself

There is an over-saturation of body image messages being aimed at us constantly. From billboards to television, the internet and magazines, there is no escaping them. For women, we are told by advertising and media how to dress, how to do our make-up and hair and even what weight we should be to be considered beautiful.

The messages are stealthily disguised, so we are hardly aware sometimes that they are happening. Brands have even used seemingly "body positive" imagery and statements in their communications to appear like they are more trusting, but it is only a tactic to sell you their lipstick/deodorant/shampoo.

Self confidence is promoted as achievable through buying the right diet pill, or the proper panty liner. Our self worth is invested in a product.

When it comes to fitness, broken self-esteems walk into the gym aiming to fix their list of self-defined flaws. They tell trainers they want to fix these flaws because internally they want to feel societally accepted. They want the "beach butt" sold to them by a celebrity news program. They lose sight of the rewarding, incredible, healthy experience they can develop with exercise and instead push themselves like working out is a hurdle to overcome to see who they want in the mirror.

A healthy fitness relationship is one that makes you excited to try new things, and feel good about eating spinach and flax seeds and kale. It's one where you make gradual, sustainable changes to your lifestyle and stop chasing a quick fix. It's about educating yourself on how your body works and how life changing that can be!

Share with us how you overcame a body negative approach to fitness! Voice your opinions below.