When you are unhappy with your body and all you can think about is how you look and how you're going to lose weight, it becomes the center of your universe. The struggle is real. Food, body image, the scale, and trying to love yourself regardless.

This is something I've struggled with for many years. I won't say competing didn't bring on a lot of it, because it certainly didn't help. A lot of physique athletes struggle with body image despite being some of the fittest people in the world. The problem is when you push yourself to an extreme condition and temporary look, you reset a high standard for yourself and it can be hard to accept anything below that. Obviously it is not healthy nor desirable for most competitors to stay in contest shape longer than a few months around the contest, but that doesn't mean it won't mess with your mental state if it's something you struggle with.

It's easy to look at other people who seemingly have what you want and be jealous that it's "easy" for them. Some people don't have to try very hard to maintain their weight; food is not always on their mind and they just eat when they're hungry and stop when they're satisfied and that is something that comes more naturally to them. To the person who struggles with their weight or body image in general, this may seem unfair and think "they are so lucky", but you never know what is going on with someone else.

That same person may be struggling with severe anxiety, alcohol or drug addiction, depression, or can't stop worrying about money, and that is what consumes them. My point is that everyone has their own struggle. Nobody is perfect and sometimes we just need to take a step back and put things in perspective. Learn to love yourself at every point of your journey, whatever it may be, and know that if you struggle with something, you're certainly not alone.

~Coach Lia

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