67. How to stop body checking

How do you protect body image in sport? Can you protect your relationship with food when you have a weight goal for sport? And why might it be harder for athletes to address body image and relationship with food issues? I'm joined this week on the pod by Vanessa and Greg, from Evolve to Excel and we chatted all about how to support athletes and their performance goals, whilst keeping in mind body image and relationship with food.Learn more about Evolve to Excel:WebsiteIG: @evolvetoexcel @vanessa_zingaro_ @coach.greg.suttonWORK WITH ME:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coaching⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Disordered Eating Informed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Body Image & Nutrition Review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@michellecarroll1

SkinnyTok is obviously horrific and not something we want to promote and encourage. There has been a lot of pushback (thankfully) from trainers and influencers against the SkinnyTok content... but are we really doing all we can? And might we still be contributing to the culture that allows SkinnyTok to go forth and prosper?Probs. Let's talk about weight bias.WORK WITH ME:⁠Coaching⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Disordered Eating Informed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Body Image & Nutrition Review⁠⁠⁠@michellecarroll1

Guys I was starstruck on this podcast so excuse me and my nervous laughter, but this week's special guest is THE Dr Rachel Rodgers who is basically responsible for the majority of body image research. I was fortunate to ask her all about body positivity, whether "loving your body" is helpful and where the field of body image as a whole is going.Dr Rodgers is an Associate Professor at Northeastern University and you can read her publications here.STUDY PARTICIPATION INFORMATIONInclusive group fitness Delphi study:Survey link: https://neu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0cj3Mvcapfm4MxEInclusion criteria:Researchers or academics with teaching experience and research published on body image, eating behaviors, or exerciseCertified group fitness instructors Health and fitness professionals with recognized qualifications, licensures, or certificationsAdvocates for positive body image, positive eating behaviors, and embodied movementIndividuals who are frequent attendees of group fitness classesFrequent participants of recreational sports GLP-1, body image, and social media use:Survey link: https://neu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cMGNFqiKCsq2svkInclusion criteria:Ages 18-35Female identifyingHave an Instagram or TikTok account The Female Athlete Embody Project:Survey link: https://tinyurl.com/NEUEmbodyProjectInclusion criteria:NCAA Collegiate athletesAges 18-25 Ecoanxiety and eating behaviors:Survey link; https://rutgers.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0cYfyPvhVtcuq5oInclusion criteria:Ages 18-30English proficiencyWORK WITH ME:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coaching⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Disordered Eating Informed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Body Image & Nutrition Review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@michellecarroll1

A lot of people are advised by medical professionals to lose weight. This isn't necessarily a bad thing (and you should follow the advice of your medical professional not a podcast!), but do you really need to diet on 1200 calories to support your hormonal health? Or is it adding more stress?Let's discuss.BODY IMAGE GYM INFO⁠WORK WITH ME:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coaching⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Disordered Eating Informed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Body Image & Nutrition Review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@michellecarroll1

Today I am joined by a very good friend of mine, Gillian Bennett, aka Bite Sized Nutrition. Gillian is a nutrition coach and mentor, who has recently pivoted her niche into coaching and mentoring mothers. I had lots of questions for her, ranging from how to market to mothers without losing your sense of identity, whether we should niche at all and we also chatted about some common fears coaches have when moving niches (or even finding one in the first place!).Head over to Gillian's podcast for Part 2 where we talk about body image and the ethics of documenting your fat loss journey to get clients...Gillian's Insta: @bitesizenutriGillian's podcast: Building A Coaching Business in MotherhoodWORK WITH ME:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coaching⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Disordered Eating Informed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Body Image & Nutrition Review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@michellecarroll1

Are you obsessed with the scale? Or frantically pinching at your skin like a demented bodyfat callipers? Let's talk about how you can stop body checking having such a hold on you.BODY IMAGE GYM INFO⁠WORK WITH ME:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coaching⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Disordered Eating Informed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Body Image & Nutrition Review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@michellecarroll1

As the fitness industry continues its rampant decline into thinly-veiled promotion of fitness as being an “aesthetic” and not something that can be measured and tested, it’s time to consider what happens if you DO get the dream body you’ve always wanted... and why it won't be enough unless you work on your body image!BODY IMAGE GYM EARLY BIRD SPACESBODY IMAGE GYM INFOWORK WITH ME:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coaching⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Disordered Eating Informed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Body Image & Nutrition Review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@michellecarroll1

The gym and the fitness industry can be insanely beneficial for our relationship with our bodies... but it's not all performance goals and body confidence. Let's get into how the gym can help and hinder body image, plus what to do instead!WORK WITH ME:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coaching⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Disordered Eating Informed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Body Image & Nutrition Review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@michellecarroll1

How do we prevent adolescents from getting eating disorders? And how do we approach these conversations without fear of "getting it wrong"? I sat down with Penny Greening from Reframe Voices, a Canadian-based charity aimed at reducing eating disorders in adolescents and beyond, and we had a chat that could have gone on for hours... But we capped it at 50ish minutes of discussions surrounding her journey, sport and ED prevention.ABOUT PENNYCanadian-born Penny Greening is a former communications agency director, community mental health advocate and nonprofit founder whose work sits at the intersection of education and social impact.During the height of the pandemic, Penny became Director of Marketing for premium personal training franchise Innovative Fitness, where she helped promote a whole-person approach to health, fitness and nutrition while raising her teenage daughter.A breast cancer survivor at 42, Penny also took a hot-minute to compete in three World Natural Bodybuilding Federation shows between 2019 and 2024, moving through Figure, Fitbody and Bodybuilding categories. That experience ultimately revealed some of her own “best-kept” and darkest secrets—what she calls “the monster.”Penny is now serving her fifth term on the board of Variety – The Children’s Charity of BC. And in 2025, she founded Reframe Voices Society after recognizing a critical gap in public awareness of how and when eating disorders truly begin.Today, Penny leads a multidisciplinary team of volunteers equipping parents and guardians of school-aged children and teens with the language and practical tools to protect their children’s mental health when it comes to food, feelings and body talk.WORK WITH ME:⁠⁠⁠Coaching⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Disordered Eating Informed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Body Image & Nutrition Review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@michellecarroll1

Is there really no point in body positivity? Why hasn't weight loss helped you like your body? And how can we start to like our bodies when we really don't want to?I'm joined by Rachel Hunter, nutritionist and fellow body image coach/enthusiast as we chat through the big hitters...And if you want to be the first to know when our project drops, make sure you're subscribed to my Substack.WORK WITH ME:⁠⁠⁠⁠Coaching⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Disordered Eating Informed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Body Image & Nutrition Review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@michellecarroll1