A selection of top sportswomen and celebrities have spoken out about the pride and insecurities they have in their bodies.
The ladies, who include Olympians Sophie Hitchon and Samantha Murray, model Chrissy Teigen and reality star Lucy Mecklenburgh, also posed naked in the feature for Women's Health magazine.
They are among eight inspiring women who each discussed why they are proud of their bodies, not just for their beauty, but their strength, power and imperfections.
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Sophie Hitchon, who is a British Olympic Hammer Thrower used to hate her sturdy thighs but now loves them
In the article, many of the women talked about overcoming self-doubt about the way they look to appreciate how their body works.
Sophie Hitchon, who is a British Olympic Hammer Thrower and Current British Record Holder, revealed that she used to hate her sturdy figure but now loves it.
She said: 'I love my big thighs. I wouldn’t be able to pick up a hammer without them. I put blood, sweat and tears into building them up.
'When I was younger, I always wished I was more petite or willowy; now they’re a symbol of my success as an athlete.”
'I won’t lie – as a woman, there are times when you look in the mirror and think, "I wish this was smaller, I wish that was flatter."
'But when you’re an athlete, you need to train for your PB, not what you look like.'
World Champion Pentathlete Samantha Murray believes her body looks the best it ever will at the moment
Sophie isn't the only sportswoman to have overcome body insecurities that came about from her training.
Fran Halsall, who is a European Champion Swimmer, Commonwealth Gold Medalist and World Silver Medallist has developed a strong upper body after years of training.
She said: 'I have a very particular body shape – but I’ve accepted my big shoulders are the tools of my trade.
'Although it’ll be nice not to be as big when I stop swimming competitively in the future, I’ll still want to stay lean and athletic. I’ll always want to work on my body.'
European Champion Swimmer Fran Halsall has developed a strong upper body after years of training.
Model Chrissy Teigen likes drinking champagne and eating hearty dinners, so works out regularly
Chrissy said: 'I used to take pride in the fact I didn’t have to work out, and then I hit that age where you have to
She said: 'It would be an insult to my body to say there are parts I’m not keen on – it’s served me so well and I couldn’t have won an Olympic medal without it.
'People say pentathletes have sport’s most beautiful bodies because of their diverse training plan – I’ve got the tone of a swimmer, the leanness of a runner, strong thighs from riding and good glutes from fencing.”
'I’ll always stay in good shape, but this is probably the best my body will ever look – and I couldn’t respect it more.'
Chloe Madeley started training in the gym so she could look like Britney Spears
Lucy Mecklenburgh piled on the pounds when she joined TOWIE
TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher made the decision to start channeling her energy into positive things, which includes getting into shapUnsurprisingly, the celebrities who took part in the feature were far more insecure about their figures.
Their attitude to fitness was also largely based on how it would affect their appearance.
For instance, Chloe Madeley, the daughter of TV presenters Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley, started training in the gym so she could look like Britney Spears, while the model Chrissy Teigen exercises so that she can maintain her figure while eating what she likes.
Chrissy said: 'I used to take pride in the fact I didn’t have to work out, and then I hit that age where you have to.
'I want to drink champagne and have hearty dinners, so I would rather work out for an hour and be able to do what I want.
'I’ve always had to watch myself. My family is not naturally thin and we put on weight quickly. I find low-carb works for me.'
Meanwhile, former TOWIE star Lucy Mecklenburgh, who now runs a fitness website called Results With Lucy, revealed that she piled on the pounds when she started to work on the ITVBe reality show.
She said: 'TOWIE didn’t just bring me fame, it made be bigger than I’d ever been before.
'I was drinking every night, living off pasta – I’d never worried about exercise or ‘no carbs before Marbs’, but suddenly I couldn’t fit into my jeans.
'So two years ago I started working with a PT Celia Harris. I slimmed down quickly and I’d wake up happier, more motivated – I wanted to get to the gym to push my body.'
TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher also took part and revealed that after a divorce and juggling full-time work with two children, she recently made the decision to start channeling her energy into positive things, which included getting into shape.
The full interview appears in the September Naked Issue of Women’s Health, on sale Thursday 30 July. Also available in digital edition on Apple Newsstand
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