Respect Your Body
PRINCIPLE 8: RESPECT YOUR BODY
Accept your genetic blueprint. Just as a person with a shoe size of eight would not expect to realistically squeeze into a size six, it is equally futile (and uncomfortable) to have a similar expectation about body size.
In this blog we will discuss why you need too respect your body so you can feel better about who you are. It’s hard to reject the diet mentality if you are unrealistic and overly critical of your body size or shape. All bodies deserve dignity.
• Learning to appreciate all bodies, including your own takes time and focus, but your body deserves to be treated with dignity and love so it is worth the effort. Worthiness exists within you and within us all; we just need to take the time to learn how to see it.
How can we learn to respect our bodies?
To practice this principle, I invite you to imagine what life would be like without any negative thoughts connected to your body shape, size and condition. Ask yourself:
What would the freedom from body worry and shame feel like?
What new changes could take place in your life? Would I be more outgoing, social, positive, etc?
We can all benefit from reflecting on the personal qualities that make us unique. What are some aspects that you particularly appreciate about yourself—that have nothing to do with weight, size, or shape? If you’re having a hard time with this one, think about how your best friend or a loved one would describe you! Even if you can’t see it right now, you are so worthy of love.
One of my favorite practices to recommend is to update your social media feed. Find accounts that spotlight different types of bodies, & unfollow accounts that make you feel uncomfortable or critical about your body.
All Bodies Are Good Bodies:
So often I hear clients say something along the lines of “I eat _____ and exercise _____. I don’t see why I shouldn’t be able to have the body I want.”
This is the idea that Diet culture promotes and teaches as the end all be all- all people should conform to a small body shape and size. This idea paints a very narrow and inaccurate view of body diversity.
Intuitive Eating doesn’t tell us that we need to love every part of our body everyday, but it focuses on accepting and respecting our body every day. It’s hard to take care of something that we hate or disrespect, but when we recognize that our bodies are amazing and capable of doing astonishing things, this will drive us to want to care for it and show it some love and respect.
Diet culture also teaches that giving up on what they proclaim is the ideal body type, means you've given up on health. This is so not true! Health is not determined by body size or shape. It’s determined by a wide variety of factors some of which include individual health behaviors, mental health, genetics, social/economic/political environment, etc. When we stop trying to make our bodies smaller, we have freedom and time to find out what it really means to be healthy in the unique body we have and can focus more on how we feel inside and out.
Body image and body respect can be difficult things to work on, so definitely reach out and work with us in these areas if you are struggling.
A few things that can help us work toward body respect:
• Express gratitude daily for what your body does, rather than how it looks.
• Get rid of clothes that don’t fit anymore. Have clothes that are comfortable and make you feel your best.
• Ditch the scale. Weight fluctuates on a daily basis and doesn’t tell you anything about your health. Start checking in more with yourself internally. How do you feel today? Your physical day won't change based on that number but your emotional one sure can.
• Quit the body check and comparison game. Body diversity is a beautiful thing. Remember, we are all different and that’s how it is supposed to be.
• Reframe body bashing thoughts with thoughts that empower you. For me - I don't love the stretch marks on my inner thighs but those marks show that I've lived a life - a life with stress and weight gain but also of love and movement and life . Stretch marks are a sign of being human so now they are still there but I don't see them as something to cover up but rather as a roadmap of my journey thus far.
Your body is not here to look a certain way. It’s here to help you move through this world, accomplish your goals, spend time with people you love, and do all the amazing things you want to do. How can you respect and care for your body today?
If you have ever struggled with taking care of your body and how your see your body, schedule an appointment with us at PELWELL today to learn more about making peace with food and body image! To learn more about Intuitive Eating, follow us on YouTube and Instagram!
