By Dana Sturtevant, MA, RD
Today is Love Your Body day - a day when women of all sizes, colors, ages and abilities come together to celebrate self-acceptance and to promote positive body image. Every day should be love your body day because what sustainable self care practices come from body hatred?
Most of our clients come to us after years of using body hatred as the primary motivation for ‘eating better’ and ‘exercising more.’ I put these phrases in quotes because these behaviors are often far from healthy or sustainable. People restrict entire groups of food or eat such a small amount of food in a given day that it sets them up for overeating or bingeing. And the types of activities people engage in are often not pleasurable and are solely viewed as a way to ‘make up for’ eating or for getting rid of a handful of insert body part.
So how can we improve our health and hate our bodies at the same time? Is it really possible? I don’t think so.
When you love something, you take care of it. If you hated your dog, would you take it out for walks? Would you care if it got fed? Would you play with it? Give it the attention it so desires? Buy it cute collars, new toys and fun treats? Of course not! So how is it possible to do these exact same things for a body you don’t like? How has body hatred as a source of motivation worked for you so far?
Here are some tips to help you feel better about the body you have today.
- Spend less time body checking – weighing, mirror gazing, feeling your body for fat and/or bones, and comparing your body to others.
- Notice what your body lets you do. When we are so focused on what we look like, we forget that our body does AMAZING things for us every day.
- Dress your body in beautiful, comfortable clothing today. Stop waiting (or weighting) for your body to change to wear clothing that you like and that fits you well.
- Exercise for the joy of feeling your body move and function effectively, not to purge fat from your body or compensate for calories eaten.
- Pay attention to what your body tells you it needs and desires – joyful movement, food that tastes great and makes you feel good, sensual pleasures, and relaxation.
If you wait for the day that you like your body, chances are it will never come. That magic number or size seems to change as often as the weather.
Love Your Body Day Blog Carnival
