Respecting our bodies and sticking two fingers up to diet culture
Recently I put a post on my Instagram about the 8th principle of intuitive eating-respect your body and it got me thinking what that really means. If you would like to check out the post click on the following link https://www.instagram.com/p/CMonywgAml-/
Self love is something I’m working very hard on but what does it actually mean to respect your body?
To me it is more than just looking in the mirror and being happy with how you look and just to clarify I’m not saying that is not amazing in itself because it really is! If you can look in the mirror and be happy with what you see then I give you a massive clap because that is awesome! I’m still working on that part and would love to be there with you. What I mean is, truly respecting your body is a step further than that. For me it’s about recognising and completely appreciating your body for how incredible it really is!
Just a take a minute to stop and think about your body. What does it do for you on a daily basis? What has it done for you in the past, what will it do for you in the future? For example because of my body I have my two children. My body carried two babies, it let them grow, kept them nourished and safe for nine months! I mean how amazing is that! My body did that! It did something truly outstanding, yet I’ve never stopped to recognise that, let alone appreciate it. I’ve just spent the last 11 years hating on the stretch marks, varicose veins and wobbly bits, when I should have been appreciating them! Instead of trying to hide them I should have been proud of what they meant and happy to show them off!
Our bodies do amazing things everyday! They carry us, they allow us to carry, they give us the freedom of movement and that’s only a few examples of what our bodies do for us on a daily basis. Imagine what they do for us in our lifetime! Why are we unable to focus on and appreciate that?
The answer: Diet culture and the weight stigma that surrounds our society! That’s why and it makes me so sad and angry!
Why do they have the right to say our bodies aren’t perfect just the way they are? We are all unique so why are they trying to make us all look the same? Why do they get to make us feel like we aren’t enough?
I fully blame them for the hate I have felt for myself, but they don’t care and they are not the ones who are trying to build themselves up again. If they had their way I’d still be in the yo-yo dieting, self loathing hell! All it‘s about for them is the money and that is all they care about. When they say they care about us it’s all just lies! They literally destroy lives on a daily basis! Sorry I know I’m ranting but Im very mad at these companies. Any way I digress back to what I was talking about.
So now I have stopped to take a moment to think about what it means to truly respect my body, I know that it is the part of my journey that will take the most work. I’m still working on the liking what I see in the mirror bit (definitely liking what I see more than disliking now) but respecting my body is the next step. Rather than looking at my body as imperfect and criticising it I will work on recognising what it does for me and how amazing it truly is, sticking two fingers up to diet culture and weight stigma along the way! Whose with me!
I hope reading this you can relate and know your not alone. Please note I am not a health professional and I don’t have all the answers but my emails and dm’s are always open and there is also a contact page on this site if you need some support.
Thank you for reading, stay safe and stay positive!