Many of my clients treat their pets with more respect than their own bodies – they feed them, give them their meds and vaccinations on time, take them out on walks, and are kind to them. I choose the word RESPECT as a launching point for working through body image issues. Treating your body with respect means treating it with dignity and meeting its basic needs. Read on while I delve into how you can begin to respect your body.

 

Start with body respect

 

When my clients first come to me, they either use food as a way to cope with their emotions or because they’re caught in a cycle of restricting and bingeing. For the most part, their present body shape is partly representative of the way they take care of themselves.

True, not all overeaters will gain weight. Just like not all dieters will binge. However, most do. Only approximately five percent of people who go on a diet to lose weight will keep that weight off longer than two to five years.

But weight aside, this unhealthy relationship with food and our bodies, is well, unhealthy. Physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

It’s soul-destroying and a life thief. 

So how do we look after our bodies without going on a diet?

Health at Every Size (HAES) encourages respect for all bodies, a critical awareness of ourselves and of compassionate, attuned self-care. People may – or may not – lose weight as a result of improved self-care, but their health and well-being will surely benefit. The goals and outcomes of HAES include:

• Self – and societal-acceptance for every body.
• Truth in health care
• A fair society
• A healthy relationship with food
• Pleasurable movement
• Trust in yourself and your body

When you respect your body, you are in partnership with it. You become grounded in your physical body and you’re able to benefit from all it has to offer you.

We are healing our relationship with food, our bodies, and ourselves. Just like when you’ve lost trust in any relationship in your life, it takes time to get it back. When it comes to body respect, this is reciprocal. Respect carries reciprocal energy. Your body will honour you when you honour it at all sizes.

However, you cannot heal your relationship with your body with a plan to make it into what the dominant culture thinks it “should” look like.

Body diversity is real. The more we try to fight it, the more anguish and struggle with food will ensue.

If you treat your body as a structure worthy of respect and it will respond in kind. Abuse or ignore it and it will break down in various ways until you learn the lesson of respect.

 

 

Keep this in mind:

You don’t have to love or even like every part of your body to respect it.

But, it is the beginning of making peace with your body and genetics.

It is a critical turning point in stopping dieting and becoming an intuitive eater.

It’s okay if you wish you were smaller.

It’s okay if you wish your tummy wasn’t so round.

It’s okay if you wish your thighs weren’t so dimpled.

These are all normal things to think and feel.

It’s important to hold space for what you wish was different and still respect and appreciate the body you have.

It doesn’t mean you aren’t doing a good enough job loving yourself and your body. It means you are human. It means you are a woman living in a world in which being thin is idolised.

With this in mind, I encourage you to think about “body love” a little differently:

You don’t need to love your body, but can you respect her? Shower and brush your teeth daily, eat some fruits and vegetables and go for a walk in the sunshine.

Can you appreciate her – for keeping you alive every single day? How many times does your heart beat each day to keep you alive?…the average person’s heart beats approx 108,000/day! Your heart works hard for you ♥

Can you show her kindness and compassion today? Take a rest when tired and tell yourself you’re doing the best you can in the moment. Stop and take a few deep breaths.

Remember ~ It’s okay to not love your body. It’s okay to wish things were different.

However, you can’t hate yourself into change (long-term), but you can respect your body into change. 

I hope this helps you take the pressure off of yourself to “love your body”. Start with body respect.

Also, remember body respect is a practice. So much of what we desire to bring into our lives takes time and practice. Body respect is not a new plan, a gimmick, or a short-term solution. It’s a way to truly heal—an opportunity to focus on finding joy and pleasure again, as you turn your attention towards the parts of you that perhaps you lost sight of while dieting or trying to fix yourself.  

It is an ever-evolving relationship that changes with our healing, our complicated lives, and as we age.

If you’re wanting the support and tools to begin a new relationship with your body, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me here>>