Respecting Your Body | Intuitive Eating Principles

All Bodies Are Good Bodies

There is this idea in our culture that we should all conform to a small range of body shapes and sizes. This idea paints a very narrow and inaccurate view of body diversity. If you want a better understanding of body diversity, I recommend this video.

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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 body is always deserving of care and respect, it helps us to take action toward our physical health.

There is also this idea that giving up on chasing an "ideal" body is giving up on your health. This is definitely not the case. Health is not determined by body size. It's determined by a wide variety of factors including individual health behaviors, socioeconomic status, 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.

Body image and body respect can be difficult things to work on, so definitely reach out to a therapist or dietitian who specializes 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.
• 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.

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 a dietitian at I Love Well Nutrition and Therapy today to learn more about making peace with food and body image!

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‍By Zoe Halbert – Zoe is a registered dietitian, licensed in Austin Texas who is passionate about helping people create healthy relationships with food and body. She focuses on intuitive eating with a non-diet and practices from the health at every size (HAES) approach when working with clients.