The phrase “healthy body image” is somewhat misleading. A healthy body image is not one narrowly-defined body type or size. It goes beyond your physical appearance, and it’s rooted in how you feel about yourself. A healthy body image stems from personal satisfaction with your body and comfortableness with the way you look.
If you flip through fashion magazines, or go clothes shopping, it may be difficult to believe that a healthy body image can be independent of weight. Often it feels like every model or mannequin is uniform in size, shape, and height. Despite progress in body diversity representation, weight is still a highly stigmatized quality.
Internal and external pressures can drive our insecurities and lead to a negative body image, where we don’t feel good in our own skin. Let’s be honest, everyone has something that they dislike about themselves, which makes it challenging to unconditionally love ourselves. Thus instantly loving yourself may not be attainable, nor may it be the solution.
Luckily, we can focus on building respect for our bodies in order to achieve a healthy body image. Rather than ignoring perceived flaws, we accept our physical appearances and learn to properly take care of ourselves. Body respect goes hand in hand with other non-diet approaches to health. The Health At Every Size (HAES) method celebrates body diversity, and asserts that health and wellbeing do not have to begin with weight status, size, nor physical appearance. It’s best to be physically and emotionally healthy regardless of weight. Additionally, eating intuitively teaches us to listen to our bodies instead of scorning them.
Ultimately, dieting boxes us in, restricting personal relationships with food and our own bodies. It can make us feel like we are not beautiful nor seen until we look a certain way. Rather than being consumed by insecurities, body respect teaches to celebrate the qualities that make you unique.
To create and sustain a healthy body image, here are the areas you can practice body respect:
Nutrition - honor your hunger cues. Eat what you want, when you want to eat it, and stop when you feel full.
Physical Activity - Find a method of exercising you enjoy, whether it be walking, yoga, or hiking. Exercise based on the way it makes you feel, not on the way you look.
Expression - Show off your personal style and wear clothes that are comfortable to you.
Appreciation - Think of all the things your body allows you to do every day. Share words of kindness and encouragement with yourself.
Interested in finding out other ways you can personalize and actualize your methods of body respect?
Schedule a discovery call with an intuitive eating HAES dietitian here: