We’ve been having a lot of discussion lately in The Normal Eater’s Club around body acceptance.  And some of the ladies have been asking, “but HOW do you actually accept your body?!”

We know we’re supposed to work on body acceptance if we want to make peace with ourselves and be sane around food. But the question then becomes…HOW?

The first step is beginning to change our beliefs.

We live in a society that is body-centric. We are told how to look and what size we need to be to be enough. (And yes, there have been incredible body positive movements and health at every size advocates…but we still have a long way to go!)

We’ve got to look at what we’re taught, realize it doesn’t serve us and begin to shift to something that DOES serve us.

Because our society’s approach to our bodies and to fitness in general is based on the concept of deficit. We push ourselves through boot camp classes to make our thighs smaller. We endure countless hours of sit-ups to flatten our bellies. We suffer through awful diet regimes in the hopes of losing weight.

We approach our bodies as if they are a problem needing to be solved.

Check out the latest cover of any women’s magazine and you’ll see titles like: “5 ways to sculpt your glutes”, “Get the best beach body ever”, “ Lose that arm flab in 2 weeks”… and on and on. The message here is “there’s something wrong with you, and here’s how to fix it”.

But we will forever be reaching for that ideal of perfection, because we are incapable of attaining the look of the airbrushed model on the cover.

What if we took a different approach to our bodies?  An approach that doesn’t involve fixing, altering, and perfecting ourselves? 

We begin with the notion that just by being, we are already perfect. We are already complete, whole, and acceptable as we are. 

We find that place within ourselves, the place that doesn’t criticize and judge us for a number on a scale or the size of our thighs. By acknowledge this place within us, we begin to change.

Yes, this requires some patience with ourselves as we begin to change our thoughts and beliefs around our bodies. But the payoff and persistence is the path to self-love.

Instead of exercising to sculpt, change, and tighten, what if we simply moved our bodies in ways that brought us satisfaction and joy? This a radical mindset shift, because we are inundated daily with society’s belief that our bodies need to be fixed.

But to be able to move, run, walk and dance…it’s truly a gift.

If we spend time actually IN these activities, IN our bodies, and IN the pleasure that movement brings us, we can begin to appreciate all that our bodies do for us.

And this begins to shift our mindset from one of deficit and criticism, to acceptance and celebration.

We begin with our own beliefs.

We lift weights not to get chiseled, but because being stronger allows us to carry bagful’s of groceries, lift our kids when we play, and move heavy furniture when we need to. 

We run not to burn off last night’s dessert, but because it fills our lungs with fresh air, energizes our spirit, and leaves us refreshed.

We sweat through a hot yoga class not to lose weight, but because it relieves the day’s tension and allows stress to melt away.

Shifting away from criticism, we begin to appreciate our bodies for all the wondrous things they do for us. Our thoughts towards our bodies become more compassionate and we see that physical transformation is only one aspect of our lives.

We are more than our body; we are our hearts and spirits, our hopes, dreams, and passions.

Beginning to soften our beliefs and enjoying our bodies for the pleasure they bring us enables us to begin to change on the inside.  And since lasting changes come from the inside out, transformation happens on all levels-mind, spirit, AND body.

It’s your turn now. How can you do ONE thing this week to begin to be more loving and kind towards your body? Share in the comments below 🙂