100 Ways To Love Your Body More
Things that changed the game on my body acceptance journey
Practice and learn about intuitive eating.
Only exercise in ways you find genuinely enjoyable.
Take all clothing that is too small out of your closet and sell or donate it. Yes, including the jeans that are a size too small!
Practice neutral affirmations daily.
Focus on improving health outside of weight loss. For example, by trying to find a sustainable fitness routine.
Stop taking diet or nutrition advice from influencers.
Get blood work done.
Excuse yourself and walk away when people comment on your body.
Do not take body comments personally.
Focus on what you can add to your diet to nourish your body over what you can restrict.
Not label foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
Mute or unfollow anyone you are comparing yourself to online.
Stop weighing yourself regularly unless necessary for health reasons.
Get rid of the scale altogether.
Date people who accept themselves and see you as more than a body.
Put a full body photo in dating app profiles so nobody is surprised by what your body looks like in person.
Romanticize your body’s softness. Bonus: write a poem about it.
Learn about the diet culture industry and why people in power fight to maintain it.
Work on defining your personal style.
Create a style board on Pinterest.
Challenge yourself to wear a sports bra to the gym, especially when you feel uncomfortable about it.
Understand that people will project their insecurities onto your body.
Pay attention to intergenerational patterns of body hatred.
Set boundaries with family members who comment on your body without explaining yourself.
Understand that the fear of weight gain is a byproduct of systemic fatphobia And weight discrimination.
Eat when you’re hungry.
Dance naked in the mirror.
Find body-positive role models who look like you. Representation is everything.
Listen and trust your instincts in your body.
Live by the motto ‘my body is the least interesting thing about me.’
Don’t blame your body or appearance for failed relationships. Your body is not the problem.
Look at art of women’s bodies from ancient times.
Understand that extra weight protects your body during illness.
Go to therapy.
Go to a dietician (preferably a Health At Every Size dietician).
Treat your body like it is your teammate and your home.
Journal prompt: reflect on who truly benefits from you hating your body.
Understand that how you feel about your own body is in your power to change.
Adopt multiple different supportive habits, as there is not one magic solution to self-love.
Journal about your insecurities and why you may have them.
Journal about why you are grateful for your body.
Trust that loving your body gets easier over time and that it is a never-ending journey.
Know that you can be more visible to support social justice causes when you accept your body.
Stop following influencers on weight loss journeys.
Go to a nude beach.
Stop letting boys dictate how you feel about your body.
Take small steps each day to get out of your comfort zone.
Surround yourself with people who love you despite your body size.
Stop comparing yourself to influencers online (most of them have had some sort of cosmetic procedure).
Know aging is a privilege that not everyone gets to experience.
A photo from my first boudoir shoot. Photo by Jessica Bate. Challenge yourself to accomplish self-empowering fitness goals.
Let go of fitness goals when they are no longer serving you.
Find a form of exercise that makes you feel powerful and unstoppable.
Stop looking at your body as the root of all your problems. It’s not.
Focus on expressing love and improving communication as a means of being more loveable rather than changing your body.
Continue to accept yourself to build resilience in a difficult world.
Be gentle and self-compassionate toward yourself after gaining weight.
Understand that the body is meant to change over time and weight gain can be normal and natural.
Embrace the natural cycles integral to your body such as the different phases of a menstrual cycle.
Please don’t blame the body for chronic pain; instead, see it as an opportunity to rest more.
Try to view illness as an opportunity to rest more and take care of yourself.
Be very grateful for parts of your body that function properly, knowing that not all of them do and not everyone is able-bodied.
Appreciate the wisdom that disabled bodies hold.
Write poetry about your body.
Understand that embracing your own body will help you embrace others.
If possible, work with people who understand the limits of your body and don’t overwork you.
Be upfront about the accommodations you need for your body.
See your body as a vehicle for living life.
Lean on people who can support you when your body is struggling.
Understand that the narrative you tell yourself about your body is your reality.
Know that your first thought is what you are conditioned to believe, and your second thought is what you choose to believe.
Hold space for two competing beliefs at once.
Don’t shame yourself for disliking my body in a system that does everything to get us to.
Know that accepting your body will help you be a role model for others.
Know that there are young kids in the world who need role models to show them how to love themselves.
Understand that people can and will project their own views and insecurities on you.
Move your body every week, ideally 3x a week at minimum. If you miss a week, don’t beat yourself up. Just keep going.
Embrace food as a means of sustenance, but also as a means of culture, celebration and tradition.
Learn about food deserts and food sovereignty and how they can affect health and body image.
Walk alone in nature with no headphones on and stay present in your environment.
Spend time around nature every day.
Love yourself as a means of healing intergenerational trauma and your family.
Understanding that not every day will be perfect and that days where you feel down about yourself does not mean that you don’t love yourself.
Learn to love your soul and authentic personality, knowing that they would not exist if your body did not.
Freely take rest days whenever needed.
Know that after periods of strenuous activity, the body will require more rest.
Ditch the new year new me mentality.
Stop telling yourself you just need to lose the 10 pounds.
Add meaningful hobbies to your life to replace the energy spent on hating your body. Crafting, anyone?
Think about all the other creatures in the world that exist on this planet and how they think about their bodies.
Embrace your right to self-determination and body autonomy.
Know that any gender expression is valid with or without surgery.
Identify as ‘queer’ if one label does not suit you.
Be self-compassionate on hard days and do at least one activity that you enjoy
Put makeup on like you are a work of art.
Romanticize the uniqueness and beauty of stretch marks and cellulite.
Take time to stretch your body.
Say thank you when someone compliments you instead of deflecting.
Know that after the most difficult periods come the most impactful breakthroughs. Don’t get stuck at the bottom.
Do breathwork.
Which one resonated the most with you? What has helped you love your body more outside of intentional weight loss?