Intuitive Eating: Respect Your Body

Learning intuitive eating is a journey, and one that takes practice. To help you out, we’re going to go through the principles of Intuitive Eating one by one. If this is the first blog you’re reading, pause here and go back to our earlier blogs in the series.

Body respect is a key part of intuitive eating which encompasses self-compassion, gentle kindness, and body neutrality. When we talk about ‘body respect’, many people see it as synonymous with body confidence, body positivity, and self-love. While all of these things have their place, we like to think body respect is a little different. For many, learning to love their body seems like an insurmountable leap. When you’re coming from a place of body shame, making the leap to confidence can be difficult, and then body positivity just becomes another thing which feels out of reach.

If you’re finding it difficult to feel confident in your body and in love with the way it looks and functions, neutrality is a great first step.

Many people struggle to bridge this gap, both sides competing for terrain that neither can have fully. That’s the flaw of the body positive movement; It is problematic for those, who despite their best efforts, simply cannot feel positively about aspects of their body.

This is where body neutrality comes into the picture. The goal of body-neutrality allows for a healthy middle ground between hating your body and loving your body. Simply put, It is unrealistic to assume that each and every day will be a good day living in your body. Much like a marriage, while you love and respect your other half unconditionally, you will inevitably have ups and downs, good days and hard days, and that’s okay too. Just like a relationship with a partner takes work, so too does your relationship with your body. At the end of the day, your body is your home; a vessel in which to live a meaningful life. Working to nurture it and treat it with kindness and compassion is the ultimate goal of body-respect.

Wherever you’re at with intuitive eating and body respect, it’s important to give your body what it needs each and every day, regardless of how you feel. This can include things like adequate nutrition, hydration, gentle movement, and clothes that fit comfortably, just to name a few. Working towards body neutrality doesn’t mean that we ignore our bodies—actually, quite the opposite. By letting go of the time and precious energy that we spend on criticism and feeling the need to change, we free up energy to be more intuitive and find what feels good for us. How we like to move, what we like to eat, who we like to spend time with. When your feelings about your body get closer to neutral, you will be able to pay more attention to your internal processes and make more educated choices based on what actually feels good.

Aroha nui xx

This blog is not a substitute for medical, psychological, or dietetic advice, and is for informational and educational purposes only. If you or somebody you love is struggling, contact your GP, or call/text 1737 to speak to a licensed therapist.