More Sun, Less Shame. The Summer of Body Respect.
If summer makes you more aware of how your body looks, you’re not alone. But what if we shifted the focus from how our bodies appear to how they feel—and what they do for us every day? That’s the power of body respect.
What Is Body Respect?
Body respect doesn’t mean always loving how your body looks. It means:
- Giving your body enough food, water, and rest
- Moving in ways that feel good
- Wearing clothes that fit comfortably
- Speaking to yourself with the same kindness you'd offer a friend
- Finding ways to cope on poor body image days
- Tuning into your internal strengths
You don’t need to feel body-positive every day to treat your body with respect.
3 Ways to Practice Body Respect This Summer
1. Fuel Your Body with Nourishing and Refreshing Foods
Curating blood sugar balancing meals, including fresh fruits and vegetables, hydrating your body in the midst of the warm months, and incorporating the foods we enjoy is treating your body with respect.
2. Wear What Fits & Feels Good
If we are sitting in clothes that don’t fit, we won’t feel comfortable regardless of the size they are! Wear clothes that feel comfortable to you - it may shock you how much better it makes you feel.
3. Move Your Body in a Way You Enjoy
Moving your body in a way that you enjoy will do wonders to your mental health and create a more positive relationship with movement. We shift from a place of moving our bodies out of punishment and working against it to care and working with it. We build trust with our bodies in our strength, energy, and resilience.
4. Talk to Yourself with Respect
Journal things you are proud of in your body and internally. Reframe your negative thoughts. For example, “I used to look so much better” to “My body has changed, and that is normal. I am no less valuable now” ; “I’ll feel better once I lose weight” to “I can work on making myself feel better today by moving my body, feeding it nourishing meals, speaking kindly to myself, and resting."
"Life is so much more beautiful and complex than a number on a scale."
- Tess Munster
