Today’s the day. I’m so honored and tickled pink to be invited to join in the celebration to shout out how much I loved the book, “Body Respect”
Today’s the day. I’m so honored and tickled pink to be invited to join in the celebration of the Pledge Body Respect Blog tour to shout out how much I loved the book, “Body Respect”
A huge thanks goes to the authors, Linda Bacon, Ph.D and Lucy Aphramor, Ph.D, RD and a great big heartfelt thank you goes to Jordynn for reaching out to me.
My path to respecting my body
I have to admit that my road to finding my own pocket of peace and body acceptance has been incredibly painful, filled with years of self-hatred, unending doubts, fears and a pervasive belief that I could never be good enough as I am. That’s me on the right.
For decades, I saw my body as my burden and refused to accept it. I lived for most of my life disgusted and ashamed of how I looked. I couldn’t stand my thighs and did everything I could to make them disappear. No matter how thin or heavy, I always saw them as huge and fat.
My body insecurity and self-hatred was so monumental that it nearly destroyed my marriage and ruined every aspect of my life. One day I had an epiphany and realized that my problem was not rooted in my body. My problem was that I had a painfully low self-image and I had developed a bad habit of trash talking my body, disrespecting and treating myself like a piece of trash. Every time I cursed my body and called myself names, I rationalized that this was the motivation that I needed to finally lose weight.
Until I made the decision to stop torturing my body with dieting and deprivation, trying to lose weight, I remained in a calorie and weight-crazed haze always chasing the elusive dream of wanting to be thinner. Now, at 51, with 52, just around the next holiday corner, I’ve wasted too many years and cried too many tears wishing to be something I’m not. Today I stand before you a proud size 18 curvy and confident gal. This post is my triumphant shout out, as I joyfully chime in and add my voice to raise awareness to bring attention to the power of body respect. Self-respect.
When I received the Body Respect book, and began reading it, I got a little teary-eyed and wept with joy as I read the multitude of pages filled with glowing testamonials. It makes me so happy to know that so many people are choosing to embrace body respect.
In my post dated yesterday, September 17, I shared my insights of the HAES (Health at Every Size) philosophy following my eye-opening radio interview with Linda Bacon, Ph.D.
How to make movement more fun
Today I’d like to cover a topic that is deeply important to so many people who struggle with body hatred; movement for pleasure.
The idea of moving at all when you’re out of shape and uncomfortable in your body feels like an impossible task. It’s no surprise that being sedentary is much more tempting than getting up off the sofa.
Since my passion lies in teaching women how to be more confident and feel good about their bodies at any size, I’m excited to share the following excerpt from the book, “Body Respect” giving some tips on how you can gradually become more comfortable moving your body by making everday activities a bit more fun.
Go the long way past the park and appreciate the trees, the shade, the birdsong, and the fountain.
■■ Clean. Make a game of it. Dance with your vacuum.
Pump the music up and rock to the beat while folding
clothes.
■■ Roughhouse with your kids. The little ones will also
love to dance and get silly with you! Or how about a
game of Ping-Pong (or table tennis) or an activity-based
video game?
■■ Throw away the TV remote control.
■■ Compete with your buddy. Who can find the most outlandish garden display on a walk? Or the most plastic pink flamingos? Text each other pictures of the contenders you find!
■■ Stand and march in place while reading on the computer. (Easier in the privacy of your own home!)
■■ Walk with your friends and colleagues instead of taking the usual coffee break.
■■ Try yoga. There are many versions of yoga, so sign up for a few different kinds and see which one lines up the best with what you’re looking for. You can find some classes that are vigorous, others that emphasize slow breathing,
In some towns, you can even find classes that are clothing optional.
■■ Use an old-fashioned push mower for lawn work.
■■ Go geocaching—it’s an adventure nerd’s dream come
true. Become a real-life treasure hunter and have a great time doing it.
■■ Explore the outdoors, on foot or bike.
■■ Take up bird-watching, or get curious about plants and bugs.
■■ Have more sex. And sex doesn’t have to be reserved for partners. Go for it on your own for additional feel-good.
With these activities, challenge yourself by adding them into your life gradually and then increasing the frequency at which you do them. Do small bouts and enjoy the enhanced sense of vitality that comes from moving more. If you climb four flights of stairs one day, add an extra one the next. But don’t feel the pressure to push yourself. As you’ll find, even a little bit has big payback.
The beauty of this approach is that you can forget about any fitness plan, weight loss, target heart rate, number of calories burned, and so forth. Instead, just move. An added bonus? Just a single short stint of activity will release endorphins, feel-good chemicals that pick up your mood immediately. It also makes muscle cells more responsive to insulin, even when you’re not moving, which will help you manage your blood sugar, reducing your risk of diabetes and other conditions. And regular activity
will also bump up serotonin production and uptake, contributing to a greater sense of well-being all the time.
Join The Body Respect Google Hangout
In closing, I want to honor the authors of this revolutionary book and give you an opportunity to meet them more personally.
On October 16th, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern I will be interviewing Linda Bacon, Ph.D, (shown side left) and Lucy Aphramor, Ph.D, RD (pictured side right) discussing their Body Respect book in greater depth and getting to know the women and their stories that power up their mission. If you’d like to join us, here is my Juicy Woman Youtube channel link to see the action live. http://www.youtube.com/thejuicywoman/live
Andrea Amador, The Juicy Woman, Linda Bacon, PhD, Lucy Aphramor, PhD, RD, Body Respect, body image,
Only audio available of Lucy interview.