Respect Your Body

By Kelsey Chadwick, MS RDN

October 7th, 2024

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“Accept your genetic blueprint. Just as a person with a shoe size of eight would not expect to realistically squeeze into a size six, it is equally futile (and uncomfortable) to have the same expectation about body size. But mostly, respect your body so you can feel better about who you are. It’s hard to reject the diet mentality if you are unrealistic and critical about your body size or shape. All bodies deserve dignity.”

-From Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch

Body image is a topic that comes up a lot when working on creating a more positive and peaceful relationship with food. In our society today (and for hundreds of years) many feel a strong pressure to be in a “thin body.” I think we’re all now aware that our society has set unrealistic standards and pressure to change our bodies. We’ve talked about some of the other principles of Intuitive Eating on the blog before, but today I want to dig into the 8th principle, “Respect Your Body.”

I really like this concept because it doesn’t push being overly positive or negative about one’s body. It really encourages respecting our bodies despite any negative feelings we have about our bodies. This principle is not about disregarding our body and how we feel about it, but it encourages respect and appreciating your “here-and-now body.”

Even if we don’t like something, we can still respect it, such as someone who has a differing opinion than ours. This is similar to respecting our body despite not liking every aspect of it. Accepting your body and respecting your body are two different things. When someone struggles with body image, accepting your body takes time and hard work. Respecting your body means treating it with dignity and honoring its basic needs regardless of whether you accept it or not.

Body respect can feel like a strange idea at first. In the Intuitive Eating book, authors Evelyn and Elyse offer thinking of respecting your body in two ways. First, by making it comfortable and second, by being responsive to basic needs. Getting comfortable, meaning actually physically being comfortable. Do your clothes fit comfortably on your body or are they poorly fitting? Your clothes are supposed to fit your body, not the other way around. Taking time to find clothes in your closet that fit comfortably is a good place to start and then determining if there are any new items you might need in order to have clothes that fit your here-and-now body. 

Being responsive to our basic needs can include adequate nourishment throughout the day, moving our body in a way that we like but also feels good for our body, staying hydrated, talking with a therapist, spending time with family and friends and work life balance. Your body deserves to have it’s basic needs met, even if you do not like or feel comfortable in your body. This can also include doing nice things for your body like getting a massage periodically.

Lastly, I’d like to offer up some encouragement to “view your body as an instrument, not an ornament.” This is a mantra from Lexie Kite, PhD and Lindsay Kite, PhD, authors of More Than A Body. It can be helpful in shifting the focus to what amazing things our bodies can do, rather than how it appears. “When you focus on appearance, it’s a form of objectification, which undermines your self-worth.”

No matter where you are in your body image journey, know that you are not alone and your body deserves respect. Body image work is challenging work and it’s helpful to have a support team that might include a non-diet dietitian and a therapist. You are welcome to reach out to a member of our team for personalized nutrition counseling.