Why beating yourself up about your weight doesn’t help…

There is a super sad trend happening – it’s not new, but I feel compelled to support you in knowing why it doesn’t work. 

If you see ads saying “don’t sit around during lockdown, that’s not an excuse not to stay fit”, “pregnancy is not a reason to not exercise & pile on weight”, OR my personal favorite “summer bodies are made in winter”… I’d like you for a moment to consider what this is telling you, your precious body, precious heart & the God that so expertly crafted you in HIS image.

Your body is exactly that – YOURS. And if you’d like any ounce of peace in your life, loving it is the ONLY way to do that. No amount of fitness videos, diet shakes, & shaming yourself into getting fitter / thinner / stronger (or whatever adjective – that’s hip these days – that these products & services are throwing at us) is going to give you self-acceptance. Sustainably.

And why is that so? Because my precious friends, life happens. Trauma happens. You will grow a baby & look different. Ageing happens. Auto-immune illnesses happen. Metabolisms slow down. And then? That “peace” of being thinner was as shallow as one’s intentions to begin with. I’ve seen far too many absolutely crumble when the control we think we have over our bodies dissipates.

We MUST start internally. Sure, exercise, eat healthily – but don’t let that be your ONLY strategy. Self-acceptance is much more important for your overall well-being & the only way to healthily ride through the inevitable body changes we go through. More so than any amount of fitness / thinness / physical strength is going to give you. 

If there is just one thing you take away from this post, let it be this – NO true, sustainable, transformational change starts from a place of shame. Not weight-loss, and not mental health. All of it needs to start from a place of true, vulnerable acceptance. Shame does not give us that. It rejects who we are, it rejects that our story is bigger than our physical bodies.

You are more than that. Your worth is more than that. x