I've made my criticisms of the direction that the body positive movement has gone. Like so many things we are observing these days, there are bad, unintended consequences that come from pretty good intentions.
So, how do we find the good consequence that matches the good intention? First, we have to admit that the action taken did not get us to our goal. (We were wrong -- at least partially.) Next, we take a different action toward our goal of positivity for our bodies -- we don't even have to change the intention. The body positive movement was trying to get us to feel good about ourselves, to quit unhealthy diet patterns, and to improve self talk and contentment in the miracle that is the human body.
That was great. But we overshot the mark. Rather than discouraging any disordered eating we shame one type of unhealthy pattern (starving ourselves and hating our bodies) and say another unhealthy pattern ( being sedentary and eating tons of junk that makes us sick) is good. We have confused ourselves and now it's a big ol' mess.
The best way to get a good answer is to ask a good question. So, to find what is body positive we should ask:
What is positive for the body?
Answer: Anything that makes the body thrive.
What makes a body thrive?
Movement
rest
veggies and fruit
water
joy
laughter
(What would you add to this list?)
This week try to get something positive for your body into every day of the week -- but don't stress about it. Keep it light and fun -- Keep it positive.
Daniella Bozzone is an author and illustrator specializing in uplifting mindset and habit. She is a wellness coach and a private investor. You can find her children's books at Amazon.com.
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