Your body is perfect, just as it is. You don't need to lose weight, or tighten up your tummy, or pop out your butt in order to have a perfect beach body. You already have the perfect beach body, and you should feel free to rock whatever swimming attire you feel comfortable in, regardless of your size.
This time of year, there are many fitness regimens, potions, pills, diet plans and supplements being offered to us that claim they will "transform" our already perfect bodies into bodies that are more acceptable to society. But this year, I'm saying "no" to the beach body craze, and so should you!
I'm not saying no to showing my body love through movement each day, or to fueling my body with delicious, healthy foods, or to practicing self-care like bubble baths and massages and face masks. I'm just saying no to anyone or anything that would make me believe that my body isn't perfect as it is, and that I have to be perpetually engaged in efforts to change my body in order to meet someone else's standards for perfection.
Our bodies are sacred vessels that carry us through this life, and for that, they deserve respect.
Our bodies are sacred vessels that carry us through this life, and for that, they deserve respect. But they are also just a container for who we truly are: our souls. So while taking care of our bodies and treating them as our most valued possessions is important, they are not the entirety of who we are.What we look like in our bikinis is not the ultimate measure of our worth (although I have yet to come across a woman who doesn't look like a goddess in her bikini).
Photo by Chris Carroll Photography, hair and make-up by Lauren O'Leary.
There are any number of companies that would love nothing more than to sap all of your money, your time, your energy, and your self-worth in order to profit from your desire to get a perfect "beach body." When you spend your money and time on these products, you are actually telling the marketplace that you don't like yourself, and that you don't deserve products that are designed to make you feel great in your own skin. You are telling the marketplace that you despise your body and want products that will prey on your desire to change yourself.
You are divine, feminine perfection. Your body is beautiful. You deserve to love yourself at any size...
But giving in to the "beach body" craze doesn't just contribute to a marketplace and media culture of body shaming, it also hurts you individually, because it is causing you to divert your precious time and resources to an endless quest for physical perfection. By giving away your precious resources, you are keeping yourself from living at full amplitude.
If you add up all the time and energy that you could potentially spend on the quest for the perfect beach body, you might find that you could get that online master's degree, spend more time with you kids, help out your aging parents, take on an extra project at work that will get you the big promotion, or take up a new creative pursuit. You might find that you have the time and resources to become the woman that you truly want to be, not just someone who looks "better" in a bikini (according to some).
You are divine, feminine perfection. Your body is beautiful. You deserve to love yourself at any size, and to show your body love through movement. You deserve to live at full amplitude, and you can make the choice this very instant to say "No!" to beach body and "Yes!" to embracing your body as it is. What will you choose?
Check out the #healthyatanysize community to find support and connect with other women who are working on this, too!