You Don't Need their Permission

Your body is YOURS, and no one else’s. Only YOU get to decide what is right for your body.

When you give others the power to define the ideal standard for your body, you give away your power.

There are plenty of different ways to “measure” how “good” your body is―from Instagram likes to BMI percentage―but ultimately, the only standard of measure that matters is your own happiness, and the degree to which you take care of your body in loving ways.

When you rely on external definitions to measure your satisfaction with your body, it can leave you feeling dissatisfied and uncomfortable, and wishing you could drastically change things about yourself.

When I slip into a slump with my body, I reboot by reminding myself that regardless of what the scale says or how I’m feeling physically, I love my body. Rather than punishing myself for what I’m not doing, or doing in the wrong way, or how I’m not meeting some ideal standard, I ask myself, “How would you treat your body right now if it were ‘perfect’?”

The answer is usually not things like stand in front of the pantry eating out of the container, over-caffeinating, sitting at my desk for hours on end without getting up to stretch my legs, staying up late to watch another episode of OITNB, or having another glass of wine. It’s typically things like going for a walk with my dog, drinking a glass of water, or eating a meal full of vibrant, nourishing, delicious ingredients.

When I give myself permission to love my body, and embrace my body as it is regardless of what condition it’s currently in, I naturally take better care of myself and feel better in my own skin.

The same can be true for you. You don’t need anyone else’s permission―whether it’s your Mom, or your spouse, or your best friend, or even your doctor―to make a decision to love your body and embrace it exactly as it is in this very moment.

You should definitely listen to your doctor when it comes to how medically healthy your body is. But even if you have a health issue that you’re working on, you can choose to embrace your body as it is and take amazing care of it. In fact, it’s probably MORE important that you do this if you are battling an illness or trying to improve your body’s health in any way!

The decision is yours, and you can decide right now. You don’t need anyone else’s permission to decide to embrace your body as it is and take amazing care of it.

Check out the #healthyatanysize community to find support and connect with other women who are working on this, too!