5 Ways to Practice Body Kindness

What is Body Kindness^®?

Body kindness is about creating a better life by treating your body with respect and being kind to yourself. According to Registered Dietitian and Author of Body Kindness: Transform Your Health from the Inside Out–and Never Say Diet Again, Rebecca Scritchfield explains that body kindness encompasses many topics including mindful and intuitive eating, joyful movement, self-care, and self-love.

The best part about body kindness is that it looks different for everyone, meaning that you get to decide and have complete autonomy over what’s truly best for you!

Here are 5 ways you can practice body kindness, starting today:

1. Treat yo self!

2022 is the year to spoil yourself! Whether it means you want to run a relaxing bath once a week or get that Starbucks drink you love. Honor and remind yourself that you deserve it. Treating yourself can mean many things, it’s 100% up to you to decide! But here are a list of ideas to help you get started:

1. Pamper yourself with something that brings you joy that’s within your budget – food, a hot beverage, beauty care, or even clothes (1 new fabulous shirt from a second hand store can be a major mood-enhancer!)

2. Watch your favorite movie or TV show

3. Run a relaxing bath

4. Explore the city or a new hiking trail

5. Take the day off

6. Meditate

The most important takeaway is to always do something you love!

2. Trash the Diet

Diets are stressful and it’s important to manage the things in your life that can cause you more stress. When you tell your body that it can or can’t have certain foods or drinks, you aren’t honoring yourself to your fullest potential. Here are some tips to help you follow a non-diet approach:

1. Stop counting/tracking your calories. Instead, use how you feel as a way to decide when, what, and how much to eat.

2. Practice mindful eating habits:

   • Honor your cravings

   • Listen to your hunger and fullness cues

   • Notice your emotional state & environment while eating

   • Ground yourself through eating outside or in a new environment (try taking your shoes off!)

   • Eliminate blue screen distractions

   • Savor the flavor

3. Stop restricting certain foods because you were told they are “bad for you”, moderation is key. Find a balance that works for YOU

3. Find joy in moving your body

Ditch the dreaded treadmill or elliptical (if you hate it) and find a form of activity that brings you joy – that you actually look forward to! The activities you participate in can help transform your relationship with your body.

The gym isn’t for everyone and that’s ok! Find an activity that you love participating in and love the way it makes you feel inside and out. An important takeaway is to never force yourself to participate in an activity that doesn’t make you feel good. Here are some ideas of activities outside of the gym:

• Hike! Download “All Trails” on the app store to find the best hikes where you are located

• Join a dance class, learn a new dance by watching a YouTube dance instruction video, or have a free-for-all dance party in your kitchen

• Ride a bike

• Rock climb. If you’re new you could start with the rock wall at Campus Rec and also check out one of the indoor rock climbing gyms in town like this one.

• Try out a group fitness class at Campus Rec or enroll in a FIT class next semester.

4. Remove yourself from diet talk

Let’s be honest, diet culture IS toxic and can be damaging to your mental and physical health. Here are some ways you can remove yourself from diet talk and culture:

• Unfollow/block/mute social media pages that promote diet culture

• Follow social media pages that promote body kindness and non-diet approaches

• Place boundaries with your close circle who may frequently discuss diet culture

• If a situation feels uncomfortable, respectfully remove yourself from the situation

5. Repeat daily positive affirmations

Positive affirmations are statements that are specifically geared towards you which can help you battle negative thoughts that may occur. Replace your negative thoughts with positive thoughts to help boost your mental health and relationship with your body. Here are some examples of positive affirmations to help get you started:

• My body deserves to be loved

• I am beautiful

• I am capable

• I am confident

• I can overcome anything