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Sunday 11 January 2015

Day 73

I'm working hard to learn (and really understand) that 'health' and 'weight' do not equal the same thing.  Everywhere - media, social conditioning, bully-boy/girl personal trainers, the diet industry,  all form a fairly united front that Thin Is Best.  Thin equals health.

I have bought into this concept my whole life.  I have relentlessly aspired to it, attained it briefly a few times, and made myself incredibly unhealthy in the process. At the age of 45 years and 2 days, I hearby officially declare it nonsense.

Health, I now realise,  is made up of lots of different layers like stress, sleep, environment, financial resources, emotional supports and a bunch of other stuff that I take for granted in my comfy first world existence.   Exercise and food are in there somewhere, but they are by far from the only things keeping this health boat afloat.

There is a movement called Health At Every Size.  These guys say, and I must admit I had a slight hallelujah moment reading this, that the best way to improve your health is to honour your body.  They encourage people to adopt healthy habits for the sake of well-being not weight loss.

It seems to me there is a gentle tide turning here, away from self-loathing and deprivation towards treating ourselves, and our bodies, with kindness, acceptance and self-compassion.  And I, for one, am watching this slow tide come in, and I'm running joyfully up to the waters edge, ready to dive in.

Here's to honouring our bodies.

Love,

Indigo Kate x







2 comments:

  1. Kate, Kasey Edwards in the SMH often writes along these lines too and there is a terrific online Yoga teacher who does Curvy Yoga. I think her name is Anna Guest Jelly. There is a small movement towards healthy bodies vs skinny bodies thank goodness! Hope you have to make that hobble to the letter box soon. And that you can do it without hobbling! W xx

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  2. Thanks Wendy, will look out for both those. Kasey Edwards wrote the article I referred to on Day 67, she definitely 'gets it'. Will look out for Curvy Yoga, thanks. Hobbling greatly improved. Mailman in danger of being crash tackled due to rising excitement levels x

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