Good

bread is without a doubt the best food on the planet.

I hear it every day. Every day.

"I've gotta get my body ready for summer."
"I need to be good with my diet this week."
"I need to lose these saddlebags."
"My butt is too flat for these jeans."
"My skin is too wrinkly now."
"I hate the way my legs look in shorts."
"I've been so bad -- I gained five pounds during quarantine."
"I'm so bloated and disgusting from this weekend."
"Gotta go for a run to burn that extra cookie I ate."

I get it. I know that self talk.

Here are my replies:

"Your body is ready for summer. You have a body, and summer is just around the corner."

"You can make healthy choices this week, but no food choices makes you a bad person. You can choose to be strict with what you eat for health reasons, but you can't be more good by choosing to eat a certain way."

"Your body is a good body, and saddlebags are normal. So is having a little fat on your thighs, a little pudge by your bra strap, and a bulge when you bend over at the waist. You can work out to be strong, but no part of your body is a bad part of your body, because your body is already a good body."

"Wear what you like and feel comfortable in. Your body is capable of more than filling out the seat of a pair of jeans."

"Your skin is good, and wrinkles are normal. Wrinkles do not diminish your worth."

"Your legs hold you up. If they feel warm, wear shorts. Your legs are part of your good body. Your legs are good legs."

"Gaining weight during quarantine does not make you a bad person. It makes you a normal person. You can change your choices and move forward in a different direction if that is what you want to do."

"Bloating happens for all sorts of reasons. Slime is disgusting. Rotten food in the back of your fridge is disgusting. Poop is disgusting. Chewed up gum is disgusting. You are not disgusting, even when you are bloated."

"Running is so good for your body and your mood. Run regardless of what you choose to eat, just because running makes you feel powerful, and exercise shows respect for your good body (which is good regardless of what you choose to eat)."

Say it until you believe it. My body is good, even when it doesn't look good. Food does not make me a bad person. No part of my body is a bad part of my body. Aging is normal. Your body can experience good things like summer and swimming regardless of how it looks. Exercise shows respect for your good body. You make your body stronger, you give your body relief from stress, you help your body avoid injuries when you move it regularly. Food choices can improve your health, help you avoid sickness, and make everything function optimally. Food is fuel for your good body.

Rinse. Repeat. You have a good body. It doesn't deserve the hate.