One of the most common questions I receive is how to actually put intuitive eating practice into your real life. We can often get hung up on the rules and restrictions of diet culture that we feel lost without them and unsure of how to move forward on our intuitive eating journey. Today I am here to give you practical advice for implementing intuitive eating into your everyday life.
Key Takeaways
If you are looking to include the practice of intuitive eating into your life you should:
You Were Born an Intuitive Eater
Intuitive eating may sound simple, but it’s not easy. In short, intuitive eating is just eating! You were born an intuitive eater, sensing when you are hungry and what satisfaction feels like. However, the way you have been socialized has shaped how you interact with food, to the point where many of us don’t know how to trust and listen to both our brains and our bodies.
Intuitive eating is about simplifying your eating habits and guidelines so that you can find the overlap between listening to your brain and your body to make intuitive eating decisions.
Practical Advice for Implementing Intuitive Eating in Your Life
Building healthy habits is the key to changing your internal landscape when it comes to food and learning to listen to your body’s signals. You don’t need to be mindful 100% of the time, but even a small amount of awareness can be powerful when embracing intuitive eating.
Starting from a place of mindfulness, taking it one principle at a time, and planning your meals in a way that fits in with your lifestyle are all great ways to start checking in with yourself and selecting your food choices based on a more internal approach.
Which of my tips have you tried? What have you noticed? Share your thoughts and experiences with me in the comments on the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“We have become so accustomed to interacting with food in that way, that when we present intuitive eating as eating without all of the rules, and restrictions, and regulations, and calculations, and computations, and logging, and everything, it kind of breaks your brain a little bit.” (6:08)
“Here is how I sum up intuitive eating. It is where you use both your brain and your body to decide what to eat.” (10:29)
“In mindful eating, what we are really trying to do is to build awareness of what we are doing, because a lot of our eating is very automatic.” (22:53)
“You are not a short-order cook… and you shouldn’t have to be one in order to make intuitive eating work for you. Remember we are trying to simplify things.” (30:47)
“It is okay to repeat meals, it is okay to use convenience items, it is okay to use dry goods from your pantry, it’s okay to use frozen foods. We have to let go of some of the stigmas around that stuff.” (35:41)
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We have been told for our whole lives that our weight equals health which equals our worth. Have you ever stopped to ponder how this diet culture mentality has been engrained into our relationship with our bodies and our health? Just because diet culture tells us that thinner equals healthier, it does not mean it is the truth.
Key Takeaways
If You Want To Start Asking Yourself The Important Questions, You Should:
Fuck the Scale
I used to let the number I saw on the scale completely dictate if I had a bad day or a good day. Like so many women out there, I had a toxic relationship with the scale, and I thought that if I could achieve my ‘goal’, I would be happy. This obsession extended into how I viewed other people, and I was buying into the story that intentional weight loss via restriction was the only path.
Weight loss can be a beneficial byproduct of improving your health, but it is not the only measure that matters. Gaining health is about feeling better in your body at whatever size, instead of the number on the scale.
How To Find Sustainable Health
When people prioritize their health, they often assume that it is the weight loss that makes them feel better. In reality, it is the habits, behaviors, and changes you are making in your life that make you feel better, and weight loss can sometimes be a byproduct of those healthy habits.
It is not inherently wrong to want to change your body; you have the autonomy to do what feels right for you. But to make health changes work for you, think about how you can stay focused, how you want to feel, your deeper why, and the habits you can commit to consistently. Instead of forcing yourself to stay motivated based on the number on your scale, focus on how you want to feel in your body, and you can gain truly sustainable health.
What did you think when you read the title of today’s podcast? Share your gut reaction with me in the comments on the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“When I criticize the diet industry and diet culture, I am not criticizing the individual dieter, the person who goes on the diet. Because they are simply trying to exist in a system that is constantly reinforcing that weight loss is ‘the path’.” (10:41)
“It's not even normal in our world to think about 'well, what else is there besides weight loss?’ because that is the only thing that is ever presented to us from the diet industry.” (15:22)
“There are often times lots of changes that people were making, but they go back to it being the weight loss that helped them feel better. When in fact, a lot of the time it was the behaviors and habits they had changed that were actually making them feel better and improving their quality of life.” (23:01)
“We need to connect to how we want to feel because feelings drive actions.” (25:26)
“We need to consider that when we gain health, weight loss is sometimes, but not always, an outcome. And losing weight doesn't always automatically confer better health.” (35:57)
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LTYB 304: What is Gentle Nutrition? (Intuitive Eating Principle 10)
Do you remember when I used to be ‘Stupid Easy Paleo’? A lot of you are curious as to why I am no longer paleo and the complete rebranding I did in 2018. So, I decided to share my real, truthful, nitty-gritty story with you all for this week's episode.
Key Takeaways
If You Are Starting To See The Cracks In Your Own Relationship With Food and Diets You Should:
How I Got Here
In 2018 I had a realization. I realized that I had been carrying my disordered eating and relationship with my body through the various stages of my life, masking it with different diets and exercise regimes.
When I first heard about paleo in 2010, my most significant thought was ‘will this help me get smaller?’. While I did learn some good things from paleo, over time, the rules, restrictions, and arguments I had with people about whether or not something ‘is’ or ‘isn't paleo was making me exhausted. That’s when I realized something had to change.
Restriction Isn’t Helping Anybody
The more I learned about the origins of diet culture and the harm that comes from approaching ‘taking care of our health’ in a way that is restrictive and an all-or-nothing mentality, I knew I had to burn what I thought I knew down to the ground.
When you are able to take the guilt and shame out of your relationship with food and stop thinking about food 24/7, you can come back to yourself. You are always and have always been worthy no matter your body size or appearance, and my mission is to help you get back to being the intuitive eater that you were born as.
Do you see yourself reflected in my story? How is your story different than mine? Share your thoughts with me in the comments on the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“We always have a choice. We are faced with new information all day, every day, and we get to decide how and if we want to incorporate that information into our new viewpoint of the world and our perspective.” (3:32)
“I feel like I wasn't living my life because I was so invested in dieting, and shrinking myself, and making myself smaller.” (12:41)
“This is when I started to become aware of the fact that my thinking around food was occupying a lot of my time. Prior to that, it was just something that happened, I didn't have that outside looking in awareness of ‘this is kind of fucked up’.” (23:53)
“I started to learn about bigger issues, things like diet culture. And then it all started to make sense.” (33:38)
“I think that is my biggest point to you today, is learning to find the wiggle room, removing the guilt and the shame, recognizing that some of these smaller dietary choices are not going to cause you some kind of crazy significant harm.” (44:42)
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I want you to think back to 2011. What were you doing a decade ago? I was unhappy with different aspects of my life, feeling restless, and starting to think I should do something else. It took me two years, but in 2013 I changed my career and haven't looked back since. If you have an inkling that something isn't quite right in your life but are getting stuck on the road to making that change, this is the episode for you.
Key Takeaways
If You Want To Get Out Of the Information Overload Stage You Should:
Finding Your Intuitive Eating Sweet Spot
When making a change in your life, big or small, there is a tendency to get caught up in the learning phase. Often we don't want to jump into something until we feel 100% ready, but the truth is that if you wait to feel completely ready, you will be waiting forever.
Diet culture tells us to outsource our health decisions which creates a ‘one size fits all’ approach to our bodies. This is simply not the case, and intuitive eating encourages you to find the sweet spot between those external values and your own body's attunement. While information can help you prepare for this next phase of your life, it is important to remember that you need to find the middle ground between preparing and actually taking action.
The 6 Stages of Change
Consuming information makes us feel like we are doing something when it is really aiding us in procrastinating on making the change we are contemplating. There are six stages of change, and it is important to be honest with yourself about what stage you are at and remember that after every speed bump comes a new cycle.
Doing your research is great. But when you are able to take the information you have gathered and challenge yourself to take action, that is where the real magic happens. Intuitive eating is a combination of active learning and experiential learning, and it's up to you to get out there and do the thing.
What stage of change do you feel that you are at with your relationship with food? Let me know in the comments on the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“There are so many places that you can get stuck, and one of them is information overload.” (2:02)
“How can we find that middle ground? How can we find the overlap? That is really why putting intuitive eating principles into practice is so important, because it helps to combat only loading yourself with information.” (13:22)
“Where are you at with your own relationship with food and coming to a kinder place that isn’t so ‘all or nothing’? I want you to think about that.” (21:48)
“At the end of the day, you can read the book, you can read the workbook, you can listen to all of the podcasts, you can read all the anti-diet books, you can do all of that. And some things may change...but intuitive eating by its very nature is an active experiential process.” (24:42)
“Give yourself grace, it is a process. If you feel like you are going to wait until you are 100% ready, you are going to be waiting forever.” (30:28)
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Related Episodes
LTYB 304: What is Gentle Nutrition? (Intuitive Eating Principle 10)
LTYB 257: Taking A Good Look At Your Relationship With Food with Rachel Dash-Dougherty
There is a big difference between feeling positive about your body and the body positivity movement, but it can be a very nuanced topic to understand. While diet culture is part of a more extensive set of oppressive systems to people with marginalized identities, the body positivity movement has moved so far away from how it started. Social justice and body positivity are heavily intersected, and it takes some time to unpack just how deeply that runs in our society.
Key Takeaways
If You Want To Understand The Difference Between Body Positivity and the Body Positivity Movement, You Should:
The Difference Between Body Positivity and Systemic Oppression
The body positivity movement has started to center around people who don’t represent the individuals that this movement was really created by and for. Although originally created for people in marginalized bodies, we have seen a change in the ‘face’ of body positivity shifting away from marginalized bodies and towards others that are co-opting the movement.
While it is still totally possible and common for people in straighter size bodies to dislike their bodies and relationships with food, it is not the same as experiencing the kind of systemic discrimination and oppression that people in larger bodies experience every single day.
What You Can Do To Stop the Co-Opting
There is still judgment for people in larger bodies who embrace the body positivity movement in the same way that people in non-marginalized bodies do. By being clearer and discerning with the terms that we use on social media and in real life, we can stop the systematic oppression found in the body positivity movement and start including the people who might not look like you.
With some learning, some listening, and some questioning, you can start to peel back the layers of the body positivity onion and understand the time and place of these hard things.
How are you going to dig deeper into the differences between body positivity, fatphobia, and the systemic oppression of marginalized bodies? Share your thoughts with me in the comments on the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“It is kind of important to bring up this idea of co-opting, and how it removes the emphasis away from the people or the concepts that it was really designed to support.” (7:52)
“You start to see that predominantly thin, white, young, cisgender people who are being featured as the ‘faces’ of body positivity. And that is so different from the origins of the fat acceptance movement.” (15:46)
“What I am trying to say in this episode is that yes, you may have negative feelings about your body. Even if your body is very thin, you may still have body dysmorphia, you could still have an eating disorder, you could still have disordered eating, you could still not like your body. But it’s still not the same as experiencing the kind of systemic discrimination and oppression that people in larger bodies experience every single day.” (19:10)
“There is a difference between feeling bad about your body and experiencing systemic discrimination.” (22:23)
“I don’t want you to just listen to me; I want you to really go seek out and follow and listen to people who are in larger bodies as a start.” (27:44)
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Related Episodes
LTYB 313: How To Stop a Bad Body Image Day in Its Tracks with Brianna Campos
LTYB 320: Why You Can’t Shame Yourself Into Changing Your Body
LTYB 302: Finding Joy & Acceptance in Fitness for Every Body with Kanoa Greene
Are you feeling shameful around your body and trying to use that shame as a motivator to make changes? I have some bad news for you; it is not going to work. Shame not only has a profoundly negative impact on our mental health, but it is also harmful to how we see ourselves as people and our ability to make long-lasting change.
Key Takeaways
If You Want To Stop Shaming Yourself Or Letting Others Shame You, You Should:
Why Shame Doesn’t Work
Shame comes from a very internalized place of believing that you are inherently flawed. Shame is different from guilt, which is a contextualized feeling about something you did rather than who you are.
Shame is scientifically proven to be a debilitating emotion that can come from external and internal narratives that are systematically pushed upon us. Shame, especially when it comes from the outside, negatively impacts how we see ourselves as people, and makes us hide, get smaller, and remove ourselves.
How To Create Sustainable Change
Shaming yourself or hating yourself into change simply does not work and can greatly impact how you see yourself and others. Social media and the patriarchy are only exacerbating this issue, which is why it is essential to treat yourself with kindness and approach change in a way that feels good to you.
Instead of operating from a place of shame, challenge yourself to create change in a way that feels sustainable and good. Block that body-shaming Instagram account, stop engaging with ‘concern trollers’, and get curious about where your thoughts are coming from. When you have patience with yourself and stop linking your self-worth to your body size or shape, real change can happen.
Are you ready to stop using shame as a motivator, only to end up feeling worse about yourself? Share how you are going to tweak your mindset away from shame with me in the comments section of the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“Shame is a normal human experience, but this chronically feeling shameful can be really harmful for our health, especially the mental health aspect of our overall health.” (14:30)
“That was so powerful, and really put it into perspective of why shaming people for their bodies does damage, and why shame for ourselves is really something to investigate and heal if it is persistent.” (16:47)
“Guilt may be more powerful in terms of helping us make change, and maybe less harmful to us if we are really able to make things right. But shame, especially when it comes from other people, is so damaging to us, and it can be really harmful to our health, really harmful to our mental state, and really harmful to how we see ourselves as people.” (20:59)
“Thoughts affect feelings and feelings drive our actions. So if you feel guilty, or shameful or shitty, generally speaking, how do you act or react? It is typically not going to be a change you feel really great about.” (30:24)
“Getting clear about a motivator in your life that is coming from a place of expansiveness, possibility, curiosity, growth, and transformation is far more powerful than hating yourself into change.” (34:59)
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LTYB 318: How Diet Culture Fails Us
LTYB 313: How To Stop a Bad Body Image Day in Its Tracks with Brianna Campos
When you think about diet culture, do you think about how it has affected your relationship with fitness? Often times we focus on how diet culture impacts our relationship with food, but it also has a profound effect on our connection to exercise and fitness.
The fitspo mentality promotes a narrow ideal that is widely unachievable, keeps us stuck in the patriarchal system of having to prove our worth, and harms us by taking us further away from listening to our bodies.
Key Takeaways
If You Are Ready To See Fitspo Die You Should:
The Real Meaning of Fitness
Dan John defines fitness as your ability to do a task. That’s it. Nothing about the way you look, the amount of muscle you have, or your ability to look like the ‘fit’ people you see on Instagram.
Society has adopted coded language around fitness that seeks to limit and control a woman’s ability to show up in a certain way when it comes to fitness. In reality, you can include movement in your life in a way that is healthy for you right now and has no connection to the way you look. Your relationship with exercise should bring you satisfaction and make you feel good in your here and now body without the pressure of intentional weight-loss or body changes.
How Fitspo Harms Us
Fitspo harms us in more ways than one. Firstly, it promotes a narrow and privileged version of a certain ‘look’. It also promotes a ‘no days off’ mentality, that scares us into believing that if we rest, we are not worthy, are not strong, or are going to lose our gains. This is simply not true and keeps us stuck in the mentality of proving our worth and exercising solely to change the way our bodies look.
One of the biggest ways fitspo harms us is by preventing us from listening to our bodies. Your body will tell you if it needs rest and if it is enjoying the type of movement you are engaging with. While getting to know your body in the physical exercise capacity is very personal and takes time, listening to your body’s signals is the only way that you are going to get over the fitspo mentality.
Are you ready to embrace a version of fitness that is accessible, inclusive, and doesn’t focus on changing your body? Share how you are embracing movement for the sake of movement and rejecting the fitspo life in the comments section of the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“Diet culture doesn’t just impact your relationship with food, it also has a prevalent impact on how we see fitness talked about, displayed, and some of the mentalities that are related to fitness.” (3:01)
“Dan John says fitness is your ability to do a task, so right there, your ability to do a task, your ability to complete a specific physical task typically is what fitness really is. And yet we as a society constantly reduce fitness to a look.” (7:49)
“If you are pursuing a specific type of fitness because there is a promise of a specific aesthetic look, is that actually 1) realistic for your body type? And 2) is it actually really bringing you a sense of fulfillment?” (12:45)
“It’s worth thinking about how pushing through and saying ‘I can’t take any days off, I am not allowed a rest day if I take a rest day I’m lazy, I’m a loser, I’m a slacker, I’m going to lose all of my progress’, how does that mentality keep us from really tuning in and listening to our bodies?” (24:00)
“The other way that fitspo harms us is it takes the emphasis off all of the other reasons why exercise can be fun and beneficial that have really nothing to do with weight loss or body size control.” (28:55)
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Related Episodes
LTYB 318: How Diet Culture Fails Us
LTYB 302: Finding Joy & Acceptance in Fitness for Every Body with Kanoa Greene
LTYB 295: Changing The Way You View Fitness with Simone Tchouke
Diet culture is a symptom of an oppressive system that underpins so many of the ways we show up in the world. It prevents us from being present, enjoying the people we love and the things we enjoy, and stops us from caring for ourselves. Although we do not consent to diet culture, we have to deal with the fallout of generations of both men and women playing into the ‘rewards’ of diet culture, while ignoring all of the risks.
Key Takeaways
If You Are Ready To Reclaim What Diet Culture Has Stolen From You, You Should:
What Diet Culture Steals From Us
Diet culture keeps us small in every sense of the word. It keeps us striving for an unattainable and constantly changing body ideal, it keeps us distracted and dulled from using our power, and it keeps us from enjoying life experiences and the people we love.
We were not put on this Earth to achieve a perfect body and then die. Often we don’t even realize what diet culture is stealing from us because we are so immersed in it. I guarantee that when you look back at your life, the people you love will not remember if you have cellulite, they will remember how you made them feel and the memories that you were able to enjoy together.
The Real Risks of Diet Culture
Diet culture doesn’t just make us play small or hold back on our dreams and chase impossible body ideals; it can actually take our lives from us in every sense of the world. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness out there, but the corporations and companies that fed us this swill only focus on diet culture benefits, not the downsides.
Unpacking and unlearning diet culture takes time and requires self-compassion and connection. While it is not going to happen overnight, just understanding the risks that are very real if we continue to let diet culture perpetuate our lives is a great first step.
Are you ready to stop letting diet culture steal your zest for life? Share which of my suggestions you are going to implement to step away from diet culture and reclaim the things that diet culture has stolen from you in the comments section of the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“I think we need to name how we are harmed by diet culture in these ways, how diet culture has failed us.” (13:59)
“Diet culture makes us play small and it makes us hold back on our dreams.” (17:39)
“Diet culture steals our life from us, it makes us pull back from having the experiences and participating in all of the things that we love, the people we want to be with. And those are really the experiences that stick and that matter.” (21:34)
“When you decide to start unpacking diet culture and start moving away from these practices in your own life, you need support. Do not do this on your own because you will quickly become overwhelmed and subsumed by this larger dominant system.” (32:17)
“The toll that diet culture is taking on us is heavy, and the corporations and companies and diet industry, they are not forthcoming about the risks, they are not forthcoming about the downsides.” (34:06)
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LTYB 317: Diet Culture and the Patriarchy
LTYB 316: What Food Freedom Is (And Isn’t)
LTYB 298: How to Show Up More Authentically with Grace Edison
Have you ever stopped to consider that dieting and the diet industry work to keep us busy and distracted as a result of the patriarchy? The constant pursuit of body perfection tries to keep us spinning on a hamster wheel so that we do not have the time or energy for anything else, and that needs to stop now.
Key Takeaways
If You Want To Start Uncovering How Dieting and the Patriarchy You Can:
The System Was Built To Make Us Fail
When we are preoccupied with the scale and food restrictions, we shrink ourselves literally and metaphorically. The ideal body comes from decades of the patriarchy that is reinforced by everything around you. The system is designed to oppress women-identifying folks, while the ideal body keeps changing. The time, resources, and attention that pursuit of body perfection takes is just simply not worth it. It is about damn time that we get off this hamster wheel and focus on something other than our bodies.
Reinvesting Your Energy
How often do you compliment someone on their looks as the first thing you say about them? Can you imagine how much time and energy you could get back if you started questioning the influence of the patriarchy on our endless pursuit for body perfection?
Instead of focusing on what could go wrong or what you could miss out on if you start feeding into this internalized intersection of diet and the patriarchy, think about all the things you could gain if you stopped focusing on controlling the way you look.
I truly believe that we were not put on this planet to work ourselves to achieve the perfect body. Your energy, your spirit, and your magic could all be being wasted on the patriarchal view of body perfection, and you are worth so much more than that.
How are you working to stop internalizing and perpetuating the intersection of diet culture and the patriarchy? Let me know how your challenge went this week in the comments section of the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“Dieting for the sake of body perfection keeps us distracted from everything else going on in the world because it is all-consuming.” (6:15)
“We have this constantly being reinforced to us from a very young age that if we look the part if we look a certain way like these body ideals and beauty ideals, that we will be more worthy, that we will be better people. And it is absolutely a tool of the patriarchy.” (11:58)
“Because of body diversity, some people in larger bodies are in great health, just like some people in smaller bodies are in terrible health.” (19:06)
“We live in a patriarchal society, we live in a fatphobic society, we live in a white supremacist society, where all of these things are consistently reinforced. So it is not our fault.” (22:42)
“How can you take your idea of worth, your own worth or what you appreciate about someone else, and expand that? What energy would that buy you back?” (27:14)
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LTYB 316: What Food Freedom Is (And Isn’t)
LTYB 214: 6 Reasons BMI is Bullshit
LTYB 313: How To Stop A Bady Body Image Day In Its Tracks with Brianna Campos
Finding true food freedom is a nuanced discussion that has roots in many important conversations. The patriarchy, race, gender, body autonomy, and diet culture are just a few of the systems involved in bringing awareness to the food you are eating and how you are treating your body.
Key Takeaways
If You Want To Find Food Freedom You Should:
Listening To Your Body’s Signals
I want you to feel the freedom to question what we have been taught about the ‘right way to eat’. Mindful eating is a great place to start, and it can help you relearn how to connect with yourself and what you enjoy. Nutrition from a non-diet perspective may seem like a strange concept, but it is only by raising your awareness and opening the door that you can stop pursuing perfection and start listening to your body’s signals.
What Is Food Freedom?
Food freedom does not mean restricting yourself, going back to eating ‘regularly’, and then if you begin to feel yourself ‘falling off the wagon’ or ‘losing control’, that the solution is to go back to the restriction.
Food freedom is embracing the freedom to eat foods that make you feel good, that are enjoyable and satisfying, and are without unnecessary restriction. Food freedom means eating in a way that enhances your life, and that is helpful to your mind, and body, and emotions, and spirit, and culture.
Health Over Perfection
Young girls should not be growing up in a diet culture, fatphobic world. You are inherently worthy and valuable no matter what, and we deserve better than a lifetime of hating our bodies and thinking we are worthless because we don’t fit the mold.
Instead of focusing on intentional weight loss, I challenge you to focus on embracing health-promoting behaviors. The pursuit of perfection isn’t getting you anywhere, and it is time to stop denying our own magic just because we don’t fit the mold diet culture has laid out for us.
What conversations are you excited to have in 2021? Share your thoughts with me in the comments on the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“The freedom to eat foods that make you feel good, foods that are enjoyable and satisfying, the freedom to eat without extremes, the freedom to eat without unnecessary restriction, the freedom to eat in a way that is enhancing to your life and not detracting from your life, the freedom to eat in a way that is helpful to your mind and your body and your emotions and your spirit and your culture, the freedom to eat foods that are important from your culture… that’s what I mean by food freedom.” (9:31)
“No matter what body you are in, no matter your health status, no matter your size, no matter your ability or disability, you f*cking deserve respect, and you need to give other people respect in return.” (12:25)
“Can we individually think about our food behaviors and practices and what we eat, while also holding that there is also a larger context? That is going to be really important going forward.” (15:18)
“We only get one shot at this life, as we are right now, and to live with such dissatisfaction of our own magic, and our own gifts and talents and worthiness because we don’t have perfect bodies, crushed me. And at that moment I said, ‘you know what, this has to change’.” (25:52)
“If I am critical on this podcast of diet culture and the influence of the patriarchy on how we live our lives, especially as women, it is not a criticism of you as an individual.” (29:53)
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With the new year here and 2020 in the past, I'm looking both back and ahead. In this solo episode, join me as I share three lessons I learned during the challenges brought by 2020, the top five episodes of last year, and a sneak peak of what's to come in a new season of the podcast starting next week.
Key Takeaways
Top 3 Lessons from 2020
There's so much to be said about 2020. A year of so much unexpected change, upheaval, loss, and sadness. I learned a lot about having to be flexible, the challenge of holding competing emotions simultaneously, and the importance of creating meaning based more on what comes from inside when I ask questions. It was not easy. By no means did I shine at these lessons like a star pupil. Quite the contrary. It's all messy.
My hope is that these lessons will resonate for you or at the very least, help you see things from a different perspective.
Dismantling Diet Culture
The top five podcasts of last year definitely had a theme: diet culture...specifically looking at diet culture from many angles and seeing the need to move toward a kinder, more compassionate, and more inclusive version of nutrition and fitness.
Between guests and solo episodes, we shared many aspects of moving away from dietary and exercise extremes and toward an approach where we listen more to our bodies and let our inner wisdom lead.
The top five episodes were:
A Look Ahead to the Podcast in 2021
I'm excited to share that a new season of the podcast is kicking off next week with episode 316. There will be a refreshed content focus, new guests, and maybe even a new look.
Stay tuned for the unveiling!
Share your key takeaways from this episode with me in the comments section of the episode page.
In This Episode
Featured on the Show
If you're ready to get free with food and fitness, check out the Tune In Membership
Follow me on Instagram and join the conversation about food, fitness, and letting your body lead.
Angie Jordan - podcast strategist
Related Episodes
With the new year rapidly approaching, you might be thinking about your goals for 2021. What if those goals had nothing to do with your pant size? I challenge you to reframe how you are working on your health without directly connecting them to your body size.
Key Takeaways
If You Want To Set Health Goals That Don’t Include Weight Loss, You Should:
Creating Goals That Aren't Based On Your Size
A fellow Steph is here to help me unpack what it means to set health goals that have nothing to do with weight loss. Steph Dodier is an intuitive eating coach who went from being culturally embedded in diet culture to radically reframing what it means to work on your health without it being connected to your body size. Steph is passionate about helping women live healthy without being on a diet and sharing her techniques for living a healthy lifestyle separate from society's desire to fit into a smaller body.
Unraveling Diet Culture
Change is only possible when it happens at the core of who you are. Unraveling diet culture can genuinely shake the foundation of who you are or what you thought you believed in. While this can seem daunting, it is important to see this new mindset as an opportunity to analyze where your previous thoughts have come from and whether they truly align with what you want.
Viewing your mindset as an opportunity to break away from the definition of health that diet culture has co-opted and instead embrace your own definition of health is the first step to understanding what true health really is.
Food Freedom in 2021
How do you define health? While advertisements tell us that your health is solely physical, it is truly a combination of the four bodies, including mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health. By redistributing your energy to all four components of your overall health, you can work towards health in every aspect of the term.
2021 is the year that you can work towards freedom and focus on being healthier rather than just smaller. Steph’s voice is the voice you need to ring in the new year and can help you reject diet culture, set goals that don't include weight loss and help you feel better outside of your physical body.
Are you ready to enter into the new year focusing on what makes your body feel good? Share your key takeaways from this episode and this year with me in the comments section of the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“I teach it from that place of feminism, and that place of empowerment. And that connects with a certain group of women that are willing or at that place in their life where they are seeking power and seeking power for their own life.” (10:13)
“Remember, it is a thought, it is not a fact. And I think that is where the power lies, is recognizing that your desire to lose weight is just a thought, and you don’t have to believe in it, grab it and entertain it. It does not have power over you.” (15:10)
“The World Health Organization defines health as both mental, emotional, social, and yes, physical. Yet we are trained through tv advertising, marketing, even through my own medical training, to see health as just physical.” (19:48)
“There is physical restriction and there is psychological restriction, and moderation to me is a psychological restriction. It may have to be where you live at until you are willing to trust yourself more until you do the work to trust yourself more, and then gradually moderation will go away.” (27:52)
“I can help you be healthy. Here are all the things that you can do to be healthy, and none of it is going to give you a smaller body, but you are going to be healthier. You are going to move your body easier, you are going to have less inflammation, you are going to have all the things! Do you still want to lose weight?” (33:55)
“What if, in 2021, we focus on everything else but the size of your pants. What would happen? That’s my challenge to people.” (36:40)
Links
Join the Tune In Membership Here
Conquer and Thrive Community Program
Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter
Check out the full show notes here!
Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest
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Related Episodes
In these challenging times, body image struggles can get amplified fast. But, if you are prepared with practical ways to get through and understand a bad body image day, you can stop those gremlin thoughts in their tracks and reclaim the power you give your body.
Key Takeaways
If You Want To Stop A Bad Body Image Day In Its Tracks, You Should:
Body Image With Bri Campos
Brianna Campos, or Body Image with Bri, as she is known on Instagram, is a mental health counselor, therapist, and body image coach. Bri is passionate about helping others maneuver through their body image journey and heal the relationship that her clients have with their bodies.
Getting Over Your Gremlin Thoughts
Bri views the nasty thoughts or critical self-talk we engage with as your ‘gremlin voice’. These thoughts can often be messy and uncomfortable, which is why we cover them up with the stories we have been told by diet culture.
If you want to push through these gremlin voices, you need to acknowledge your inner dialogue, allow space for grief, and give yourself permission to be where you are right now, regardless of where everybody else is. By auditing your thoughts and focusing on the ones that align with your core values, you can choose to love yourself in a way that feels right for you.
Healing Your Body Image Relationship
Body image is not just about how you look. Body image encompasses everything from body positivity to privilege and your relationship with diet culture. The work begins when you start to question the stories that you tell yourself and take the leap into the tidal wave of grief and acceptance.
While it is not always easy, dismantling how we treat ourselves and our bodies is essential in healing your relationship with your body and getting over your bad body image days with grace.
How are you giving yourself permission to be where you are now during this holiday season? Share which of Bri’s tips and techniques you are going to implement with me in the comments on the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“People look to me not because I am perfect, but because I am vulnerable and I am honest.” (9:51)
“Body image is not just how you look. Body image is also how you believe others view you, how those belief systems have you show up in the world. And there is a piece of body positivity in society of how accessible life is for you in your body.” (12:31)
“I never believed that I could love my body until it looked the way I wanted it to. And it’s five years later, and I love my body. I don’t always love the way it looks or the way it moves, but I love my body, I love the vessel that it is and how it brings me closer to the values of connection and relationship and bringing good to the world.” (26:13)
“Grief is sort of like a tidal wave. If you resist it, it persists. It pulls you deeper and deeper. As opposed to if you just ride out with it, eventually, it puts you back onshore. Because that is what emotions do, we don’t stay in one place forever.” (31:50)
“I am going to honor my body, and this is how I am going to choose to love myself this holiday season.” (37:05)
Links
Join the Tune In Membership Here
Follow Body Image With Bri on Instagram
Unpacking the Knapsack of Privilege Article
Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter
Check out the full show notes here!
Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest
I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!
Related Episodes
LTYB 302: Finding Joy & Acceptance in Fitness for Every Body with Kanoa Greene
LTYB 183: Dealing with Negative Body Image with Beauty Redefined
Have you ever considered that your unique human design could help you listen to your body better? While there are tons of personality tests out there, the human design focuses less on a type and more on what you need to know about yourself to function optimally.
Key Takeaways
If You Want to Understand Yourself Better Through Human Design You Should:
Understanding Human Design With Erin Claire Jones
Erin Claire Jones uses Human Design to help thousands of individuals and companies step into their work and their lives as their most authentic selves and to their highest potential. Erin works as a guide, coach, and speaker, providing practical tools, digestible tips, and deeper self-knowledge so that you can gain access to living with greater ease and authenticity every single day.
We Are All Meant To Do Things Differently
Understanding your human design essentially means understanding how each of us is meant to make decisions. Harnessing the innate knowing that is within you can help you govern every decision and connect you to your unique decision-making process. By understanding your specific strategy and authority, you can create space in your life for pieces of alignment to fall into place and give yourself permission to be yourself.
Finding Beauty in the 5 Human Design Types
While human design works on a case by case basis, there are five main types that each holds unique hallmarks. Whether you are a manifesting generator, generator, projector, reflector, or manifestor, each one of us brings a different perspective and a different value to the table. When we are able to appreciate those differences, we will be brought closer together in our relationships and as a whole society.
Are you ready to better understand your human design and use it as a tool to explore yourself and be open to new possibilities? Share what aspect of human design intrigues you the most with me in the comments section of the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“If there is anything that human design has taught me, it’s that we are all meant to do things differently.” (10:14)
“I’m not trying to convince you of anything. Take what resonates and leave the rest. This is a tool that is meant to be a tool that empowers you but does not limit you.” (17:10)
“Once we often dive more deeply into it, once we really explore it, it often makes so much more sense.” (30:32)
“I think that often my experience makes people feel so in love with themselves, and so empowered to do things in a way that uniquely works for them.” (31:37)
“I always say that we come into this life without an operating manual, and human design just gives us the manual.” (39:40)
Links
Join the Tune In Membership Here
Get 10% Off Your Personalized Blueprint with the code STEPH
Look Up Your Human Design Here
Book an Individual Session with Erin Here
Follow Erin on Instagram
Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter
Check out the full show notes here!
Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest
I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!
Related Episodes
LTYB 311: Reclaiming Your Spark By Honoring Your Swagger w/ Anniedi Essien
Do you have big ambitions? What about dreaming of changing the world? The reality is you can accomplish everything you want when you can overcome burnout and find your groove. Using your mind, body, and swagger, you can reclaim your spark, achieve your goals, and take care of yourself in the process.
Key Takeaways
If You Want To Get Your Spark Back While Avoiding Burnout You Should:
Reclaiming Your Spark with Anniedi Essien
Anniedi Essien also had dreams of changing the world but looked up one day, realizing she had lost her unique spark. This is why Anniedi founded Idem Spark, where she helps women of every shape, shade, and size level up their mindset, embody their goals and embrace their own unique swagger.
Honoring Your Relationship With Yourself and Others
Many of us are led to believe that our worth comes from how we serve others. This can make putting your self-care as a priority as counterintuitive to what we have been taught. This is all wrong and can cause serious burnout. Instead of relying on yourself to be fiercely independent, there is strength in recognizing that you can't do it all alone. By working internally to repair your relationship with yourself, you can build new relationships that will support you going forward and help you become the woman you know you can be.
Mind, Body, and Swagger
The SPARK method works on your mind, body, and swagger to develop a wellness plan that is in line with your authentic self. We all have different goals and dreams, and it is only by owning your unique identity that you can create a plan that is aligned with you.
There is no reward without risk, and it takes letting go of control and intentionally making your wellness a priority to see real change. Your body will let you know what it needs if you just start moving it, listening to it, and giving yourself the grace you need to move forward in these uncertain times.
Are you ready to define what success looks like on your terms, honor your mind, body, and swagger, and get your spark back? Share which of Anniedi’s methods you are going to implement into your self-care routine with me in the comments on the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“This is all about how to go from being burnt out to being fired up. And for me that meant overhauling my wellness and really turning everything upside down.” (8:23)
“This superwoman syndrome that is like, ‘I am going to put my cape on and go out and save the world’, but we don't realize that we also have to save ourselves.” (13:32)
“Relying on a dream team actually first required me to build a relationship with myself and listen to my body, honor is cues that I had ignored for so many years, and know when to raise my hand and wave the white flag of surrender and say ‘I need help’.” (17:57)
“That swagger piece is really about owning your unique identity and really creating a plan that is aligned to you.” (24:20)
“You don't have to have it all together in the middle of a pandemic. What you want to be doing is giving yourself grace, and you want to be figuring out what you want to prioritize and tackle first.” (35:28)
Links
Join the Tune In Membership Here
Use the Special Code LTYB20 For The Career Swagger Program
Follow Idem Spark on Instagram | Facebook
Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter
Check out the full show notes here!
Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest
I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!
Related Episodes
LTYB 307: Learning To Date With More Confidence with Lily Womble
LTYB 285: How To Stop Outsourcing Your Enoughness with Bonnie Gillespie
Are you suffering from a food lifestyle hangover? Counting calories and quantifying every little thing that you eat could actually be keeping you from listening to your body. Intuitive Eating is all about a more pleasurable and enjoyable way to eat that will help you start feeling better and enjoy food again.
Key Takeaways
If You Want To Stop Counting Calories And Start Enjoying Food You Should:
The Power of Intuitive Eating
Caitlin Ball is a health coach who specializes in Intuitive Eating. After moving to Switzerland, Caitlin saw the astronomical difference between how food is approached in Europe compared to the United States. Once she experienced a transformative glimpse of Intuitive Eating, she knew she couldn't go back and had to share this information with the world.
Rejecting Diet Culture Once and for All
When working to gain more body awareness, trusting the process and finding a support system is key. As women, we have been told for so long that our worth is based on our appearance, and restricting ourselves and placing rules around food is the only way to achieve the goals society has set for us. Instead of giving into these restrictions, Intuitive Eating supports you so that you can feel great in your body, which is really all that is important.
Stop Restricting Yourself and Start Feeling
Caitlin realized that rather than counting calories, truly acknowledging how you feel after eating a certain food is a much better indicator of what your body needs. If you allow yourself to listen to your body, you will start making decisions based on what you feel you need next, not focusing on the ‘should’ or ‘should not's' of certain foods. By jumping into the mode of curiosity and observation regarding how food makes you feel, you can start to figure out what is right for your body, right here and right now.
Are you ready to leave the calories counting behind and walk away from the strictness and mental time it takes to quantify your food? Share which of Caitlin’s Intuitive Eating tips you are going to implement into your routine in the comments section on the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“Once I tried out [intuitive eating], and I changed my personal relationship with food and realized I could travel and eat these foods and not eat too much and feel disgusting, and I could enjoy my life and start liking how my body looks without having to cognizantly want to change it, once I realize how much better life was with Intuitive Eating I had to share it!” (16:20)
“I knew in my heart that it wasn't working, I knew that there must be another way because I got a glimpse of it from the people around me.” (18:19)
“I realized that the calorie-counting wasn't actually doing anything for me, and the much better indicator was eating something, seeing how it made me feel, and then going from there and seeing what food I needed next after that.” (21:30)
“You do have to test your patience a little bit, but you will start to notice how these foods make you feel, and you will be able to start listening to your body a lot better and then be able to make changes from there.” (26:53)
“There are so many factors to how you feel because of this pandemic and everything that is going on in the world right now that do not have to do with food, so a juice cleanse is not going to solve all of your problems.” (33:08)
Links
Join the Tune In Membership Here
Follow Caitlin on Instagram
Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter
Check out the full show notes here!
Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest
I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!
Learning how to put yourself in someone else’s shoes is critical for understanding the political, pathological, and personal ways in which black women and women of color experience their relationship to food. The truth is, food affects people differently, especially when it comes to their racial identity, and it is only by shedding the societal ‘should’s’ and outdated believes that we can soar higher.
Key Takeaways
If You Want To Better Understand Why Food Is Political, Pathological, and Personal You Should:
Putting Yourself in Someone Else’s Shoes with SharRon Jamison
SharRon Jamison is a teacher, leader, minister, author, entrepreneur, and life strategist who is passionate about helping others be who they were born to be instead of settling for what society has told them to be. Through her own experience with racial injustice, eating disorders, and the patriarchy, SharRon breaks down boundaries and exposes inequalities so that women can come together and heal as a community.
Down With the Patriarchy
The patriarchy that we have been socialized into thrives by pitting women against each other and forcing a scarcity mindset. We are told not to trust other women and to compete with them as if there is only room for one of us at the top. While there is evidence of a light being turned on in America, we are still at the beginning stages of this illumination.
SharRon sees the first step to dismantling the patriarchy as white women coming together and standing with black women and women of color. Next, we need to embrace our ability to not shrink in shame but rather to shine in our power. Thirdly, white cis-gendered people need to be vocal about asking marginalized communities how they can provide support. Finally, by being committed to the sisterhood, we can spread the education necessary to stop wounding people of color.
Racism, Food, and the Diet Industry
Food is political, can be pathological, and is very personal. Many things may impact your ability to be healthy that are not directly in your control. This plays into the patriarchal system by keeping those oppressed and giving them very little opportunity to rise up from that oppression.
The BUGS (beliefs that undermine your strengths and gifts) that society has told you to believe are true are keeping people suffering. SharRon wants you to remember who you were before society told you that you were not enough, and work to help others without the same privileges to stop being ignored by this broken system. Equip yourself with the tools, remember who you are, and advocate for other people so that we can step into the illumination that so many desperately need to see.
Have you ever connected the dots between systematic oppression, patriarchy, diet culture, and racism? Share how you are working to heal the ‘sister wound’ through sisterhood in the comments on the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“We are being used as puppets to wound each other. And when we are aware of what is happening, we will stop wounding each other and start winning with each other and change the entire status quo.” (8:05)
“Just like a fish does not know they are swimming in water, sometimes we do not know that we are swimming in this toxic pool called white supremacy.” (11:32)
“I think that it is really, really important that people see how racism touches every aspect of their lives. So now, a lot of black women are not getting help, and anytime you don’t get help, you don’t get hope.” (18:10)
“People are hurting, and it is overlooked because when you are a person of color, you don’t have visibility. Or you are deemed as less valuable. So I feel pain, but I also feel pride. I feel pride because, despite limited resources, people find a way.” (24:42)
“Who were you before society told you who you were? You were amazing before you were socialized to be second class, before racism, before sexism, before ableism. You came to the world amazing, greatness is in your DNA!” (28:47)
Links
Join the Tune In Membership Here
What Not To Say To Women Of Color by SharRon Jamison
Deciding To Soar 2: Unwrapping Your Purpose by SharRon Jamison
Follow SharRon on Facebook | Instagram
Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter
Check out the full show notes here!
Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest
I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!
Diet culture sucks. The stories that we have been conditioned to believe about our worth, the patriarchy, white supremacy, and so much more all play into how we feel about movement, exercise, and our bodies. Instead of viewing your exercise routine as a way to manipulate your body, I challenge you to embrace the limitless other benefits of movement.
Key Takeaways
If You Want To Embrace The Infinite Benefits of Movement and Exercise You Should:
Removing Diet Culture From Movement with Christina Montalvo
Christina Montalvo is a great friend, coach, gym owner, and someone who has personally been fucked over by diet culture. She created a unique women’s only strength and conditioning gym that does not encourage fat or weight loss. Christina is here to challenge you to unlearn what you have taught to believe is true and start thinking more critically about the ways you move your body and the reasons behind it.
Embracing the Infinite Benefits of Movement
If you start out having expectations of fat and weight loss when going into a movement routine or working with a trainer, the chances of you feeling disappointed and getting stuck in a cycle of giving up are much higher. Instead of putting pressure around how and why you are moving your body, lean into all of the other benefits of movement and exercise that have nothing to do with weight loss. This can lead to a higher retention rate as a provider and a greater sense of accomplishment as a client.
Unlearning What You Have Been Taught To Believe Is True
There is a good chance that if you choose to engage in movement solely to manipulate your body, there is a much deeper reason guiding your decision-making. By acknowledging the false ways that you have been defining worthiness, checking your privilege, and making yourself your first priority, you can frame your purpose in a nourishing way instead of ripping yourself down.
While it may be hard to unlearn how society has told you to engage with movement, it is only by leaning into the things you don’t know and unpacking the beliefs that you hold within yourself that you can truly start to embrace holistic movement and reject diet culture.
Have you ever experienced an inclusive space where the infinite benefits of exercise and movement are prioritized over weight loss and body manipulation? Share how you work to create that space for yourself and reject diet culture in the comments section of the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“I think what’s harder than learning anything new is unlearning everything that we have always thought to be true.” (10:14)
“The benefits of exercise and intentional movement are absolutely infinite, and it’s so crazy because I think that the benefits can be and are different for everyone.” (13:33)
“In any case where you are solely operating or participating in something from a place of fear or shame, that is not healthy, that is inherently unhealthy, and that is such a detriment to the wellbeing of anyone.” (18:19)
“Obviously a human can autonomously choose fat loss or weight loss, but there is a much deeper reason why they are choosing it.” (26:01)
“Whenever we are engaging in intentional weight loss, everything else in our life becomes much more grayscale. We turn down the intensity and the importance of everything else in our life, and the most important and prevalent thing becomes our bodies, our food choices, our calorie burn, what we look like, what we weigh. And so in some ways, it is a really socially acceptable way to just ignore and pacify ourselves to all these deeper, much more real, much more powerful, much more impactful problems or areas of focus in our lives.” (28:46)
Links
Join the Tune In Membership Group Here
What Is Intuitive Eating Free Training Series
Follow Christina on Instagram
Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter
Check out the full show notes here!
Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest
I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!
Whether you are in a relationship or not, dating requires a large amount of confidence and the belief in extraordinary love within yourself. Dating more confidently and brazenly is all about listening to your body and trusting in the relationship you have with yourself.
With a little work, support, and reframing, it is possible to view dating as an act of self-care and a space to feel whole within yourself.
Key Takeaways
If You Want To Approach Your Relationships Brazenly, You Should:
The Connection Between Listening To Your Body and Relationships
After working in various fields, Lily Womble quickly rose to become one of the top matchmakers at her firm. This was until she realized that the dating industry is very similar to the diet industry and works to feed on their client's insecurities. So, Lily broke up with the matchmaking game and started Date Brazen to help badass women find extraordinary love within themselves.
Swap Your Checklist for an Essence Based List
Lily believes that dating apps are like McDonald's. Your mind is programmed to want that sugar fix, and the way we have been conditioned encourages us to think that playing the numbers game will bring you more satisfaction. In reality, this false sense of accomplishment can cause more frustration.
The important thing to remember is that you are the answer to your dating life, not an app, and what is meant for you will not pass you by, regardless if you choose to use an app or not. Instead of basing your checklist off of qualities, you think you want to dig deeper into what that particular hairstyle or height actually means about the core values you are searching for.
Extraordinary Is Possible
As women, we have been conditioned to believe a legacy of narratives that tell us that we are not enough, too much, or incorrect the way we are. It takes incremental work to gain a sense of wholeness again and reject the patriarchy that influences the thoughts we have about ourselves.
By getting to the essence of who you are and being more whole with yourself, you can use that jumping-off point to have fulfilling relationships that are on your terms and will make you feel like the amazing bright star that you are.
What is your brag? We want to know! Tag us on Instagram or share your brag in the comments on the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“That is how I came to break up with matchmaking and start Date Brazen to help badass women really find extraordinary love within themselves and in their dating lives with reflective work meets tactical action.” (9:58)
“The world is out of our control, there is very little that is in our control. And I think that without guidance, most people who are dating will look for those checklist things like the height, the weight, the college degree; they will look for those things because they think that is all they can control. When, in fact, it is really possible to measure how you feel in someone’s presence.” (14:14)
“What I believe is what is meant for you will not pass you by. So whether or not you choose to date on an app, you will find what is meant for you.” (20:14)
“This is legacy breaking work, and it takes a lot of time, and it takes me a lot of support to get to the place where I can believe I am worthy of extraordinary love and extraordinary relationships and extraordinary money and extraordinary connection.” (26:52)
“I think it is a really beautiful marriage between working on your dating mindset and your dating action plan while also continuing to celebrate who amazing and whole and successful and incredible you are.” (37:21)
Links
The Brazen Breakthrough Waitlist
Follow Lily on Instagram
Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter
Check out the full show notes here!
Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest
I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!
2020 has been a rollercoaster of a year. With the pandemic and the uncertainty of the US election, it is more important than ever to take care of your emotional and mental health. This episode serves as your gentle reminder to take a moment to build up your emotional, mental, and physical resilience by being kind to yourself and others.
Key Takeaways
If You Want To Take Care Of Your Mental And Emotional Health You Should:
How To Take Care of You
All of the unknowns in the world right not can cause anxiety and overwhelm. Don’t keep these feelings to yourself. Instead, find ways that you can calm your nervous system, reach out to your support systems, surround yourself in comfort, give your eyes a break, and talk kindly to yourself.
Your Vote Matters
Simply existing in America in 2020 is political. Health is political. It is easy to think that your vote doesn't matter. But in reality, we need everyone to get out and vote to hold up our democratic process. I recommend that you vote for candidates and laws that work for and protect the most marginalized and at-risk folks in our country because when we vote to support policies that help people rise up, we all rise up together. Your vote matters, and we need your voice now more than ever.
How are you taking care of your mental and emotional health right now? Share your favorite routines, self-care rituals, and anything else you are doing to feel more at ease with me in the comments section of the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“If you are feeling like this is all super much, you are not alone, at all. And I think it is important to normalize that these feelings are normal and it is okay to have challenging feelings, all emotions are valid.” (3:02)
“I am here to encourage you to check in with yourself and take care of yourself.” (4:26)
“Talk kindly to yourself, it is so so important. Negative mind talk and shaming is never motivating.” (8:27)
“Please vote today if you can. I know not everybody can vote, but if you are able to, please vote. Please get down to the polling station, drop off your mail-in ballot, make sure it is postmarked. I know it can feel like your vote doesn't count, or you are just one voice, but we really need your vote.” (9:51)
“Health is political. Existing in this country is political, and it touches everything.” (10:19)
Links
Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter
Check out the full show notes here!
Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest
I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!
Did you know there are over 5000 body language moves, all of which tell a story about the person expressing the movement and the person interpreting it? By understanding how to read and use body language effectively, you can understand yourself better, build your confidence, and decode others' body language.
Key Takeaways
If You Want To Use Body Language To Show Up More Confidently, You Should:
Connecting To Your Body Through Body Language
Tiff Lee is dedicated to helping women be seen and heard in all areas of life with the life-changing information that is body language decoding. Once you hear what Tiff has to say about body language cues, how to use body language to improve your relationships or seek out when someone is lying, and ways that you can use body language to improve your confidence, you are never going to forget it.
What Can Body Language Do for You?
How you present yourself through your physical body language can drastically change how you show up in the world. Body language can help you step into your confidence (even if you aren’t actually feeling that cool) and provide a way for you to connect back into your body and what you are doing. Instead of being quiet and passive, proper body language and expression can help you command the attention you deserve with ease.
Decoding Others Through Body Language
Understanding body language can not only give you the awareness to appear more confident; it can also help you pick up on other people's cues. While most people think about body language decoding as something out of a CSI episode, it is really just a simple tactic to help you sense when something might not be quite right.
Small movements such as a shoulder shrug, hiding your hands, or an anxious ‘pacifier’ are all signs that you should tune into what someone else's body is trying to tell you. Body language's power lies in your ability to be aware of the body cues that make a person look anxious so that you can stop yourself from involuntarily showing up that way too.
Have you ever considered that your subconscious body language is hindering or helping your ability to show up as your true authentic self? How do you relate to body language and body connectivity? Share which piece of Tiff’s advice you are going to implement into your daily routine with me in the comments section of the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“We miss out on these things because we are so busy listening that we don’t see what is going on physically.” (8:50)
“These movements should be congruent with what you are saying verbally. So anytime the verbal doesn’t match the nonverbal, that is kind of your cue that something else may be going on.” (18:40)
“It is really hard to try to verbally tell the truth and then have your body language match that. Because our brains don’t like to do both, they can only do one or the other.” (19:45)
“When you are not feeling that confident, try to do those things. Because those small movements will register on a subconscious level to other people, and then, believe it or not, it’ll register for you too!” (26:10)
“When people think of body language, the first thing they tend to think about is the lies, and the negativity, and the criminal shows, and all of that. And while it is extremely valid in those areas, it's also so important in our everyday lives.” (35:56)
Links
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Check out the full show notes here!
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We have made it to the final principle in our Intuitive Eating series, and it is by far the most misunderstood of them all. Principle 10 is all about gentle nutrition and embracing food as something that is there to nurture you, not punish you.
Key Takeaways
If You Want to Embrace Gentle Nutrition You Should:
Lets Set the Record Straight About Gentle Nutrition
There are many misunderstandings around Principle 10, which is why it is the last principle for good reason. All of the principles have a firm basis in nutrition, but exploring gentle nutrition is something that must be done after you have already embraced the Intuitive Eating framework.
Your Body Is Your Home
Many of us have been raised to distrust our bodies and live in fear of our own being. This is simply ludicrous, and we have diet culture to thank for pitting ourselves against our own inner wisdom and body trust in favor of how we look externally. You should not be fearful or anxious about your body, but instead, embrace your physical vessel and how it works to serve you in the world at any size or shape.
Your Search for Perfection Is Not Healthy
If what you are eating or your constant search for perfection is causing you stress or anxiety, it is not healthy. How we think about food directly affects our actions towards it, and it is only by changing our mentality to an additive mindset rather than a restrictive one that we can start to embrace our worthiness. When it comes to making intuitive eating a part of your life, it involves practice and support. Changing your mindset may take some time, but it is crucial to your ability to stop looking for perfection on your plate and start embracing how your body can serve you right here and now.
What was your favorite principle shared in the Intuitive Eating series? Share your ‘a-ha’ moment or a recent win with me in the comments section of the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“We are in our bodies. It is the vessel, the vehicle, by which we get around. It houses our intellect, our emotional being, our energetic being, it is how we interact with people and have a human experience.” (8:56)
“It is very, very common for people to want to go right to gentle nutrition first, it's familiar, but here is the reason why gentle nutrition is the last principle in the book. A lot of people think, ‘oh it would be more credible if it was in the beginning’. But there is a reason for that.” (14:34)
“We need to understand that what we choose to eat has to also work for us as mental, emotional beings, and all of the other aspects of our wellbeing. It can't just be the physical.” (15:51)
“Mindset is a key part of the framework that I teach because how we think about food directly affects our actions.” (21:28)
“Our bodies are innately wise, and we meddle in that because we have been taught to distrust.” (23:18)
Links
Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter
LTYB 288: How To Ditch Dieting (Intuitive Eating Principle 1)
LTYB 289: Honoring Your Hunger (Intuitive Eating Principle 2)
LTYB 292: Make Peace With Food (Intuitive Eating Principle #3)
LTYB 293: Challenging The Food Police (Intuitive Eating Principle 4)
LTYB 296: 3 Ways to Make Eating More Satisfying (Intuitive Eating Principle 5)
LTYB 297: 3 Ways to Honor Your Body’s Fullness (Intuitive Eating Principle 6)
LYTB 300: 4 Questions to Ask About Emotional Eating (Intuitive Eating Principle 7)
LYTB 301: How To Practice Body Respect (Intuitive Eating Principle 8)
LTYB 303: Stop Earning and Burning Your Food Through Movement (Intuitive Eating Principle 9)
Check out the full show notes here!
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Diet culture has told us that exercise is the tool we need to use to earn the food we want to eat, burn off the food we have already eaten, and control our bodies. In reality, exercise and movement can be something that adds dimension and joy to your life, but only if you let go of this perfectionist mentality. Movement has so many other benefits, and controlling the size of your body is just simply not one of them.
Key Takeaways
If you want to stop using exercise as a tool of control you have too:
When Did Movement Get Replaced by Exercise?
There is a good chance that at some point in your life, movement for the sake of enjoying movement was replaced by exercise and the desire to control what your body looks like. I remember the exact moment that happened to me as a young girl who was in a bigger body than the rest of her schoolmates. Despite loving being active, society told me that I should be more concerned with my aesthetics than with my relationship to movement.
Shifting Your Mindset Around Movement
I want you to know that this perfectionism mindset is not the truth, and it is possible to embrace exercise as a sustainable way to add value and joy to your life, rather than just something you hate and use to earn your food. The all or nothing mentality that society has pushed around exercise and our bodies is getting in the way of you doing the kind of movement that feels really great. By getting clear on what your body is telling you, you can weave movement into your life in a way that is nourishing and more aligned for you.
Your Worth Is Not Based on What You Can Do
Getting stuck in the mentality of having your worth based on what you can do is a false promise. So many things can happen outside of our control that can shake this foundation. Instead of placing your value in your exercise routine or the number on the scale, movement can be a stepping stone to realizing that movement is about so much more than just controlling your body and keeping it smaller. By being gentle with yourself in terms of expectations, letting go of the all or nothing mindset that society has bred into us, and finding a type of movement that aligns with what makes your body comfortable.
How has your relationship to movement and exercise changed through the presence of diet culture? What type of movement do you feel aligns with where you are, here and now? Share your thoughts on Intuitive Eating Principle 9 with me in the comments on the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“We're going to talk today about how to shift your mindset and practice from exercise being something you hate, something you do to earn the food you want to eat or burn off the food you did eat, and into something that is a sustainable practice that really adds dimension and joy to your life and brings so many other benefits besides just controlling the size of your body.” (2:30)
“For me, my endurance, movement and exercise became a way for me to hide and run away from my other problems in my life.” (14:33)
“There's just so many things that can happen that then shake that foundation if you stop your personal development and growth at the stage of just thinking you are only as good as what you can do.” (16:31)
“There are so many reasons why you may be predisposed to all or nothing thinking, you may have learned perfectionist outlooks as a young person, or if you were perfect, then that meant that the important people who kept you feeling safe in your life wouldn't go away. For me, that's one of the origins of my perfectionism, and I have had to learn how to unpack that.” (25:54)
“How can you start to weave movement into your life in a way that is really nourishing? Is it a way for you to care for your body in a basic way? And works with your personal preferences and your life setup?” (31:10)
Links
Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter
LTYB 288: How To Ditch Dieting (Intuitive Eating Principle 1)
LTYB 289: Honoring Your Hunger (Intuitive Eating Principle 2)
LTYB 292: Make Peace With Food (Intuitive Eating Principle #3)
LTYB 293: Challenging The Food Police (Intuitive Eating Principle 4)
LTYB 296: 3 Ways to Make Eating More Satisfying (Intuitive Eating Principle 5)
LTYB 297: 3 Ways to Honor Your Body’s Fullness (Intuitive Eating Principle 6)
LYTB 300: 4 Questions to Ask About Emotional Eating (Intuitive Eating Principle 7)
LYTB 301: How To Practice Body Respect (Intuitive Eating Principle 8)
Check out the full show notes here!
Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest
I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!
Having joy in your workout can help you get closer to your goals, feel comfortable in your here and now body, and connect to movement in a way that breaks down the barriers so commonly seen in fitness culture. Kanoa Greene uses her warmth, radiance, and strength to encourage and support others to find joy in movement and show up in the fitness space exactly as you are now.
Key Takeaways
In Order To Show Up As Your Authentic Self You Must:
Fitness For Everybody And Every Body with Kanoa Greene
Kanoa Greene is a fitness coach and trainer who is passionate about bringing fitness to everybody and every body. A plus size girl herself, Kanoa knows first hand the importance of representation and inclusivity in the fitness space. While she has had to switch up her coaching model due to the pandemic, she has found her tribe bringing weekly workouts to Instagram that get creative in breaking down the fitness wall even further.
Finding Joy In Movement
Kanoa’s radiant and positive energy is contagious, which is clear during her weekly dance parties and finding joy in working out. Kanoa believes that movement can help bridge the gap between your mental and emotional health, and wants to show up in a fitness space where there is not an accurate representation of larger bodies. By inviting all bodies to be part of the conversation, Kanoa is making a place for everybody and proving that anyone can be part of this movement.
Everybody Is Struggling, Not Just You
Kanoa owns her role as the ‘hot mess express’ and her main goal is to authentically share where she is right now to inspire you to do the same. By not sweating the small stuff, finding encouragement in unexpected places, and learning how to navigate conversations on image-based platforms, you too can find a feeling of support and safety in Kanoa’s world. Kanoa wants you to know that everybody is struggling, and by surrounding yourself with positivity and encouragement, you can show up just as you are.
How are you working to stop comparing yourself to others and start showing up authentically as you are now? Share what you loved most about Kanoa’s energetic, positive and accepting perspective in the comments on the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“There’s not a lot of times you get to see an instructor that looks like me, but also someone who is teaching a class like boot camp or spin or some of these more strength conditioning classes. So my role was really to come in there and make movement accessible and tear down that wall.” (8:23)
“I want to move for joy but I also want to move with intentionality.” (13:23)
“If I can show up and help ease that for someone else. If I can create that safe space and she can look at me and say ‘if she can do that hard thing, I can do one little step. If she can take a big old leap, I have the courage and confidence with her to take even a small step’. That’s why it is important for me to show up in as many places as I need too, especially when there is not that representation there.” (16:38)
“We all have different experiences, we are all different human beings, and as long as you are living your authentic self then you do you boo!” (22:28)
“No matter what it is that I am doing, its, ‘I am struggling too. I am a hot mess on a lot of those workouts’. I am sweating, I am dying, and I am working too, I am struggling too, and I am in this right alongside with you.” (24:12)
Links
Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter
Follow Kanoa on Instagram
Follow Plus Size Retreats on Instagram
Check out the full show notes here!
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Have you ever been told to embrace self-love, when it seems like the most impossible thing in the world? The idea of self-love can lead to the cognitive dissonance that results in many of us giving up on our goals altogether. Instead of feeling ashamed at not being able to love your body, I argue that body respect and body neutrality are much more attainable and positive goals.
Key Takeaways
If You Want To Learn How To Respect Your Body You Have Too:
Why Self Love Is the Wrong End Goal
The concept of loving yourself is a wonderful idea. But for those of us who have come from or are currently in a state where we hate our bodies because we are stuck in the cycle and influence of diet culture, we blame ourselves and the concept of love feels incredibly foreign.
You Deserve To Be Taken Care of as You Are Right Now
No matter what society, influencers, and diet culture have taught you to believe, you deserve to be taken care of as you are right now. You deserve the same basic care, basic nourishment, and basic dignity that some people provide more of to their pets than they do to themselves. Get some clothes that fit, stop staring at the scale, and believe that you are worthy of love, respect, and care even if you don’t love yourself as you currently right now.
The Problem With Body Comparing
Comparing your body, whether it is to a past version of you or to someone else, can only do harm. While respecting the current state of your body isn’t always easy because of the messages sent to us by diet culture, it is only by rejecting the notion that smaller bodies equal better bodies that you can start to appreciate how your body is serving you. Next time you are in a conversation that results in people comparing or shaming other people’s bodies that are nobodies business, I challenge you to remove yourself or stop that conversation in its tracks. While it can be hard to muster up the courage, I promise you will feel better for it.
Are you ready to replace self-love with body respect and start treating your body with the dignity and care it deserves? You can do this, I promise. Let me know your thoughts about Intuitive Eating Principle 8 in the comments on the episode page.
In This Episode
Quotes
“Intuitive Eating is not a new concept, it has been around for a long time. And humans are innately intuitive eaters so this isn’t just some other diet.’ (2:58)
“I wish that the idea of body neutrality and body respect was in my lexicon, was something I had learned about, even back then. Because I think it would have been a much faster stepping stone to get to the point where I was more comfortable with my body.” (8:45)
“We don’t want to make wellness another set of boxes to tick, but really making it fit for your life and doing the best you can right now. So maybe that means talking to somebody about your struggles, maybe that means getting out and moving your body in a way that feels really good for you. But coming back to basic care and dignity.” (15:41)
“You deserve to be taken care of and you deserve to care for yourself right now.” (16:56)
“The more we stop this constant body comparison, the easier it is for us to respect our bodies.” (27:27)
Links
Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter
LTYB 288: How To Ditch Dieting (Intuitive Eating Principle 1)
LTYB 289: Honoring Your Hunger (Intuitive Eating Principle 2)
LTYB 292: Make Peace With Food (Intuitive Eating Principle #3)
LTYB 293: Challenging The Food Police (Intuitive Eating Principle 4)
LTYB 296: 3 Ways to Make Eating More Satisfying (Intuitive Eating Principle 5)
LTYB 297: 3 Ways to Honor Your Body’s Fullness (Intuitive Eating Principle 6)
LYTB 300: 4 Questions to Ask About Emotional Eating (Intuitive Eating Principle 7)
Check out the full show notes here!
Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest
I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!