12 Ways to Love Your
Body
Peggy Elam,
Ph.D.

1) Quit
comparing yourself to others.
It moves you off center and increases the likelihood
of losing (or never achieving) balance and equanimity.
2) Quit
weighing yourself.
Throw away your scale or turn it into a Yay!
Scale (a delightful invention of body liberation activist Marilyn Wann, author of Fat!So? Because You Don’t Have to Apologize for Your
Size.)
3) Celebrate
diversity in body size & composition.
Appreciate the beauty in all
bodies.
4) Spend
your time & money on yourself
—beautiful clothes, jewelry, haircuts, hobbies, travel, socializing—
not the weight loss industry.
5) Fire the
food and body police.
Spend time with people who respect size diversity and natural appetites
—and you—and disengage from those who don’t.
6) Limit
your exposure to media promoting unrealistic physical or behavioral standards.
Increase your exposure to body- and size-positive art and media.
7) Keep the
connection between mind, body & spirit flowing through
life-affirming movement and practices that increase positive body awareness.
8) Clothe
yourself in garments that fit NOW.
9) Let go of
the past
—what you used to weigh, how you used to look—
and accept your body as it is in the present.
10) Let go
of the future
—whatever you have put off doing until you _____________ (lost weight,
changed your appearance, etc.), start doing now.
11) Stand
and move with confidence and assurance of your right to take up space in the world.
12) Be kind
to yourself and your body. Expect detours and mistakes along your
journey.
They will provide you with valuable lessons, growth and healing.
@2013 Peggy Elam
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