I Followed Through & Body Neutrality!?

I like the body neutrality idea! Honestly, negative body image information is ingrained in our brains, from years of media, ads and news focused on the “right body image”. So thinking about my body less is probably a better idea, than trying to be positive when I’m not feeling it. And I try to be more thankful for what my body can do than what it looks like- running, lifting my nieces, yoga.

Peaches and blackberries!

I love the body neutrality comment. It is such a hard habit to break, but I think it’s so worth it!!

Of course I’m in support of fruit with cereal…..like strawberries in a bowl of Cheerios. :) Or throwing some fruit in a protein shake makes it extra cold and fresh!

I was just thinking about this yesterday! I have had such a struggle with weight and body image my whole life. I grew up in a family where no one talked about weight/body image/calories, etc.–my parents were never on a diet and yet I still developed an eating disorder. Lately I have been focusing on what my body did/does for me–it has carried/birthed 3 children, it takes me on runs, it swims, it sits on the couch and watches tv with my kids. Like you said “I let it be” I also love the quote “My weight (body composition) is the least interesting thing about me”
Yesterday I was running with my 5 year old and he was getting a tired and I was encouraging him to run the last .1 and he said “I believe in myself” I was so proud! I want my kids to believe in themselves!

I usually follow through if I have a meal planned, but if it is 3 o’clock and I don’t have anything planned–it’s “find cereal, leftovers or scrounge the pantry” That’s awesome Brooke likes to cook–maybe put her in charge of the meal plan and making supper;-)

Happy Wednesday Janae! Have a great one!

I really like these ideas about body neutrality! I feel like I’ve arrived at a place of neutrality having gone through a twin pregnancy and a singleton and juggling motherhood, family, etc. that being said, I sometimes feel really comfortable with myself and other times I wonder if I’ve “let myself go.” It’s hard to find that sweet spot of confidence about changes vs letting stress interfere with some healthy habits. No doubt, I think it’s best for kids not to be preoccupied with bodies. It’s just a means for us to move, enjoy life, and do good for others :)

Hi Janae! I have been a proponent of body AND food neutrality long before I had terms for them. I am not a parent myself but I work with children of all ages. I often hear parents suggest that the way to teach children to have a positive body image is to only say positive things about their bodies, but I believe not referring to their bodies AT ALL is more effectively demonstrates its lack of importance in who they are overall. Moreover, referring to our own bodies positively or negatively in from of children particularly puts the spotlight right back on bodies and takes away from other important things we could be talking about. I have no interest in hearing about the new (temporary!) fad diet and exercise regimes of my friends, family, or coworkers, we have more interesting things to talk about than how you think you need to lose ten pound!

For food neutrality, I would highly recommend to you any book by Ellyn Satter. Her book called “Feeding a Healthy Family” is particularly important. It teaches (from a clinical nutrition perspective) how to feed ourselves and our children using eating competence and food neutrality. Even something as simple as “ you need to finish your green beans before you have dessert” or “wow you must be hungry” or “don’t you think you’ve had enough” can be damaging. She is AMAZING!

I really like the idea of body neutrality. Not focusing on what your body looks like is so much healthier. Thank you for sharing this. I am definitely going to be reading more about it.
I pretty much follow through with my meal plans. I’ve become pretty good at meal planning and grocery shopping on Sundays. It’s actually a favorite thing of mine…. Finish a run/workout, grab a cup of coffee, and sit out on our patio with my favorite cookbooks and plan the week. It sometimes is the only thing I feel in control of when life often feels so crazy. And, I also plan in a day or 2 of picking up dinner from one of our favorite places. Of course, some weeks I don’t plan, and that’s ok too, but then I find myself making more trips to the store.
Oooo… My niece had her first baby early Monday morning ?. She had a girl, Harper June Reid Meiners. Everyone is healthy and happy! Seeing babies being born is such a gift right now, and a promise of a better world.
Have a wonderful Wednesday.

I guess I’m pretty much in the body neutrality camp, because I just don’t think about it that much! I have very large calves, the one body part that use to really bug me until two things happened: I visited my dad in the hospital, he was in his 70s and his calves were still massive – you can’t fight genetics. Then I ran my first marathon. Les took a picture of me running and you can see my calf muscle, again it’s huge but it looked so powerful!

I usually have a dinner plan for the week that I use to go grocery shopping, it may change by the day, but I stick pretty close for the week. I don’t have an insta-pot, but I got an air fryer for my birthday and I love it! I made baked sweet potatoes last night that were delicious! They still take quite a bit of time, but I don’t have to heat up the oven and the entire house along with it.

Our current fruit obsession is a big mostly tropical mix – pineapple, kiwi, mango, pink grapefruit and strawberries. Mangoes are a lot of work, but they have been delicious lately.

I can’t go a week without chocolate ;)

Hi Janae! I think about your body as paintbrush metaphor often and it was nice to see your follow on today! I was able to introduce idea to some of my friends when we were having a discussion about body image and they agreed too! We decided that body positivity was probably useful for groups that felt actively judged against but going forward body neutrality is the better idea. Hope the way I explained it makes sense.
Have a great day and thanks as always for making me think!

Yes to body neutrality!! I’ve been trying to be very conscious of comments I make with girlfriends and family and focusing more of how they are feeling/what’s on their mind vs. commenting on a cute outfit or anything to do with their looks. It takes practice though to undo some of this conditioning.
I’m all about peaches and nectarines right now.
I would definitely give up TV over chocolate! My husband and I didn’t have TV for about 15 years, and we were just saying how this has come in handy during COVID because there are plenty of shows to catch up on, even watching the old baseball and basketball games that are being re-broadcast is exciting since we missed them the first time around.
And way to go Brooke, your pancakes look delicious, I LOVE blueberry pancakes!

Hmm, I’m not a body positivity fan. I’m not sure I like the idea of not talking about bodies either. My preference is to change the conversation to a functional discussion.

I think talking about our bodies can be good. I’m not a big fan of rankings or size or looks (good, bad, pretty, ugly etc). However, one of my favorite things as a runner has been becoming more aware of my body. I can tell when something is off. I can tell when foods don’t sit well. I can tell when I need to stretch. Becoming more aware of my body and its subtle signals has improved my eating, exercise, and sleep habits without guilt, shame, or negative feelings.

So why talk about our bodies? If I’m feeling bloated because of downing too much soda, I think it’s fair to say it. If I haven’t been stretching and things feel tight or achey, that’s a fair comment. If I slept great and have energy, also good to mention. Why? I think that will help my kiddo learn to listen to her body signals, too. Maybe that means she can learn to avoid over training, under eating, or poorly fueling this crazy awesome gift we each start with.

I’ve never heard of the body neutrality idea…I really like it. I agree that the body positivity movement also garners too much attention on the looks/appearance or “forcing” feelings you don’t feel. I think being neutral is a form of detachment and that can really help with the emotional stresses that come with body image.

I’m obsessed with strawberries lately which is weird cause I never used to be a SB person…so easy to eat the whole carton (not pregnant). I love fruit on its own or in yogurt on with milk as well. Juicy plums are good too. Oranges. Anything juicy really.