I can’t believe another New Year is upon us! This year I want to challenge you to do something different. Instead of resolutions to change how our body looks, how about thinking about how you want to feel in the coming year, what you want to bring to the world and get out of your life?

Resolutions or intentions that emphasize weight loss or aesthetics only perpetuate fatphobia, weight stigma, poor relationship with food and your body may lead to adverse health outcomes. Not only that, but there has yet to be a single study demonstrating successful weight loss over time as a result of a diet. There’s no need to consider another diet.

Hey, if they actually worked we wouldn’t need a new one every year, right?

You can certainly aim to make health a priority! In fact, a health at every size  (HAES) approach aims to do just that. By taking the focus off of numbers, tracking and weight, you are more likely to make decisions and behavior changes from a place of body respect rather than viewing your body as a problem.

7 BODY POSITIVE RESOLUTIONS THAT WILL ADD TO YOUR LIFE:

1.   APPRECIATE WHAT YOUR BODY DOES FOR YOU

• Make a list of all the ways your body supports you

• You don’t necessarily need to start loving your body, but you can actively work on respecting it and appreciating what it can do

• Take note of the incredible ways your body supports you- make a list!

• If you haven’t already, read Body Kindness by Rebecca Scritchfield

2.  STOP WAITING TO EXPERIENCE WHAT LIFE HAS TO OFFER WHEN YOU REACH THE ILLUSIVE “X” WEIGHT.

• You are worthy of those things NOW

• Go to the beach, swim in the ocean, go skydiving, ask for the promotion, negotiate your pay, flirt with that cute person…time isn’t slowing down!

3. STOP BODY CHECKING & COMPARING

• This is a habit we’re all accustomed to after living in a fat-phobic, thinness-obsessed society

•  All bodies are good bodies, and body diversity is a real, beautiful thing

• Even if we all ate and exercised the same, we would still have different body shapes and sizes

• Body comparisons and agonizing over parts of ourselves we wish we could change are only going to make us feel inadequate and uncomfortable in our skin

4.   TOSS OUT YOUR SCALE

• Donate it, give it away, throw it out, smash it with a hammer

• Your scale offers little valuable information about your health, and is more likely to set a restrict-binge cycle into motion

• Focus instead on internal measures of health and wellbeing. How you feel in your body, instead of an arbitrary number

5. SET AN INTENTION TO MAKE SELF-CARE A PRIORITY

• Stress management has a huge effect on our overall health and wellbeing.

• Making self care a priority can alleviate some stress and anxiety

• Self-care doesn’t need to be glamorous- even the mundane day to day activities like brushing your hair, showering or putting on lotion can become self-care if we make ourselves more present and mindful in the moment. Intention is everything!

6. START TO VIEW YOUR BODY AS THE HOME YOU LIVE IN

• We were not put on this Earth to lose weight and pay bills

• Your body is your home, one that carries your personality to enable you to live out a fulfilling, meaningful life

7. COMPLIMENT OTHERS ON NON-APPEARANCE RELATED THINGS

• We never know what lies beneath the surface- a well-meaning compliment on someone’s weight or size could be feeding into their own disordered eating

• Compliments that have nothing to do with appearance are likely to be more meaningful and impactful, leaving both you and the recipient of the complement feeling better

• Some examples: “You light up a room!”, “Your laugh is so infectious!”, “You are so creative!”, “you inspire me!”, “you look so happy!”

At the end of the day, it’s perfectly okay to just BE as you are, with no intention to change or feel inclined to engage in “self improvement” whatsoever! It’s your life. You are worthy, whole and enough as you are right now.