I recently saw a post where someone claimed that "eating clean to get their body ready for summer" is an act of self-care.
I want to set the record straight - this is not an act of self-care.
The Problem With 'Clean Eating'
There is nothing inherently wrong with wanting to eat well and exercise, as there are plenty of benefits from doing both. But spreading the message that you're eating 'clean' to change your body, just because summer is coming, is problematic. Claiming that it's a form of self-care makes it even worse. The intention behind their action of eating 'clean' (this term in it's own way is problematic)* is to change their physical appearance in order to be ready for a season - as if their body isn't good enough the way it is right now.
(*Clean eating initially started out with good intentions. It means eating food in its whole, unprocessed form without chemicals or additives. Unfortunately, society has morphed the phrase into an all-or-nothing diet craze that involves food shaming and perpetuates disordered eating habits.)
Changing the Conversation
It's understandable to want to feel good in your own skin. To want to lift weights, or do yoga, or try new fitness classes because you want to be stronger or feel better in your clothes. But we need to change the way we talk about reaching health and fitness goals and how we connect them to our bodies. And we need to change the way we share this information with other people.
One of the best ways you can keep a healthy relationship with food and your body while on your fitness or health journey is by accepting your body for how it is, right now. Your body is a wonderful and amazing work of art, as it is, right this second.
Whatever changes your body goes through, you must appreciate it through all seasons of life. If you want to change your body, that's totally okay. But don't change it just because summer is coming, or a personal trainer on Instagram told you that your booty needs to be bikini-ready.
If we can't appreciate our body for how it looks and performs in this moment, then we can't appreciate it in any other state.
It's taken me years to figure this out, and I'm still working on it. But when I first started to appreciate my body for what it allows me to do and where it's taken me, the false image I created of myself started to shift. Practicing daily appreciation is not easy, but using your mental energy on more productive and positive outcomes is so worth it.
