Today, I want to talk about something that I’ve been exploring myself. Can we talk about our bodies?

If we haven’t met in person yet, here’s the best way I can describe myself.

I’m 5’10” inches.

I am strong, healthy and well... a bit squishy around the midsection.

Tummy rolls, extra skin from birthing two awesome kids. Stretch marks.

Yup, I’ve got all of that.

At the time of this recording, I weigh ~195 lbs. That’s 88 kg or 13.9 stones, if you live in Europe.

My Body Mass Index (aka. my BMI) is hovering around 28 and the scales say I’m “overweight”, teetering towards “obese.”

I eat fairly healthy… fruits, veggies, proteins, legumes, nuts and all of that stuff. I don’t really drink at all. I work out 3-4 times a week, consistently. And I’m learning to slow down, take the time to prep my lunches beforehand, not eat in front of my computer screen, and really slow down to chew and taste my food.

The reason I share all of this is because my body and I haven’t been friends for a very, very long time now.

I think my earliest memory of being aware of my weight was right around age 6, when I was in a ballet recital and everyone else’s tutu on the costume rack was tiny and mine was much, much bigger. Or at least, so I thought.

I’ve always known I was different.

Only recently have I realized that there’s a term for this disorder:

Body Dysmorphia

Body Dysmorphia is basically a mental health condition where you think a part of your body is much bigger or flawed when compared to others.

See, the thing is… I’ve not overcome this yet. I’m a bit of a work-in-progress.

When I hear that this is a “mental health condition” - my brain instantly thinks, “um, this isn’t a mental thing… this is a FACT. Facts are facts, America! Look at my tummy rolls in the mirror. BLEH.”

Body shame is not something you overcome overnight.

This healing work takes time but it also requires me to slow down and make the time to listen to my body, connect with it once again and ask the all-important questions:

Is this serving me still?

And if not, is there a better way?

What would nourish me, right here, right now?

And, finally,

While I haven’t figured it all out yet, I wanted to share a few ideas of what’s helping me these days. So, if you’re struggling with this issue, this episode is for you!

Show notes available with all LINKS mentioned here: https://thesimplifiers.com/podcast/bonus-022/