An Anti-Diet New Year
Michelle is a Movement Teacher and Intuitive Eating Counsellor. She believes in the power of defining and persuing our individualized versions of what it means to feel well, from an anti-diet and weight neutral perspective. Michelle hopes to empower others to find their flow when it comes to food, movement and community.
January can feel like a sticky month for your relationship to food. It’s hard to shut yourself off from the constant stream of dieting messages, detoxing the holidays or ~*sTaRtInG FrEsH*~ programs and advertisements. It’s all really negative and harmful, but pervasive and enticing nonetheless.
But why are we drawn to it? Because routine and having a plan in place can feel super comforting. It can feel comforting to start something brand new with high hopes of having it stick.
It can feel especially comforting when you genuinely don’t feel super great in your body. And this is COMMON. Maybe you leaned into joyful foods this past month, said YES to more celebratory foods than you normally would, or felt more full than you do on a regular basis. Maybe you were lucky enough to be gifted a box of those nostalgic cookies your best friend makes every year, maybe you ordered in food for a few extra days since your big holiday dinners couldn’t happen safely this year, or maybe you had many late nights of movies and egg nogs with your partner. All the things that are fun, bring you moments of joy, help you feel a little distracted or comforted when you need it.
Well I’m here to remind you that those are GOOD THINGS. And with a season of everything being different than usual, it makes sense for you to lean into those GOOD THINGS a little more. It just means that you were doing what felt best in the moment - prioritizing moments of joy - and you should be celebrating that. Celebrating YOU caring for YOU in the best way you know how.
And now it’s January, and maybe you don’t feel 100% amazing. Maybe clothes are fitting differently, your sleep schedule is off, your energy or mental health feels bleh.
Maybe you feel the familiar urge to “undo” all the GOOD THINGS you ate and did and leaned into this past month.
It’s normal, it comes and goes, but punishing yourself for leaning into joy and comfort is not the way to reap any of the sweet sweet (literally and figuratively) benefits of this past month.
Maybe instead of throwing out the remaining GOOD THINGS or refusing to purchase any more, you focus a little on what you can add IN.
Can you drink a little bit more water these next few days (you might be dehydrated, and that can make you feel sluggish and uncomfortable).
Can you bundle up and go outside for a walk around the block, or to stand in your backyard/balcony/front step to soak up some morning light (this can help with your sleep schedule and re-up your fresh air intake).
Can you up your fiber intake by sprinkling some flax, chia or hemp seeds on your cereal, oatmeal, toast or eggs (this can help move things along and give you some energy back). Can you call a trusted friend or a weight-neutral practitioner and vocalize these funky-body-feels out loud without judgement (naming them can feel really good for processing them and finding tools to let them go).
What can you add in, something super manageable, every day that will make you feel more connected to your body and more compassionate to yourself in the long term? Some water, a walk, support or rest. You deserve to have moments of joy, to eat things that taste good and feel special to you, and to choose 2021 to be the year you release the reins of diet culture bit by bit by bit. Starting right now.