Diet
Culture brings fear and dysfunction to the house long before our
families show up. In this series, a therapist and an elementary
school nutritionist will offer tips and tools to enlighten us, so
we can, "Lighten Up" without *actually* setting things on
fire. We can't make the world safer, but we can #reclaimourtime when it's time to celebrate with
food...and family.
Feb 14, 2020
On
this edition of Lighten Up!, we talk about loving ourselves, which
is neither as trite nor as easy as it sounds.
“I love myself, I think I'm
grand/When I go to the movies I hold my hand/I wrap my arms around
my waist/When I get fresh I SLAP my face!/I’m a
nut!”
Do
you know this song? Coach MK learned it from Deanne Graves in
junior high! In 1991!!! Back then, self-love made you a nut. The
cultural conversation around this concept has shifted massively in
the ensuing 20 years, to the point of NOT loving yourself being a
source of shame. We are still trapped between the right answer and
the true answer, “I love myself” being the ‘right’ answer and, “I
am perpetually frustrated by my body” on the other. We aren’t sure
that weight loss and cosmetic procedures like facelifts can be acts
of self-love, and we have shows like The Biggest Loser and Botched
to prove it.
Which
makes Valentine’s Day REALLY tough. Quitter’s Day is a thing now, a
shame-laden mid-January marketing pitch to keep sales momentum from
New Year’s going strong into a month centered around a holiday
celebrating romantic love….another type of love we aren’t
comfortable having for ourselves….and we are NOT going to talk
about that on this podcast because I may melt. Seriously, I’m all
for people doing whatever solo I JUST DO NOT WANT TO KNOW!!!!!!
That’s why we hired Coach Sarah, tell her about your
vibrator!
Note from Coach Sarah: [no
comment]
"It would appear there has been a
positive shift in how we talk about body image," writes Moya Lothia
McLean for Vice, "with emphasis placed on the non-aesthetic
benefits of exercise, such as increased cognitive functioning, how
it can alleviate depressive symptoms, the improvement it has on
cardiovascular health and so on. But the associations of exercise
with fat loss and a specific body type are still there too, under a
new guise." OH YEAH, we feel that - running is ALL ABOUT SELF LOVE
and self care, right? Well, maybe, but when its overt or covert
purpose is to change your body, that connection becomes somewhat
tenuous.
We
know we can’t really love other people until we truly love
ourselves, but how do we do THAT exactly? We are calling in THE BIG
GUNS! Dalia and Jummy talk with us about what it took for them to
really love themselves and WHY this is such an uphill battle for
us. It's hard work, y'all, and if you don't feel the love, we
promise you you are not broken or behind. Once again, we recommend
BATHING in Dalia's self-love
playlist on Spotify for a sonorous display of what it means to love on
YOU.
Dalia Kinsey is The School Nutrition Dietitian
utilizing a background in public health and school nutrition in
preventative health care. Her writing on New Year's Resolutions
was recently featured on Medium, and she has a podcast series going on this month about
cultivating positivity and health at every size. Jummy Olawale is a Gottman Method
Therapist; she helps couples rebuild healthy, shame-free
relationships by re-framing difficult conversations. I’m hoping
that today’s roundtable discussion can help us recognize the
messages we are REALLY sending everyone around us so we can lead
the way in helping them develop healthy relationships with
food...and with us.
MK Fleming is the founder of Fitness Protection, LLC
and Sarah Axelrod leads Fitness Protection's #CoachedandLoved Community. Try
our accessible, affordable monthly running plans at www.fitnessprotection.com!