Why I’m not worried about how my body looks

Our good friends have a massive house with a fabulous pool. Last Friday, they invited us over for dinner and a swim.

Luanne took some pictures of me by the pool.

On the left, you can see a bit of abs and some arm muscles.

On the right, I look a little thicker.

These pictures were taken less than one minute apart.

They are both me. They are both true.

Here’s what I want to unpack:

1. When you see photos of people’s bodies on social media or in magazines, how that body looks depends on lighting, angles, the camera and lens, digital retouching, clothes, and positioning. Most of what you see is very curated. This is why I adore Celeste Barber—only the real deal!
2. A healthy body is a body of substance. There have been times in my life when I have been thinner, but I’ve never been as healthy as I am now. I feel strong and solid. I can haul heavy groceries, walk and swim for miles, and push up my own body weight with ease.
3. Every body is different. There are some people who would be much thinner if they ate and moved like me. Others would be heavier if they ate and moved like me. Neither is better or worse. My body is unique to me, and it will respond exactly how it’s going to respond. Your body will do the same. I eat and move like I do for the sake of doing them, not to meet expectations I have set for myself. If you have expectations for your body, there’s nothing wrong with that!
4. Each of us gets to decide for ourselves how we want to feel about our body, how we experience our body, how loving we are toward our body, how we would like our body to look, how we take care of our body. The person in the body gets to decide; this is no one else's decision.
5. From the time we are born to the time we die, we get one body. It’s our closest companion for life. Someday my body won’t work as well. I will love and cherish it now, I will love and cherish it then. My body allows me to experience the world exactly the way I am meant to experience it. Think about that! If that isn’t worthy of our utmost respect, I don’t know what is.

I hope you and your body have an amazing weekend.