I Am More Than My Body: The Body Neutral Journey

I Am More Than My Body: The Body Neutral Journey

From the founder and CEO of the be.come project comes an inspiring introduction to "body neutrality"—the concept of steering away from self-hate without the pressure of having to love your body—and how thinking in this way can lead to joy, peace, and fulfillment. “Some days I love my body, some days I hate my body, but every day I respect my body.” A lot of us were raised on toxic diet culture—restrictions, limitations, and deprivation. Then the pendulum swung to the other extreme, with messages that we could love ourselves at any size, any weight, any shape…but sometimes, even that can feel like a lot of pressure. There is a third option: body neutrality. For many of us, a neutral approach to our physical self—based on compassion, acceptance, and respect—can be a revolutionary, rewarding shift in how we move through the world. I Am More Than My Body will help you strengthen your relationship with yourself and find balance, steering you away from shame without the pressure of having to love your body at all times. It will introduce a framework to help you practice neutral movement, recognize and arm yourself against bias, act with self-compassion, and navigate your feelings on this journey. A longtime practitioner of the body-neutral approach, Bethany C. Meyers shares their own story together with the experiences and ideas of experts and activists to help us care for our bodies while not having them dictate our worth. Because happiness comes from honest acceptance, something that body neutrality has the power to help you find. Bethany C. Meyers (she/they) is the founder and CEO of the be.come project. She has been a part of the fitness industry for over 15 years—as an instructor, a teacher trainer, and a workout creator. After battling an eating disorder for the majority of their fitness career, Bethany began to heal their relationship with exercise, food, and the physical self. Vowing to be the change she so desperately needed, Bethany founded the be.come project in July 2018, with the intention of sharing the powerful message of body neutrality with the world. The Journey Starts Here When I was young, I used to watch Nick at Nite religiously. I particularly loved Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie , two 1960s sitcoms featuring glamorous, magical protagonists. I remember being convinced that I had supernatural powers too, I just hadn't learned my signature move yet. Samantha the witch would wiggle her nose and Jeannie would stack her arms and blink to access her genie gifts, so all I needed to do was find my own twitch. I would sit in my bedroom, make a wish, and then try a combination of tongue swirls, head nods, and finger taps-hoping to unlock some magical power. If you had walked in on me, I'm sure it would have been a funny sight. Of course, I never discovered my magic move. Like all of us, I've had to ask, work, and plan for the things I want in life, some of which have happened and some of which haven't. To me, the realization that the things we want don't happen magically-instead they take conscious effort and practice, but are nearly always worth it in the end-is reminiscent of the body neutral journey that we are about to embark upon together. In short, body neutrality is the idea that each of us is more than our body, and our worth is not limited to our physical self. It is the practice of respecting our body despite the fact that we may feel differently about it on any given day-love, hate, and everything in between. When I was first learning about body neutrality, I remember having so many moments when I just wanted to get there already and proudly declare, "Here I am, meet body neutral Bethany !" But that wasn't how my journey went. I would have days when I felt awful about my body, when my old eating disorder mindset would creep in and shame would take over. I also had days when I would pretend to be so completely in love with my body-and that felt empty as well, like I was masking the shame with a lie. And then I would have days when I would slide into neutrality, experiencing neither deep love nor deep shame, but rather a gentle respect for my physical self while prioritizing my emotional self. Sometimes that felt liberating and sometimes it felt unsatisfying. I'm here to tell you that both of those feelings-and anything in between-are okay! Perhaps you may be hoping to read this book and find your quick fix into body acceptance. Maybe you are looking for a fuss-free solution to every problem you're facing. The truth is, that's not how it works, and you should be wary of anyone who tells you otherwise. This book doesn't make lofty promises, like fitness companies selling New Year deals or health food providers coming out with a fancy superfood. It is not the answer, the truth, the way, or the life. It is, I hope, a guide to a new set of skills which might support you. I'm not saying that the ideas housed between its covers don't have the power to have a profound impact