MY BODY DOES

A community for redefining the way we talk about bodies.

[lovemybodydoes-blog]

My Body Muse: Sandra Hong!!

It's Museday! Meet Sandra. 

Welcome to this weeks feature. My Body Muse is a weekly series where we talk to people about their bodies and the weird/beautiful/messy/awesome/crazy-making narratives we build around them. Shoot us a note at [email protected] if you’d like to be featured.

1) Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What you do? Where you're from?

Gosh. This is always the hard part!

I'm 28, originally from Baltimore. I've been living in NYC for about six years now, following a good chunk of time in San Francisco before Facebook became a thing. I've spent a the majority of my career working in marketing and advertising, doing a ton of work on behalf of Fortune500 brands - it had only dawned on me about three years ago that I could very well take those skills and instead apply it to brands and projects of my own. So, I decided to go freelance, worked at a restaurant to keep my social skills intact and eventually went on to start my own business/community: GIRL PARTY. Freelance life and being your own boss has been one big spontaneous adventure and I wouldn't change it for anything.

2) Can you tell us a bit about what you love about your body?

I'm so thankful for my body. And in the vastness of that particular emotion there is so much love. I love how it has continuously healed itself under injuries and trauma. I love how it is constantly changing with each breath and day. I love how I learn more about it with each move I make. It's the most fascinating thing about all of us if you really think about it.

I am a musician along with many other things. To be able to use all of my faculties when I play guitar or when I sing has been the greatest blessing. I am lucky to be able to express myself so freely with my body.

I also love that I am the only one in my family that seems to have freckles :)

3) Have you ever felt inadequate in your body? Do you feel comfortable sharing that story with us?

Of course. Who hasn't?

I'm not much of a beach person, but I'm always a little turned off with going to the beach because I can't stand getting wet, don't enjoy being under the sun for too long, and really find zero pleasure in being half naked with a bunch of people. I know that deep down, it has something to do with vanity because I've been told to look or be appealing in a certain way when I'm wearing a swim suit. I wonder if I'd like the beach more if I felt more confident in a bikini or something.

More often than not though, you'll find me with a hat, sunglasses, relaxing under the umbrella with a beer and taco in hand. 

4) If your body were you friend, how would you describe it?

My body is the friend that can be a little bit of the devil on your shoulder sometimes because she certainly likes to indulge :) On the other side of the coin, my body is a warrior woman, with a steadfast resilience that can get through quite possibly anything.

5) Fill in the blank:

My body does__unimaginable things when I give it gratitude and nourishment.___

My body does not like __to be talked down to.___

My body's theme song is__Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys___

6) Do you have a favorite affirmation?

I am thankful for all that my body does

7) What else? Final words?

I think everyone should do this exercise!!! Thank you for allowing me to participate and engage with what you've been working on. I'm changed for the better and have such fresh eyes on what it means to love MY body.

Follow her on Instagram: @sandrawhyhong

Or Twitter!: @sandrawhyhong

[lovemybodydoes-blog]

My Body Muse: Erin Motz!!

It's Museday! Meet Erin. 

Welcome to this weeks feature. My Body Muse is a weekly series where we talk to people about their bodies and the weird/beautiful/messy/awesome/crazy-making narratives we build around them. Shoot us a note at [email protected] if you’d like to be featured.

1) Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What you do? Where you're from?

I'm the co-founder of Bad Yogi, a yoga and lifestyle brand out to redefine yoga culture. We have yoga classes, clothing and a blog, and everything we do is to show people that yoga is for everybody and every BODY, and break the typical yogi stereotype; you're welcome here whether you're a kale-loving vegan or a prize-winning deer hunter. I'm originally from Florida but I live in France right now in Nice!

2) Can you tell us a bit about what you love about your body?

I love that it's healthy and allows me to work and pursue everything I want, whether that's something intangible like learning a language, or something very measurable like doing handstands! I love that it communicates quickly and strongly about whether it loves or hates something I'm doing to it, too.

3) Have you ever felt inadequate in your body? Do you feel comfortable sharing that story with us?

OMG YES! I still feel this way sometimes, but I've struggled with feeling too small. I used to have an image in my head of what a "real" woman looked like and that was nothing like me. Especially in more recent times when the "real women have curves" messaging started to catch on, and that made me feel even worse, like, someone made me wrong because I'm a woman but far from curvy! Isn't it insane how our brains can spin any tale it wants to make it feel like crap? Logically, of course, I knew that this was ridiculous, but I think we've all had some kind of "grass is greener" moments with our self image. I think that any exclusive messaging can be harmful, and instead, the only message out there should be that ALL bodies are beautiful and interesting and capable, whether they're curvy or straight or heavy or light or tan or porcelain.

4) If your body were you friend, how would you describe it?

Elegant, graceful, fit, and pretty badass.

5) Fill in the blank:

My body does__everything I ask of it___

My body does not like __extreme heat or cold!___

My body's theme song is__basically anything by Beyonce, haha!___

6) Do you have a favorite affirmation?

I am cultivating a loving relationship with my body

 Follow her on Instagram: @badyogiofficial

Or Facebook!: Bad Yogi Facebook

[lovemybodydoes-blog]

My Body Muse: Erin Motz!!

It's Museday! Meet Erin. 

Welcome to this weeks feature. My Body Muse is a weekly series where we talk to people about their bodies and the weird/beautiful/messy/awesome/crazy-making narratives we build around them. Shoot us a note at [email protected] if you’d like to be featured.

1) Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What you do? Where you're from?

I'm the co-founder of Bad Yogi, a yoga and lifestyle brand out to redefine yoga culture. We have yoga classes, clothing and a blog, and everything we do is to show people that yoga is for everybody and every BODY, and break the typical yogi stereotype; you're welcome here whether you're a kale-loving vegan or a prize-winning deer hunter. I'm originally from Florida but I live in France right now in Nice!

2) Can you tell us a bit about what you love about your body?

I love that it's healthy and allows me to work and pursue everything I want, whether that's something intangible like learning a language, or something very measurable like doing handstands! I love that it communicates quickly and strongly about whether it loves or hates something I'm doing to it, too.

3) Have you ever felt inadequate in your body? Do you feel comfortable sharing that story with us?

OMG YES! I still feel this way sometimes, but I've struggled with feeling too small. I used to have an image in my head of what a "real" woman looked like and that was nothing like me. Especially in more recent times when the "real women have curves" messaging started to catch on, and that made me feel even worse, like, someone made me wrong because I'm a woman but far from curvy! Isn't it insane how our brains can spin any tale it wants to make it feel like crap? Logically, of course, I knew that this was ridiculous, but I think we've all had some kind of "grass is greener" moments with our self image. I think that any exclusive messaging can be harmful, and instead, the only message out there should be that ALL bodies are beautiful and interesting and capable, whether they're curvy or straight or heavy or light or tan or porcelain.

4) If your body were you friend, how would you describe it?

Elegant, graceful, fit, and pretty badass.

5) Fill in the blank:

My body does__everything I ask of it___

My body does not like __extreme heat or cold!___

My body's theme song is__basically anything by Beyonce, haha!___

6) Do you have a favorite affirmation?

I am cultivating a loving relationship with my body

7) What else? Final words?

Men face plenty of body shaming and we're sensitive too! I've noticed a dramatic rise in "men's health", which I'd redefine as "How to grow big pecs and biceps without ruining your six pack abs" Being hairy is OK. Growing old is OK. Who has six pack abs anyways?

Follow her on Instagram: @badyogiofficial

Or Facebook!: Bad Yogi Facebook

[lovemybodydoes-blog]

My Body Muse: Marc Weinstein!!

It's Museday! Meet Marc. 

Welcome to this weeks feature. My Body Muse is a weekly series where we talk to people about their bodies and the weird/beautiful/messy/awesome/crazy-making narratives we build around them. Shoot us a note at [email protected] if you’d like to be featured.

1) Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What you do? Where you're from?

Born and raised in New York. I'm an entrepreneur, yogi and teacher. I recently co-founded a music festival called 90sFest (shameless plug - www.90sfest.com). We'll be in 3-5 cities this fall including New York. In addition I teach yoga, meditation and tutor the SAT / ACT.

2) Can you tell us a bit about what you love about your body?

I love that there is SOOOO much complexity going on in the background, but in the forefront everything seems so simple. What needs to happen from my heart to brain to my finger tips for me to even type right now is mind-blowing.

3) Have you ever felt inadequate in your body? Do you feel comfortable sharing that story with us?

Yes. I was in middle school hanging out with a bunch of girls at a friend's house. I was only 12, but already shaving my little mustache, so suffice it to say that I'm a furry one. My friend was sitting on my back and pulled up my shirt. Upon seeing that I had lower back hair (again, I was 12 years old) she shouted out and the rest of the girls relentlessly heckled me that night. It was embarrassing, but of course I had to play it cool / act like a tough guy. I was pretty nasty to that girl for years to come and perpetuated the body negativity. In hindsight, I probably owe her an apology.

4) If your body were you friend, how would you describe it?

I'm not sure I could describe my body as a friend, because I wouldn't speak to a friend the way I speak to my body. I guess if I'm being honest my body would be more like a family member, close friend or my recent girlfriend. I tend to be hard on those closest to me because I see their "highest potential" rather than accepting them as they are. In high school and college I was all about the weightlifting, so I treated my body more like someone who had not achieved his highest potential. It was always - more weight, more reps. I never really appreciated where my body was at any given time, but always believed I could shape it to something better. This is a constant struggle in my yoga practice. I now strive to simply feel and breath in poses rather than reaching for arbitrary achievements like the modern male obsession with touching our toes.

5) Fill in the blank:

My body does__everything I ask it to do, if I ask nicely___

My body does not like __when I eat dairy___

My body's theme song is__Age of Consent - New Order____

6) Do you have a favorite affirmation?

Hum Sa, So Hum; So Hum, Hum Sa - I am that, that I am

7) What else? Final words?

Men face plenty of body shaming and we're sensitive too! I've noticed a dramatic rise in "men's health", which I'd redefine as "How to grow big pecs and biceps without ruining your six pack abs" Being hairy is OK. Growing old is OK. Who has six pack abs anyways?

Follow him on Instagram: @warcmeinstein

Or Twitter!: @warcmeinstein

[lovemybodydoes-blog]

My Body Muse: Silvana Denker!!

It's Museday! Meet Silvana. 

Welcome to this weeks feature. My Body Muse is a weekly series where we talk to people about their bodies and the weird/beautiful/messy/awesome/crazy-making narratives we build around them. Shoot us a note at [email protected] if you’d like to be featured.

Before Silvan's muse interview, we wanted to mention a few things about her that we think are super rad. She's been combining her experience and passion for the plus size modelling world, with her skills as a photographer on a project called Body Love. It's a simple concept with a stunning result. She gathers 8 people of all sizes, shapes, colors, and genders, dressed only in their underwear, and takes pictures of them in the middle of a city center. 

Silvana is the woman behind the camera. She's this incredible brain behind the Body Love project and with the help of a few friends, she's traveling from city to city, bringing people together and sharing body love with the world. She's been to Paris, London, and her next stop is Milan! So before we let Silvana speak for herself, we want to let our New York friends know that she's currently trying to raise money to travel to the US and do a shoot in NYC. You can follow this link to her fundraising page where she accepts donations via PayPal (though some of it's in German!) We don't know about you, but we think NYC could really use a group of diverse, confident, and half-naked people posing in Times Square :) Check out her interview, below!!

1) Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What you do? Where you're from?

Well, I´m from a small village in Germany near a city called Siegen. I'm 31 years old and I work as a photographer and plus size model. For some years I've been trying to fight for a realistic view of the bodies of women and men and plus size modeling being more accepted in Germany.

2) Can you tell us a bit about what you love about your body?

I love being me, I needed some time to realize it because I always tried to get the body media shows us as the perfect one. Although I was a size 8 in my younger years I thought I was too fat. I've learned to love myself the way I am, to love not only the beautiful parts but also the ones with stretchmarks, bumps and rolls ;)

3) Have you ever felt inadequate in your body? Do you feel comfortable sharing that story with us?

The thinner I was the more I hated my body. Yes, I really hated it. It took a few years to realize it's not the weight that makes me a good person and I am so much more than a number on the scale.

4) If your body were you friend, how would you describe it?

My body likes good food, is warm and cuddly, strong and patient

5) Fill in the blank:

My body does__keep me strong___

My body does not like __too little sleep___

6) Do you have a favorite affirmation?

I am thankful for all that my body does.

 Follow her on Instagram: @silvanadenker

Follow her on Facebook: Silvana Denker Fotografie

[lovemybodydoes-blog]

My Body Muse: Silvana Denker!!

It's Museday! Meet Silvana. 

Welcome to this weeks feature. My Body Muse is a weekly series where we talk to people about their bodies and the weird/beautiful/messy/awesome/crazy-making narratives we build around them. Shoot us a note at [email protected] if you’d like to be featured.

Before Silvan's muse interview, we wanted to mention a few things about her that we think are super rad. She's been combining her experience and passion for the plus size modelling world, with her skills as a photographer on a project called Body Love. It's a simple concept with a stunning result. She gathers 8 people of all sizes, shapes, colors, and genders, dressed only in their underwear, and takes pictures of them in the middle of a city center. 

Silvana is the woman behind the camera. She's this incredible brain behind the Body Love project and with the help of a few friends, she's traveling from city to city, bringing people together and sharing body love with the world. She's been to Paris, London, and her next stop is Milan! So before we let Silvana speak for herself, we want to let our New York friends know that she's currently trying to raise money to travel to the US and do a shoot in NYC. You can follow this link to her fundraising page where she accepts donations via PayPal (though some of it's in German!) We don't know about you, but we think NYC could really use a group of diverse, confident, and half-naked people posing in Times Square :) Check out her interview, below!!

1) Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What you do? Where you're from?

Well, I´m from a small village in Germany near a city called Siegen. I'm 31 years old and I work as a photographer and plus size model. For some years I've been trying to fight for a realistic view of the bodies of women and men and plus size modeling being more accepted in Germany.

2) Can you tell us a bit about what you love about your body?

I love being me, I needed some time to realize it because I always tried to get the body media shows us as the perfect one. Although I was a size 8 in my younger years I thought I was too fat. I've learned to love myself the way I am, to love not only the beautiful parts but also the ones with stretchmarks, bumps and rolls ;)

3) Have you ever felt inadequate in your body? Do you feel comfortable sharing that story with us?

The thinner I was the more I hated my body. Yes, I really hated it. It took a few years to realize it's not the weight that makes me a good person and I am so much more than a number on the scale.

4) If your body were you friend, how would you describe it?

My body likes good food, is warm and cuddly, strong and patient

5) Fill in the blank:

My body does__keep me strong___

My body does not like __too little sleep___

6) Do you have a favorite affirmation?

I am thankful for all that my body does.

 Follow her on Instagram: @silvanadenker

Follow her on Facebook: Silvana Denker Fotografie

[lovemybodydoes-blog]

#MyBodyMuse: Kiersten Cregger!!

It's Museday! Meet Kiersten. 

Welcome to this weeks feature. My Body Muse is a weekly series where we talk to people about their bodies and the weird/beautiful/messy/awesome/crazy-making narratives we build around them. Shoot us a note at [email protected] if you’d like to be featured.

1) Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What you do? Where you're from?

Sure! I'm a yoga teacher by profession, a Muay Thai fighter by passion and I also love to read, cook and meditate. I grew up in Seattle, been living in NYC since August 2012.

2) Can you tell us a bit about what you love about your body?

My feet. I used to hate them because I thought that feet (all of them, not just mine) were like, weird deformed hands with stubby fingers and on top of that, my toes are hairy like a Hobbit. Maybe it's just because yoga made me bring my feet to my face (and chest, thigh, behind my head, all sorts of crazy places my feet never went before), I started to notice that there really is a purpose to their unique structure. They are really strong and they help me balance for things like kicking and walking and dancing. I think this is true of my whole body -- each part is there for a reason and now I think it's so much fun exploring the relationships and possibilities of each part. I like to think of my body as a really advanced machine and I am trying to learn what all the buttons and levers do. I'm lucky to have it.

3) Have you ever felt inadequate in your body? Do you feel comfortable sharing that story with us?

All. The. Time. I still do. In 6th grade, puberty started to put a little more meat on my thighs and I immediately saw this as me getting fat. Which of course I thought was the worst thing you could be. So I got really self-conscious about eating, to the point that I skipped lunch every day because I didn't want to eat in public and risk looking disgusting to everyone around me. In high school, this evolved into bulimia and that is something I still struggle with. Fighting Muay Thai is like any other combat sport -- you are matched with an opponent by weight and your "fight weight" is usually lower than your normal weight. So I spend about a month training super hard, eating well, losing weight the right way. I end up getting a lot of "compliments" from people about how "amazing" I look. It kills me because I know that in order to be healthy and train well and replenish my muscles, I'll be gaining back at least 10 lbs after the fight. And people will see it as me "getting fat" when I was at an artificially low weight to begin with. I still care what they think, though.

4) If your body were you friend, how would you describe it?

She demands respect. Like, DEMANDS it. My mind is polite and cares what people think and will take shit for days to make other people happy, but my body is not afraid to call bullshit and sometimes it's like she sticks up for both of us. My body really likes hard work, but if I push her too far, she will push back. Most of the time, though, she's really sweet and fun and we do crazy stuff and test our limits together. And some parts of our relationship just work, like we figured out how to sing and we used to hate running, but now we figured out how to do it together and we have a great time.

 5) Fill in the blank:

My body does__everything I need it to and more!___

My body does not like __being treated disrespectfully.___

My body's theme song is__the sound of Om.____

6) Do you have a favorite affirmation?

My body is a source of joy

7) What else? Final words?

I love my breasts. Love them. They are possibly my favorite part of my body. I wrote that in a health class workbook in 10th grade and it's still true.

Follow her on Instagram: @senseiyoga

[lovemybodydoes-blog]

Dancing My Way Through Self Doubt

I used to love dancing. I used to do it regularly and with reckless abandon. In my mind, there was no wrong time or place for a dance party. But at some point in my recent past, the dancing had stopped. My feet and my torso were still and the music wasn’t in my bones the way it used to be. I was troubled -- when had that stopped? It dawned on me: there was a direct correlation between the absence of dance in my life and the profound disconnect with my sense of self and with my body. I made a promise to myself that, starting December 1st of 2015, I would dance every day for the entire month for at least one song. And thus, Daily Dance December was born.

After sharing my first track choice and the idea for the experiment on Facebook, friends and family requested that I share evidence of the dancing. The exploration  began to evolve into something beyond me dancing alone in my room to remind myself I had hips and the ability to move it, move it. Posting videos of myself dancing was terrifying for a host of reasons. I was super critical of how I looked on social media, I was nervous about managing my “personal brand”, and I was afraid that having the videos online would hold me accountable to others and make it difficult to back out. However, despite all of these reasons not to, I knew I had to push myself out of my comfort zone to make the most of the experience.

Uploading my first video to Facebook was terrifying. I have a career in marketing, and I knew that my video had none of the calculated elements of a “successful” post. I was fresh out of bed with a zit on my face. I had serious bed head and grubby pajamas. I was standing in front of a white wall in a dimly lit room. Not to mention, it was poorly shot and my dancing was super awkward. (PSA: When you think you’re a really good dancer, there is nothing quite like watching a video of yourself dancing alone to bring you back down to earth). Plus, why should anyone really care about my videos and what I was doing? I felt exposed and vulnerable, but as I clicked “post,” I also felt liberated and absolutely energized. The dancing had given me a rush, and sharing it and letting go of the outcome was so freeing. I decided to commit to posting daily videos of my dancing.

The response was tremendous. Friends I hadn’t heard from in awhile  and people I didn’t even know reached out to tell me how happy my videos made them and how inspired they were by my courage to expose myself in that way. I was elated. Not only did the dancing renew my sense of confidence and self-empowerment, but sharing the videos made me feel like it was no longer about just me. I felt connected to those I was sharing my experience with, hoping to inspire and bring them joy.

However, an unintended consequence of sharing my experience, was becoming overly distracted by the videos and the social media aftermath. What was originally about privately reconnecting with myself and my physical body was now a shared experience. I was challenged with the desire for external validation, and began to worry about how my body looked in the videos. There was one day I almost didn’t post a video because I had just eaten and thought my full tummy was sticking out too far. I debated what I was wearing, what song I picked, what my dancing looked like, what others would respond to, etc. My daily posts began to stress me out. I became self-conscious while dancing and was disappointed when I didn’t rack up “likes.”

For several  days, I wrestled through this anxiety and engaged in familiar cycles of self-loathing, shame, and frustration. I even regressed to my past eating disorder behaviors of binge-eating and purging more than once. I was also in a lot of physical pain due to a low back injury that left me feeling even more disconnected from my body and quite frustrated and angry. But still everyday, there were those few minutes of dancing that distracted me from the pain and brought me a reminder of why I was doing this. Committing myself to those few minutes of joy and self care in which all I expected of myself was to dance through my feelings, eventually helped me to reset and rebalance. I was able to remind myself that the purpose of Daily Dance December was embodiment and acceptance -- not perfection.

That realization alone would have been good enough for me, but at the end of those 31 days, I walked --or danced, if you will-- away with so many other golden nuggets:  

Responding to music through physical movement and feeling connects me to where I am in time and space.

It feels incredible  to watch myself belly-roll up and down, and back and forth, and undulate my hips without judgement.

I don’t have the amazing natural rhythm I thought I did and may never be able to be anyone’s backup dancer (Madonna, I guess it’s just not meant to be).

I can observe a general looseness in my body without hating it or needing to change it, where in the past I would have been at the gym trying  to exercise it away.

It’s okay for me to be injured, and it’s okay for me to move in new ways that take care of me, rather than in old ways that may hurt me.

Daily Dance December was about all these things and then doing my best to accept them. It was about learning to forgive myself and to love myself while acknowledging and appreciating exactly where I am. When I got back to these basics (but who am I kidding!? these are hard!) I found myself and lost the self-doubt. Daily Dance December turned out to be an incredible journey of coming home to my body and to myself -- not to mention a great way to re-discover some of my favorite old songs.

[lovemybodydoes-blog]

Museday! This week we’re so lucky to feature Ragen Chastain: dancer, body positive activist, a future IRONMAN!! She chronicles her triathlon training on her blog: https://ironfatblog.wordpress.com/ and also has a blog dedicated to dancing and other body positive activist writing here: https://danceswithfat.wordpress.com/. We could go on and on about why WE love her, but we’ll let her talk for herself:

1) Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What you do? Where you're from?

I live in LA with my amazing partner Julianne and our two adorable rescue dogs (Bu and ChadShannel.)  I speak and write full-time about Body Image, Health and Wellness.  I'm a three-time National Dance Champion and I'm training for my first (and only!) IRONMAN Triathlon.

2) Can you tell us a bit about what you love about your body?

My body does millions of things every single day without me asking, and it does many more things that I ask it to do. I see my body as a supporter, best friend, and partner in crime! I love the way my body looks, I love the way my body works, and I love the way my body takes up, and moves through, space. 

3) Have you ever felt inadequate in your body? Do you feel comfortable sharing that story with us? 

There was a time in my life when all I could do was hate my body for not looking like the stereotype of beauty.  One day I realized that I spent so much time resenting my body for not looking like a Photoshopped picture of someone else, that I didn't even have a moment's worth of gratitude for everything that my body did. I started to realize how many things my body did for me every day and I became profoundly grateful for the body I have.  Then I realized that everything I thought I knew about beauty was a lie - a lie sold to me by companies that make billions of dollars convincing women that we are never good enough.  The truth is that we all have beauty, but many of us have a limited skill-set when it comes to seeing that beauty because we've been sold a lie.  Now, I can see the beauty in myself and others, and when I have an issue with my body (sickness, injury, the inability to do something that I'd like to do physically, the inability to find clothes, a chair that isn't big enough for me etc.) I realize that it's always me and my body against a problem, and never me against my body.

4) If your body were your friend, how would you describe it?

My body is the kind of friend who is there for me no matter what, the kind of friend who forgives me my past transgressions and mistakes.  The kind for friend who, when I suggest some harebrained idea (let's compete in ballroom dance!  Let's do a marathon! Let's do an IRONMAN!) responds by yelling "Hey y'all, watch this!" and coming along for the ride.

5) Fill in the blank: 

My body does___not have to look or be a certain way to deserve my love and full-throated support.__

My body does not like ___to be shamed, stigmatized, or stereotyped.____

My body's theme song is_____I did it my way ____

6) Do you have a favorite affirmation or mantra? 

Hey, that's bullshit! (In response to ads and messages that try to damage my self-esteem and body image)

7) Is there anything else you'd like to share? We mean it, anything!!

People of all sizes have the right to exist in bodies of all sizes without shame, stigma, bullying or harassment - it doesn't matter why we're that size, what being that size means, or if we could be a different size. Every body deserves respect.

instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ragenchastain/

twitter handle: @danceswithfat

PHOTO CRED!!! Top: Substantia Jones of adipositivity.com) Bottom: Richard Sabel

[beyxnika]

[squidsqueen]

What makes me so happy about this is that she isn’t telling you you must love your body or that you are obligated to. She saying you have permission to. And that’s important, because there are a lot of reasons why people have trouble with self-love.  But the idea that you aren’t supposed to love your body, that you aren’t allowed to for whatever reason, needs to be crushed. If you can’t love you body right now, if your body causes you pain or disphoria or distress, you aren’t required to love it. But you are ALLOWED to. You are entitled to the chance to make peace with your body, if you ever reach a point where you are ready to. No one else should be trying to stop you.

[lacigreen]

beautifully said ^

[oldfilmsflicker]

[lovemybodydoes-blog]

“Youth is temporary, dive is forever” .... can we get that on a shirt?

[lovemybodydoes-blog]

Happy Museday! This week we met the awe inspiring Lana Simmons: yoga teacher, co-creator of the sizeHUMAN podcast, and mover (we mean that in all ways!) Shoot us a note at [email protected] if you’d like to be featured.

1) Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What you do? Where you're from? I'm a Self-Love Junkie, NASM-CPT, & 200hr RYT and the co-creator of sizeHUMAN. After decades dieting and hating my body I became tired of struggling to fit my sparkly star shaped self into society's square box. I decided to stop dieting (a very very difficult decision since I had dedicated 20+ years of my life to it) and approach health and wellness from a place of love. I now practice HAES (health at every size) and try to spread the love your body message through my blog and podcast. I volunteer/teach at a yoga studio nearby, and working on starting a yoga program in a local battered women's shelter (fingers crossed) I currently live (we've lived all over the world) in Yorktown with my partner of 12 years, 2 kiddos, and all my crazy animals (dog Coco, Kitty, and Chickens).  

2) Can you tell us a bit about what you love about your body? It's strength. I have put my body through hell. I have started it, done extreme exercise routines, lost and gained 100's of pounds and my body is still strong. After everything I have put my body through, I'm grateful for the one I have. 3) Have you ever felt inadequate in your body? Do you feel comfortable sharing that story with us? Hell yes. Like 20+ years of feeling inadequate!! I've done every diet out there, had LapBand surgery (weight loss surgery), and just been a total asshole to my body because it didn't (and doesn't) look like what society (and medical professionals) feel like it should.

4) If your body were your friend, how would you describe it? Reliable, strong, nurturing, comfortable, sometimes pissed due to lack of care, overall a soft place to fall. 5) Fill in the blank! 

My body does __a lot of things I was told it could... or wasn't capable of!__

My body does not like __starving, lack of sleep, stress__ My body's theme song is__Good Feeling by Flo Rida__ 6) Do you have a favorite affirmation? Movement is a gift I give my body Check Lana out at these other spots: Instagram: www.instagram.com/sizehuman/

Twitter handle: @LanaBeyondScale

Website: http://www.sizehuman.com/podcast-2/

[lovemybodydoes-blog]

Say hi to this weeks My Body Muse Liz Westendorf! My Body Muse is a weekly series where we talk to people about their bodies and the weird/beautiful/messy/awesome/crazy-making narratives we build around them. Shoot us a note at [email protected] if you’d like to be featured.

1) Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I came to New York City by way of Ohio as part of my constant pursuit of adventure and laughter. I'm an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and a yoga teacher in training. My passion is helping others return to their bodies and their intuition to live in a state of freedom and embodied health. When I'm not in the yoga studio, you'll find me hugging trees, doing voice impersonations (I do a mean Yoshi) or dancing wherever there's space to move.

2) What do you love about your body?

I LOVE how intelligent my body is. It has glorious, innate wisdom that I can only dream of cultivating. Think about it: when is the last time you had to tell your heart to beat and pump blood into your entire body or tell your eyelid to blink to help cleanse and moisten your eyes? My body is an incredible, complex system that works tirelessly 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. And, although I hate to say it lest I take advantage of it, I also love how forgiving my body is. Despite my best efforts to sabotage it at times or push it beyonds its normal limits, it's always there for me, chugging along as my brilliant home for life on this earth.

3) Have you ever felt that your body was inadequate? If so would you feel comfortable sharing a story about that?

Absolutely. To say that I used to have an eating disorder wouldn't be entirely true, because it is something that stays with me even today. It is part of my story and my evolution. We translate a host of emotional and psychological things in our body, and for many of us, this manifests through our relationship with food. For me, it was a torrid affair and an abusive relationship for years. When life felt out of control, my body and my food intake seemed like the two things I could control. And beyond that, there was a sense of accomplishment and pride with matching a certain aesthetic modeled by much of the fashion and culture I was drawn to.

My usage of the paste tense here is by no means an indication that I no longer struggle with these issues. Unlike other addictions, food is not a substance we can remove from our lives. Nor can we divorce ourselves from our emotional self. It's just that now I have better tools to deal with that critical voice and with the part of me that is afraid of being big and truly being seen. My Daily Dance December experiment is perfect example of me applying said tools. I recognized how disconnected from body and my self I had become last month, so I decided to have a daily dance party to help me get back in my body and release my inhibitions.

Rather than reject or disdain my body, I am now capable of being kind to it, listening to it and nourishing it. It has been a long and beautiful journey returning to my body. And it continues to be a challenge, but my experiences are what led me to become a health coach and a soon-to-be yoga teacher. There is so much freedom and joy on the other side of that place of criticism, negativity and self-censorship. I want to help others attain that.

4) If your body were your friend, how would to describe it when talking to other people?

My body is that gentle soul with a quiet power. It is a strong workhorse that needs to be pampered and nourished just as much as it needs to be stimulated and pushed. It is that fiery friend who will travel with you for hours on a bus to climb a mountain and jump in a lake or the friend you have over when you want to sit by a candle, chant and sip tea.

5) Fill in the blank:

“My body does __like to get down on the dance floor___”

“My body doesn’t like ___extended time in crowds without personal space_______”

“My body’s theme song is ____"Oh my" by Tweet OR "Hot stuff" by Donna Summer -- depending on the day_”

[hellyeahscarleteen]

We love this series from TODOS In Action! 

[endangeredbodiesnyc]

Having to constantly define and explain myself is both exhausting and unfair. I feel like I have to share my entire life story early on — a situation in dating that we’re often told to avoid at the risk of being too overwhelming. I found early disclosure necessary because we live in a world where trans panic is still justification for devaluing and even harming trans women.

Raquel Willis, The Transgender Dating Dilemma (via endangeredbodiesnyc)

[lovemybodydoes-blog]

Monday Muse! This week we chatted with Leah Olsen. Leah is a musical theater actress who also happens to speak fluent Japanese and can play the flute if you’re in a pinch. Her theme song should put some spice in your Monday :)

What do you like about your body?

I love that my body can sing and dance and make people feel something when they see me perform.

If your body were a friend, how would you describe it?

My body friend is very versatile. She loves to be active- hiking, swimming, yoga, dancing; but she's also really chill sometimes and when we hang out just likes to relax or wants a neck massage.

What's your body's theme song?  

"When I Think About You I Touch Myself" ;)

Do you have any body positive inspirations/role models?

My mom- she always gave me affirming compliments growing up like "You have such strong legs!" She never said any self deprecating comments around me either.

Do you have a favorite affirmation? 

I am allowed to have a body that is unique to me.

[lovemybodydoes-blog]

This weeks My Body Muse is the lovely Mackinnon Webster: do-gooder and leader at the non-profit Smile Train, badass momma, and just general cup of sunshine (no really, we’ve never seen her unhappy. It’s inhuman). Interview below:

What do you like about your body?

My body has been my partner in crime since day one. It's a world-traveling, cheese-eating, hug-giving, sports-loving, currently sleep-deprived, bundle of goodness and I wouldn't change a thing (not even these curvy hips).

Has your relationship with your body changed since you've become a mother?

I am more in love and awe than ever. When I was pregnant I would stop sometimes to think about how amazing it was that my own body was creating and sustaining a little one. It blows my mind and makes me thankful for every inch.

What's your bodies theme song?

Currently a lot of Raffi sing-a-longs.

What's your favorite affirmation? 

My body is a source of goodness and grace.