But this is a false dichotomy. The deepest flaw of the old wellness model was its moralization of body size. It taught us to view a yoga mat as a tool for punishment and a salad as a penance for yesterday’s dessert. Body positivity dismantles that shame spiral. It argues that you cannot build sustainable wellness on a foundation of self-hatred.
The next time you exercise, ask yourself: Am I doing this out of love or fear?
Speak one kind thing to yourself every morning.
This is the paradigm shift. You stop exercising to punish what you ate, and start moving to celebrate what your body can do. You stop eating kale because it’s "low calorie," and start eating it because it gives you sustained energy to play with your kids.
You are allowed to take up space. You are allowed to eat the bread. You are allowed to skip the workout when you are tired. You are allowed to try hard and still fail.
Before we build a new path, we must acknowledge the trap. For most of history, "wellness" and "body positivity" were viewed as opposing forces.