French Nudist Colony | Junior Beauty Contest.mpg - Collection

For years, we were told that wellness was a punishment. We exercised to "burn off" what we ate. We dieted to shrink ourselves. We chased a number on a scale, believing that smaller equaled healthier.

When you stop attaching morality to food and exercise, you stop the shame cycle. And shame is the #1 killer of long-term wellness. Without shame, you can actually listen to your body. Diet culture demands perfection. Body positivity, when misunderstood, can sometimes reject all health talk as "diet culture." French Nudist Colony Junior Beauty Contest.mpg - Collection

That is the truest form of body positivity: honoring your body by caring for it, not controlling it. For years, we were told that wellness was a punishment

Then came the movement, reminding us that all bodies are good bodies. It taught us that self-worth is not determined by waist size, and that you deserve respect and joy at any size. We chased a number on a scale, believing

But for many, this creates confusion: If I love my body as it is, does that mean I shouldn’t try to change it? If I want to get stronger, does that mean I hate how I look now?