What You - And Your Clients - Need to Know About Body Neutrality

If you're part of the fitness industry, you probably know all about body positivity. But have you heard of body neutrality? It's set to take over and surpass the positivity movement as a better alternative. Help your clients understand what it means to be body neutral, why it matters, and how to work toward it.

What is Body Neutrality?

The term body neutrality has been around since approximately 2015. Some credit the origin of the term to Anne Poirier, a former college fitness director who now runs body neutrality workshops. It refers to acceptance of one's body as it is in the moment and for what it can do as opposed to it's physical appearance.

The concept rejects the idea of loving or hating your body. Instead, you recognize what it can do for you, how it makes you feel, and adapt a neutral stance toward it. In other words, it is what it is.

The philosophy embraces the idea that there is no need for any emotion toward your body. If you feel a certain way about it, that's fine. Recognize that emotion, and then move on. Don't dwell on it. There is no need to hate or love your body.

How is Body Neutrality Different from Body Positivity?

The body neutrality movement is different from that of body positivity. The body positivity movement dates to the 1960s and 1970s. People fed up with being treated differently for being overweight started a movement. They called it fat acceptance or fat liberation.

Exactly when or where the body positivity term emerged isn't well known. It definitely rose in popularity with social media, though, and originated with the fat acceptance movement. The idea of body positivity is to embrace your body, to love it, no matter what it looks like.

Body positivity focuses on the idea that all bodies are beautiful. There are some key differences between this philosophy and body neutrality:

• Body neutrality puts more emphasis on what your body can do, while the positivity movement focuses on appearance.

• Body positivity promotes the idea of loving your body, while neutrality does not require this.

• Body neutrality focuses on mindfulness and listening to what your body needs and is capable of doing.

• Body neutrality allows you to accept your body as it is, in the present moment, with no emotion attached. Or, if there are emotions attached, there's no need for them to always be positive. It's ok to dislike your body and how it looks sometimes.

Why Focus More on Body Neutrality over Positivity?

Body positivity has done a lot to help people who don't fit into society's narrow definition of beauty. In spite of this, it doesn't work for everyone. Many have criticized the movement in recent years for keeping the focus on appearance.

Another criticism is that the movement has begun to leave behind those for whom it was originally intended. Look up body positive hashtags on social media and you'll see a lot of white, able-bodied, beautiful people with what many would consider minor flaws. The movement began to leave out more marginalized bodies, including people of color and those with disabilities or who are transgender.

Body positivity works for many people but not everyone. There are many good reasons to shift the focus away from loving your body to neutrality:

Body Neutrality Removes the Pressure to Look a Certain Way

One of the biggest criticisms of body positivity is that it focuses on appearance, what your body looks like. Even though it promotes all body types, from fat to thin and everything in between, it still puts appearance front and center.

Body neutrality rejects the idea that how your body looks matters. Once you release that focus and shift it to what your body does, you'll begin to find that image doesn't matter. Your body is strong and capable, so what does it matter what it looks like?

It Also Removes the Pressure to Love Your Body

The body positivity movement sounds great, but it isn't easy. You can say all day long that you love your body and see it as beautiful, but it's impossible for most people to really believe it. Yes, some days you may truly look in the mirror and see beauty, but the pressure to feel that way every day can be overwhelming.

Body Neutrality is Good for Mental Health

All of these factors come together to make the movement a healthier way to view body image. Body positivity, although unintentionally, tends to lead to you either loving or hating your body. Neutrality finds the middle ground and leads to body acceptance.

This is much better for your mental health. When you don't attach so much power to your outward appearance, it will improve your mood and reduce anxiety and stress. It should bring a sense of relief.

Here's a comprehensive list of the best workouts for combatting stress and anxiety.

It Can Help You Reach Fitness and Health Goals

On a more practical level, body neutrality is good for health and fitness. Changing the focus from appearance, weight, or body composition to how your body feels and performs is useful in many ways:

• When you listen to what your body is telling you, it's easier to avoid overtraining and injuries that prevent you achieving fitness goals.

• Removing the pressure to work out only to change your appearance shifts your motivation to something intrinsic that will last longer and give you better results. A study of women participating in an exercise found that those who focused on health goals lost weight. Those who focused on weight loss actually gained weight.

• You'll develop a healthier relationship with exercise when you take the focus away from what it can do for your appearance. It's easy to lose the joy of being physical when pushing yourself through punishing workouts just to lose weight.

• Improving mental health means you'll stick with exercise for the long-term. Studies show that people who have poor mental health and don't focus on overall wellness are more likely to give up on fitness.

How to Start Practicing Body Neutrality Right Now

There's no time like the present to move toward this more practical, healthful, and ultimately rewarding body philosophy. Here are some things you and your clients can do now to be more body neutral:

Change Your Self-Talk About Body Image

We all talk to ourselves in our heads. You look in the mirror and think, "I look fat." Or, you tell yourself you look hot today. Self-talk can be positive, negative, or neutral. To practice body neutrality, start paying attention to how you talk to yourself.

Recognize statements that are positive or negative and try to shift them to a more neutral position. Instead of shaming what you see in the mirror, admit that you may have gained a few pounds. Instead of belittling yourself when a pair of jeans feels tight, simply note that they don't fit, and you need something more comfortable to wear.

Listen to Your Body

Embracing neutrality means focusing on what your body does and how it feels in the moment. This can totally change your motivation for exercise. Instead of dragging your body out the door for a long run because you want to lose weight, shift the focus.

Think about how your body feels after a long day sitting at your desk. Is it stiff and sore? When you start to run, do your shoulders relax? Do you start to feel looser? If your knees begin to ache, recognize that. If you're getting tired, note it and stop if necessary.

Do Workouts That Feel Good

So many people lose sight of the fact that working out should feel good. It's not supposed to be a chore to move your body. To get back into a positive relationship with exercise, do workouts you like and that make your body feel good. Maybe that means playing soccer with friends or going for a bike ride instead of doing a gym workout now and then.

Eat Intuitively

Apply the same mindfulness to how you eat. Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full. Instead of a strict diet or eliminating certain foods, eat based on what your body craves. If you want something salty, your body probably needs electrolytes. If you're craving protein, you're probably low. Choose mostly healthful, whole foods, but don't deny yourself a treat.

Try Mindfulness Meditation

Body neutrality is a lot like mindfulness. It requires that you listen to your body, your thoughts, and your moods in the moment. A great way to get better at this skill is to take up mindfulness meditation. Start small with just a minute of sitting somewhere comfortable and quiet. Focus on your breathing and senses.

Try to shut out distracting thoughts and only pay attention to your physical body. Doing this every day will make it easier to tune into your body and to tune out unhelpful thoughts.

Body neutrality is a new trend in fitness and wellness, but it has staying power. It combines physical and mental health for a holistic approach to accepting your body.

Working through the Health Coach Certification from ISSA is a great way to start a career that allows you to help people see their bodies in a different light. Learn all about fitness and how to guide clients to achieving healthy goals.