Trust Your Gut - Eat for Satisfaction Beach Bod B****

Thank you and Good Night!

Just playing, we’ll actually talk about this in more depth.

Quick Disclaimer: This series explores Intuitive Eating from a chef’s perspective. This is not meant to provide specific medical advice. If these topics interest you, please consult a registered dietitian and/or healthcare provider for personalized guidance and education.

Ahhh summer! A season full of sunshine, bountiful gardens, longer days, and unfortunately, the diet culture hype telling us that our bodies don’t look good enough to enjoy our favorite summer activities … unless we buy their garbage. Tuning out these messages is an important part of self-care and living a healthy lifestyle and we have an entire blog post titled ‘Tune out the Hype’ with more information. But instead, in this article, we will be talking about how we can feel confident and joyful in our beach bodies exactly as we exist now. The term ‘beach body’ holds a connotation that only bodies with 6-pack abs deserve to be enjoying the beach or wearing a swimsuit - which is of course, absurdly wrong. So let’s reframe ‘beach body’ and think of it as what it actually means - a person with a body existing on a beach.

Whether we’re spending time at an ocean beach close to home, a mountain ‘beach’ a short drive away, or taking a full oceanfront vacation - we want to be comfortable and enjoy our time. And while it’s ok if we still feel self-conscious wearing less layers than normal, we don’t want to be fixated on it and miss out on the joyful moments. If we’re going to worry about anything while at the beach, we should worry about reapplying sunscreen and getting rid of all of the sand post beach day, not our body size.

How can we prepare for our beach trip?

1. Pack with confidence in mind

   ***Your clothes are meant to fit YOU; you aren’t meant to change your body to fit into your clothes

   1. Pack clothing that makes you feel good when you put it on and clothing that you are excited to wear

   2. Don’t forget your sunscreen and other protective gear

   3. Be sure to take all the equipment you need in order to participate in your favorite beach/water activities

   4. Consider bringing a few extra snacks - it never hurts to be overprepared

2. Consider choosing a helpful mantra or two that will bring you peace if you start feeling anxious

3. Download a few Intuitive Eating podcast episodes to listen to during your car ride or flight.

   1. Some favorites are RD Real Talk, Nourishing Women Podcast, and The Love Food Podcast

4. Nourish your body with foods you love and enjoy!

What does a great beach bod day look like?

1. Enjoy your favorite beach activities and water sports!

   1. Are you a very talented person who can surf?

   2. Do you enjoy paddle boarding, kayaking, boogie boarding, or canoe rowing?

   3. Do you love building sand castles, snorkeling, simply walking along the shoreline, or soaking up the sunshine with a refreshing drink and captivating book in hand?

2. Nourish your body with refreshing foods!

   1. Eat what will feel good to you before you go to the beach, while you’re at the beach, and when you get home from the beach.

   2. The heat and activity of the day can drain your energy - be sure to pack plenty of snacks and water to refuel and rehydrate throughout.

   3. Here’s a few meal ideas that are easy to pack and enjoy on the beach:

      1. Veggie Nori Rolls

      2. Mt Elbert Wrap

      3. Corn, Black Bean, and Mango Salsa

      4. BLT Sandwiches

      5. Mediterranean Orzo Salad

3. Show your body gratitude for the movement you did today!

1. Whether you were at the beach to compete in a triathlon or you carried ALL of your kids cargo from the parking lot to the water’s edge (and back) - your body moved today! Take a few moments to express gratitude to your body for its ability to carry you through life.

At the end of the day, there are so many companies out there attempting to profit off of our insecurities. Taking a joyful experience like a vacation that should be all about adventure, rejuvenation, and happiness and twisting and contorting it into a worry-filled ordeal full of feelings of unworthiness, guilt, and shame is diet culture’s top move. They want us to feel ‘not ready yet’ to go on that exciting trip until we buy their product, system, or subscription. Thankfully we get to decide when we want to go to the beach, not diet culture, because EVERYONE who goes to the beach has a beach bod and every single one of us is right and deserving to enjoy life!