Our Bodies are not Machines … Our Bodies are Gardens
In diet culture sometimes we’ll find that our bodies are compared to machines. And some diet programs treat our bodies like machines. “Input X amount, Output X amount = Goal.” “Work Hard. No Rest. Pain is just weakness leaving.” First of all, our bodies are nothing like machines. Sure they power us through this life, but our bodies are so much more nuanced, dynamic, and artistic than any machine.
So while we could say “our bodies are not like machines, stop comparing them” and be done, I’d like to offer a replacement comparison. Something that I hope draws attention to our uniqueness, resiliency, beauty, and imperfectness. Our bodies are like gardens.
How?
In caring for a garden, we can choose a multitude of different plants - flowers, herbs, veggies, fruits, and whatever blended combinations we want. My garden doesn’t need to look anything like your garden. The same way my body is going to be unique to me and not look like your body.
When we are caring for our gardens, we can’t just focus on water or just soil or just sun - we have to think about all of them (and plenty more factors) and how they affect each other. Similarly, our health isn’t dependent on just food or just exercise or just stress management. The Social Determinants of Health Chart is a great way to see how so many factors come together to affect our health and bodies. In our garden metaphor, the amount of sun a plant experiences is going to change its water needs. In addition, the type of soil its in and the water retention of that soil along with the growth phase of the plant will all dictate how much water is best for the plant on any given day. Similarly our bodies will be hungry for differing amounts and types of food from day to day based on so many different factors. Some of these factors being how much sleep we had, how much movement we have in our day, hormone changes, working conditions, drug and alcohol use, stress levels, along with so many more factors.
In our garden and with our bodies, there are external forces affecting us that are out of our control. We can still have goals and work towards a desired result. But, we adjust our actions based on these external forces to create the best environment for success. If we see a hailstorm in the forecast, we can cover our plants with tarps and buckets to protect the leaves from the harmful hail. Similarly if we feel a lot of diet culture messaging while on social media, we can protect ourselves by unfollowing diet culture fueled accounts and filling our feed with anti diet accounts.
In our gardens, different seasons require different care and different results. The sowing season is hard work in preparation for growth. As the plants mature, we sometimes change the contents of the fertilizer we provide them. When the weather gets very hot, we oftentimes need to water more often. And if we harvest with care and intentionality, we can get ourselves ahead for the next season. Each season of our lives can require different care to our health. Maybe some seasons call for additional rest. Others could be nourishing our current selves with a lot of self-care and building for a growth period to come.
Along with different seasons requiring different care, the care required (for both our gardens and our bodies) can change from day to day. Being flexible and intentional in our care allows us to nurture our gardens and bodies where they are. Different days may require different amounts of work in the garden and different types of movement for your body.
Gardens and bodies are both resilient. There are days when caring for our garden and caring our our bodies are not at the top of our priorities list. And it’s okay! Plants, like our bodies, want to survive and thrive. So, one day of neglect does not ruin everything. How many diet programs try to make one piece of cake or one day of not working out feel like the end of the world? Good news, it’s not! Our health and our bodies are not about perfection. Therefore an imperfect day or a day of ‘neglect’ is going to be alright. Our bodies and our gardens are prepared for a world of possibilities. Each day is progression of the past and a new step in the journey. The entire journey isn’t canceled for one ‘misstep’. (Misstep is in quotes because sometimes we can label thing as ‘missteps’ in our mind when really there not negative at all.)
Our bodies are like gardens. Focusing on arriving at the end takes away the joy of the journey. Yes you want fresh produce (and you want to be healthy) but there’s joy in the process (joyful movement, eating food you enjoy, and loving yourself). When we enjoy the journey, we realize we don’t need to accomplish an end because we’re already happy in the present.
And finally are bodies are like gardens because each of us is unique. Each plant blooms in its own time and way. The pumpkin plant doesn’t compare itself to the pea plant that begins blooming way earlier. And the pea plant doesn’t compare its smaller flowers to the pumpkin’s plants. They do what they do and they’re all beautiful in their unique way.
Pea Plant post bud
Pumpkin Bloom
