Being Body "Neutral" During The Pandemic

As the Corona Virus swept across that nation, businesses, schools, restaurants, and gyms closed their doors. When the lockdown first occurred we were told it would only last two weeks to slow down the spread. Once the virus would be under control it would be back to business as usual. Unfortunately, the world watched as daily death tolls were rising. Every two weeks, the government would add another two weeks to the lockdown. “Flatten the Curve” became the daily slogan of safety. We all began to realize that quarantine would be our “new normal” and the date of lockdown freedom was TBD. People would work from home which led to sitting for hours staring at a computer screen. The commute calorie burn was stagnant because everyone’s commute was from the bed to the couch.

People began to eat out of boredom and stress. Fears of this unknown virus took a toll on people’s mental health. The task of going to the grocery store became a frightening thought. People began to use take-out as their food source. With gyms being closed many of us slowed down on our workouts. Our mindset also derailed many people from their exercise routines. For some, the lockdown encouraged the complete opposite and people began workout at home as a stress reliever. A new slogan was also being spread across social media known as “The Quarantine 15”. People were gaining weight from stress eating and drinking. Restaurants were closed, but liquor stores were considered essential? Add that on to being stagnant most of the day led to some people losing their muscle tone and gaining pounds.

I made an effort not to head down that road. After virtually teaching all day I would head up to my room and complete 30-minute workouts on the fitness app “FitOn”, highly recommend. I used these workouts to pump out all my anxiety from the workday. Since I had no free weights at home, I complete many HIIT and bodyweight workouts. I even began taking 25 minute walks outside while listening to podcasts once the weather came around. After a while, I began to loathe those exercise routines. I love lifting weights and toning muscle, the HIIT workouts were not doing it for me anymore. I could slowly feel myself losing tone so, I bought 10 lbs weights to complete some strengths workouts. I even bought a bike to switch up my workout routine. My body though was not changing for the better.

I never realized how many calories I would burn from an hour and a half commute and teaching all day. Then after all that movement, I would workout. So, I was expending massive amounts of energy every day without even considering it. During the lockdown, I would not even reach half the amount of steps I usually would even with the workouts. My body was at a standstill. Yes, I gained a little weight and it was discouraging. I tried to stay positive about my body but, recently it has broken my self-esteem. I’m frustrated because I can’t control this transition of my body. I’m simply not moving as much because I do not have a commute and I’m not standing all day like I did when I taught in person. I cannot replicate that movement at home. I have healthy eating habits and workout an hour a day and yet, my body wasn’t responding.

I did not want to be negative towards my body either because that would not help the situation. So, as I was scrolling through social media one day I started seeing the mindset of “Body Neutrality”. I was puzzled about what that meant because all you hear is body positivity or body shaming. What on earth was this “Body Neutrality” and how do I master it? I began to follow Instagram accounts that promoted this mentality and listen to what these amazing women had to say. The goal of this new wave of thinking was to focus on the strength of your body rather than its appearance. Kat Nicholls from Happiful Magazine describes it as,

“The idea behind body neutrality is to help us steer away from self-hate without the pressure of having to love our body. Instead, it’s about working towards a place where we respect our bodies but don’t give too much energy to positive or negative thoughts about it”

With those wise words in the back of my mind, I tried to shift how to perceived my body. Yes, I do not love my body I obtained from this lockdown but, I should appreciate what it does for me. I am healthy, I wake up every morning and ride my bike 4.5 miles. After that, I’m able to complete a 30-minute strength exercise in my backyard in this sweltering summer heat. My weight should not determine my worth. My body can complete amazing tasks every day. Using “Body Neutrality” to guide my thoughts, my frustration has simmered down. I encourage myself to be excited about my workouts and appreciate how I felt afterward. That feeling after a great workout cannot be matched. You feel like you can take on the world. I also try to meditate for 5 minutes after the workout to bring my mind into a state of gratitude.

My body is not at its peak but, it can still do hard things. So, show yourself some grace. Appreciate what your body can do for you rather than how it looks. Be Switzerland and stay neutral.

"You have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” — Louise Hay

Originally posted on Medium.com in "Change Your Mind, Change Your Life".