The Connection Between Wellness and Body Image

What Does Wellness Have to Do With Body Image?

For too long, mainstream wellness has been focused on weight loss, restriction, and unattainable ideals shaped by Eurocentric beauty standards. These narratives often lead to body shame, disconnect individuals from their bodies, and make wellness feel like an exclusive club rather than an accessible experience for everyone.

But what if we could reclaim wellness? What if it meant nurturing, trusting, and liberating our bodies instead of shrinking or punishing them?

The Connection Between Wellness and Body Image

Wellness and body image are closely connected. How we define wellness can greatly affect our relationship with our bodies. If we see wellness only in terms of weight control or appearance, we may reinforce body dissatisfaction and disconnection. In contrast, if we redefine wellness as a holistic experience focused on self-trust, nourishment, and autonomy, we can open the door to body liberation.

Reclaiming Wellness Through a Holistic, Inclusive Approach

Reclaiming wellness involves shedding the toxic layers of diet culture and embracing practices that support our whole selves—mind, body, and spirit. Here’s how:

1. Shift the Focus from Control to Care

Wellness is not about controlling or micromanaging your body; it’s about caring for it. This involves listening to your body’s signals, honoring its needs, and practicing self-compassion. This might mean choosing enjoyable movement, eating to nourish yourself without restriction, or simply allowing yourself to rest. Instead of viewing movement as a way to burn calories, consider it a chance to relieve stress or find joy. What if nourishment was about meeting your body’s unique needs with kindness instead of restriction?

2. Prioritize Self-Trust Over External Rules

Diet culture promotes disconnection by urging us to ignore our hunger cues, overlook our need for rest, and follow rigid wellness trends. Reconnecting with our bodies means embracing internal guidance with our bodies by things like tuning into intuitive eating, practicing mindful movement, and allowing ourselves to rest without guilt. It’s about learning to listen to and respond to our needs—whether they call for movement, stillness, food, or rest. A weight-neutral, holistic approach encourages us to attune ourselves to what our bodies truly need.

3. Expand the Definition of Wellness

Wellness is not just about food and exercise; it includes mental health, emotional well-being, and community care. Reclaiming joy, accessing support, and recognizing that true wellness encompasses all bodies, abilities, and identities is essential.

Unlearning Harmful Messages About Bodies

Much of what we’ve learned about health is influenced by weight stigma, ableism, and racism—systems that marginalize certain bodies while promoting narrow definitions of health. For example, weight stigma equates thinness with health, leading to discrimination against larger bodies. Ableism often overlooks the wellness needs of individuals with disabilities, while racism has historically excluded and harmed communities of color by shaping biased medical research. True wellness involves unlearning these harmful messages and embracing a more inclusive view of body diversity.

How Reclaiming Wellness Leads to Body Liberation

When we change our approach to wellness, we can free ourselves from the cycle of body shame. Instead of viewing our bodies as projects to fix, we learn to embrace them as allies in our well-being. Rather than chasing arbitrary ideals, we begin to honor the bodies we have right now. This is true body liberation.

Wellness can be a powerful tool for body liberation, but only when it is reclaimed and redefined based on self-trust.

Join the Movement

If you’re ready to break free from diet culture and explore a holistic, inclusive approach to wellness, you’re not alone. Join my mailing list to get tools, practices, and support for ways you can redefine wellness, embrace body peace, and build self-trust together.

Remember, your body is not the problem. The system is. Together, we can reclaim wellness—on our terms.