Every January, I brace myself for the onslaught of magazine headlines.
"Get Fit Fast!"
"4 Weeks To A Sexy Body!"
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"New Year, New You!"
All in bold print, with exclamation points, in an attempt to get you excited about eating kale every day for a month before giving up and returning to the sweet embrace of spaghetti bolognese and chocolate cake.
Diet culture is pervasive, and ingrained so deeply in our society that I doubt it will ever go away. But it hits an all new level at the turn of the new year. We all make promises to change ourselves for the better, eat healthy, get fit, and so on.
There's nothing wrong with pursuing a healthier lifestyle, I'm not trying to say there is.
But the issue arises when we begin to feel as though our morality and "goodness" as people is somehow linked to the food we eat.
Hate to say it, but being on a diet doesn't make you a better person. Doing yoga doesn't mean you're the next Gandhi. What you eat has no correlation to your worth as a person.
But still, we value ourselves based on how clean we can eat, how "good" we've been.
And this doesn't put us in a good place. It takes us to a world of measurements and over-simplicity. A cupcake? Bad.
Broccoli? Good.
You make bargains with yourself; ten more sit-ups, a cookie. One more mile; a hershey kiss.
And it dissolves from "cheat day" foods, to regular foods, to any food at all.
This isn't healthy.
Working out isn't morally good.
Eating isn't ethically questionable.
They're both just things. You do them.
You eat to live.
You exercise if you feel like it, to get endorphins, or because you like to break a sweat.
Don't let headlines fool you. You aren't obligated to start some fad diet or extreme exercise plan. Your self-worth is more than that, and always will be. Losing some weight won't make you feel better if you're fundamentally dissatisfied with yourself. It will just send you into a downward spiral.
You don't owe anybody. How you treat your body is entirely up to you!
You can be a fundamentally good person and still eat pizza. There's nothing wrong with that.
So as January drags on, remember to do what feels good. Be that eating tacos and watching Netflix, or doing squats and drinking green smoothies.
But do it for you, and remember that you're still a good person if you have an extra slice of cake for after dinner.
Dedicate yourself to kindness and love, and doing what makes you happy, instead of "Six Weeks to a Sexy Body".
And that is what will change your year for the better.
