Your wellness lifestyle should not feel like a prison sentence. It should feel like coming home to yourself. So move because it feels good, eat because food is delicious and nutritious, and rest because you are a human being, not a machine.

Body positivity disrupts this. It introduces the concept of . While body positivity focuses on self-love, HAES focuses on health outcomes. It posits that a fat person who moves their body joyfully and eats balanced meals is healthier than a thin person who starves themselves and exercises out of self-loathing.

In the last decade, the global wellness industry has ballooned into a multi-trillion dollar market. Yet, for all that money spent on gym memberships, green powders, and fitness trackers, we have never felt more anxious about our bodies.

Here is how to integrate body positivity into a genuine wellness lifestyle without falling into the trap of toxic diet culture. Before we build a new framework, we must understand the old one. Traditional wellness culture relies on a concept called "The Scarcity Mindset." It tells you that your body is a problem to be fixed. It sells you the idea that discipline is punishment. We were taught that indulgence (a cookie, a rest day, a lazy Sunday) is the enemy of health.

Here is the rebuttal: Research shows that —discriminating against people for their size—is a major driver of poor health outcomes. When people feel shamed at the doctor's office, they avoid going to the doctor. When people feel judged at the gym, they stop working out. Shame is a demotivator, not a motivator.

Before you eat, ask yourself: Am I physically hungry, or am I bored/stressed/sad? If you are hungry, eat. If you are emotional, attend to the emotion. This isn't restriction; this is mindfulness.