Episode 9: What would it take to have a positive body image?
Not in a “you feel your heart pounding when you walk upstairs” or “hit your funny bone” (not funny) kind of way.
In a much deeper, more compassionate, peaceful sort of way.
A connection that you can trust when it comes to what to eat, how to move your body when you need rest, and when you need more self-care – no matter what curve balls life throws at you.
What would that type of connection with your body feel like?
This week on the Savor Food and Body Podcast, my guest is Katie Meza, a San Francisco-based creative who received her BFA from Art Center College of Design and has been profiled in Fast Company and Bicycling Magazine. Every year she rekindles her relationship with her body by riding over 545 miles from San Fransico to LA with AIDS/Life Cycle.
Listen to her inspirational story about how she was able to find a positive body image after years of dieting and body shame.
Katie says, “Growing up, I never weighed myself, but I also never felt connected to my body.”
Her Peruvian heritage was all about showing love through food, and Katie gladly cleaned her plate to show her Mom just how much she loved her.
But when Katie’s Dad took a more critical attitude toward her body as her weight increased through her teen years, Katie was confused and ashamed.
Tune in to hear details on how Katie’s cultural identity influenced her relationship with food and her body.
She describes how starting a walking practice helped her to feel more empowered in her body. It was on one of her neighborhood walks that she bumped into a gym that offered spin classes.
Scared but also a little curious about cycling, Katie started going to the classes and, on a whim for her friend’s birthday, signed up to attend her first AIDS/Life Cycle event. She did all of this in the face of her body not meeting the cycling industry’s ideal body type.
What Katie didn’t realize is that as she worked hard to heal her relationship with her body and become a better cyclist, she was also inspiring other folks in larger bodies to get out and ride. This created a sense of empowerment and passion that Katie never thought was possible for herself.
Now, filled with the passion for making the cycling world more size-inclusive and for continuing her fundraising efforts for AIDS/Life Cycle, Katie is an inspiration to cyclists of all body sizes and skill levels.
Follow Katie on Instagram @kmeza for more inspiration and to support her fundraising efforts for AIDS/Life Cycle.
I hope hearing Katie’s story sparks curiosity about how you can ignite a relationship of care and compassion with your body. And don’t think you must ride all those miles to do so. It’s your body and your relationship. Do whatever works for you.
