Intuitive Eating in Sport Series Principle 8 - Respect Your Body

Hey there! Welcome to my corner of the internet where I provide evidence-based and practical sports nutrition advice. As a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, I am passionate about bringing Intuitive Eating practices into sport, helping athletes perform at their best while nurturing a healthy relationship with food and body. So, let's dive into this week's principle, Respect Your Body.

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In the world of sports, athletes are often taught to push their limits—train harder, eat stricter, and chase physical "perfection." But what if peak performance isn’t about constant discipline and control, but about trust and respect? That’s where Intuitive Eating—and specifically Principle 8, Respect Your Body—can change the game.

Intuitive Eating is a framework developed by dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch that encourages a healthy relationship with food and body. Principle 8 asks us to reject the idea that our bodies must look a certain way to be valid, and instead, honor them for what they do, especially in sport.

In athletic spaces, bodies are constantly under scrutiny—by coaches, teammates, judges, and even ourselves. There’s an unspoken pressure to look a certain way to be taken seriously or seen as “fit.” But performance doesn't come from shrinking your body into an idealized mold—it comes from fueling, resting, and training it with care.

Respecting your body in sport means listening to its signals, not punishing it. It means acknowledging that your body may not look like someone else’s—and that’s not just okay, it's necessary. Different bodies are built for different strengths: endurance, power, agility, or flexibility. When you respect your body, you stop comparing and start optimizing.

For athletes, this also means letting go of the idea that more control equals more success. In reality, constant restriction, overtraining, or ignoring pain can lead to burnout, disordered eating, or injury. Respecting your body is about sustainable performance. It's about honoring hunger cues, taking rest days, and recognizing that worth isn't tied to weight or aesthetics.

When athletes adopt this principle, they often discover increased confidence and less stress around food and body image. They perform better—not despite their bodies, but because they’ve learned to work with them, not against them.

In short, intuitive eating in sport isn’t a soft approach—it’s a smart one. Respecting your body is a competitive edge, because a body that feels safe, seen, and supported is one that can truly thrive.

If you are ready to take the next step and prioritize your nutrition, connect with me and book your today!