For guest contributor Maria Scrimenti, her body was her project. She counted every calorie, did all the HIIT workouts, and “made it” in the Nashville fitness scene. She left all the popularity and her obsession with fitness behind to find her true worth and is now on a mission to help women do the same. Read Maria’s inspiring story.

Happy 2019! Without fail, the focus on working out and changing our bodies intensifies in the beginning months of the New Year, with marketers convincing us we need to lose weight, join a gym, and eat less. The repetition of these messages can cause us to question if we “fit” in and flare up body image concerns. Can you relate? If so, I promise you aren’t alone. In this blog post, I share an excerpt from my book, Body Mindful Yoga, on the combat language of fitness culture and offer new, more affirming language to embrace movement in your life.