Best Books That Will Help You Love Your Body
Do you find it challenging to love your body?
Are you dissatisfied with your physical appearance? Are you bothered by your weight or body image? Or are your body not functioning at its best due to illnesses and diseases?
Most of the time, our body isn’t the problem. It’s our negative self-perception and inability to accept our appearance which is making us miserable.
Our relationship with food and what we eat also determine how our body will look and feel. To love our body and keep it healthy, we have to provide it with the nutrients it needs.
Below are the 10 best books about loving your body. There are many ways to love your body. Some focus on self-love while others help you to resolve body image issues.
Pick a book that resonates with you the most.
Bonus: My Book on Appreciating the Body
Note: The way I look at my books will never be the same as the way I look at other books, so to be fair I rather keep them off the list.
Love Your Body by Yong Kang Chan
If changing your physical appearance or dealing with your medical condition frustrates you, this book is for you.
Many of us love conditionally, based on what we can see. We are only happy when we are beautiful and well. But what about those times when we are not? Does it mean we have to live in unhappiness forever?
Reading this book helps you love your body beyond the physical form. It helps shift your perspective to that of the spirit and pure love. In this book, you will learn to trust your self-healing abilities and see beauty in yourself and everyone else.
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10 Best Books on Loving Your Body
Disclosure: Please note that the links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and Bookshop Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase, but it will be at no additional cost to you.
1. Love Your Body by Louise Hay
Written by best-selling author Louise Hay, this little book helps you love your body by using affirmations.
Our thought patterns affect our health. What we keep repeating eventually becomes our truth. By repeating positive affirmations daily in this book instead of judging your body, you will plant new positive seeds into your subconscious mind.
Affirmation looks simple but it’s effective. In this book, you will find 54 affirmations that help you appreciate the different parts of your body.
Using the power of two proven self-esteem building techniques, this book is part affirmation, part journal. You can create your own affirmations using the blank spaces provided.
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2. Body Love Every Day by Kelly LeVeque
One way of loving your body is to nourish it with nutrients.
Written by a certified holistic nutritionist and wellness expert, this book is a nice follow-up to her first book, Body Love. In the first book, the author shares how the Fab Four (protein, fat, fibre, and greens) can transform your health and your relationship with food. In this book, she has created a practical and comprehensive 21-day action plan to help you adopt the Fab Four lifestyle.
The author gives detailed explanations of the science behind the plan but also delivers the information in a way that is approachable and engaging. If you want to eat clean and nourish your body, this is the book for you.
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3. Mirror Work by Louise Hay
When you look at the mirror, what do you see? Do you like what you see in the mirror?
If you only see flaws in your face or your body or you often judge yourself when you look at the mirror, then this is the book for you.
In this book, the author creates a 21-day course on mirror work. In three weeks, you will learn how to cultivate a deeper relationship with yourself simply by looking deep into your eyes and repeating affirmations.
This book helps you to look beyond your physical form and truly love yourself. Great for someone who loves self-reflection and journaling.
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4. It Was Me All Along by Andie Mitchell
You want to lose weight, but you feel uninspired by your exercise routine.
Written by a well-known health and lifestyle blogger, this powerful memoir helps you to find beauty in acceptance.
In her memoir, the author exposes the emotional side of her body image concerns. She chronicles her struggle with obesity, weight loss and her journey from body hate to loving all parts of herself.
Through her story, you will resonate with what she has experienced and find ideas to make changes in your own life. This book is best suited if you are struggling with accepting how you look and searching for inspiration instead of another diet and exercise guide.
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5. The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
Do you feel that your body doesn’t fit in this world due to your size, race, disability, gender, or sexual orientation? If so, read this book.
In this book, the author advocates radical self-love. Radical self-love is much more than having high self-esteem, self-confidence, or self-acceptance. It’s our natural state of being and it operates at both the individual and systemic levels.
When you are judging your body or comparing it with others, you are judging other people’s bodies too. We unknowingly participate in body shaming due to the conditioning of the social, political, and economic systems. Reading this book will open you to new perspectives and set you free from body shaming.
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6. Body Respect by Linda Bacon and Lucy Aphramor
It’s so easy to get lost in the quest for the “perfect” body or the ideal number on the scale. But this leads to feelings of body insecurity and failure.
This book is for you if you struggle with your body image and know that there is more to it than simply losing weight.
In this book, the authors challenge and debunk the myths surrounding weight. They will help you challenge the ideal, overcome shame and respect your body by choosing healthy options that work for you.
If you feel distressed about your weight, this book is for you.
7. Embody by Connie Sobczak
Everyone has the wisdom and ability to make healthy choices and live a balanced life.
This book offers a gentle approach to dealing with appearance and body image issues. By practicing mindfulness and mastering certain competencies, every person can learn to love their unique body and quiet their inner critical voice.
Rather than giving you a set of rigid steps or rules, the author takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery to find what works for them in their lives. This book is best suited for those who are looking for something beyond a step-by-step guide.
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8. Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
Are you angry with yourself for overeating? Do you feel guilty after eating? If yes, this is the book for you.
Not all of us are ready to make eating changes yet. Instead of obsessing over what you eat, this book helps you to love your body by teaching you how to listen to your body’s needs and redefine your relationship with food.
Written by two expert nutritionists, this best-selling book has become the go-to book for overcoming body image and food issues. If you prefer to work on your weight and body image in a natural, loving way, get this book.
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9. Your Body’s Telling You by Lise Bourbeau
If you are sick and you find it challenging to love your body, this is the book for you.
According to the author, illnesses and diseases are your body reminding you to love yourself. The most frequent causes of illnesses are negative attitude and emotions, guilt, the need for attention or the need to escape an unpleasant situation.
Discovering what the illness is preventing you from doing helps you to determine the cause or the belief behind the illness.
This book shows you the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual blocks for all types of illnesses. But only read this book if you are open to metaphysics.
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10. The Body Image Workbook by Thomas Cash
If you don’t like what you see when you look in the mirror, it’s not about changing your looks. It’s about changing your perception.
Through a series of exercises, worksheets and reflections, you will embark on a journey to redefine the way you view yourself from the inside out.
Not only will you explore your perceptions, strengths and vulnerabilities, you’ll also learn powerful tools to build confidence and accept your body.
If you want a strategic, step-by-step, hands on approach to dealing with body image issues, this book is for you.
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Hey there, I’m Yong Kang, best known as Nerdy Creator. I’m an author of seven books. I write about spirituality, self-compassion, and mindfulness. I love reading books, especially non-fiction. The list above is a combination of what I have read and my research. Each year, I create a Top 10 list of my favorite books.
