Your Good Body: Embracing a Body-Positive Mindset in a Perfection-Focused World

by Jennifer Taylor Wagner

Discover a fresh approach to moving, fueling, and loving your good body well!
So many of us feel as though accepting our bodies means abandoning any effort to improve. We look in the mirror and tell ourselves that we are going to love the skin we are in, but most days our inner self-critic is all we can hear. We constantly ask ourselves
How can I have a healthy lifestyle that will keep me motivated and inspired?
Why does it even matter how I think about my body? Can’t I just lose weight and be happy?
What is it going to take for me to be content with the way I look, even if I’m not thin?
But there is hope! Pursuing the healthiest version of you means learning to love the reflection in the mirror, and Jennifer Wagner understands this all too well. From looking at her today, you wouldn’t know that she used to weigh 336 pounds. During her 16-year health and wellness journey, she has felt the deep anguish of torment from peers and strangers, let the scale dictate her moods, and cried herself to sleep all because of her "imperfect" body. But ultimately, Jennifer realized that to overcome the overwhelming negative feelings about her body, she needed to start with her mind and let go of all the expectations of perfection that were keeping her from being the best version of herself.

Embark on this journey with Jennifer as your guide and learn to live a life of healthy habits and positive motivation to take care of your good body.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Audiobook, Health

279 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 11, 2022

Reviews

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I really liked so much of what this author had to say! Her body has changed size many times throughout life and she has learned a lot about how to accept herself at any size. This book motivated me to step back and think about what really matters and to focus in on joy and authenticity instead of fitting society's standards. I felt like the conversational style made this book so relatable. However, the author shares a lot of numbers in this book and I understand why she did but I feel like it singles out a lot of people. She talks a lot about how being fat or skinny is so relative and its SO true-- yet she still has "fat" numbers and she's more just trying to decide if she's thin now or if she's still fat (depends on the crowd). I also feel like this is a pretty beginner level book in body positivity, but the reminders are always welcome!

[Danielle Conover · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has struggled with my weight since about 5th grade and has tried and failed countless diets out there, I resonated so strongly with many of the points Wagner brings up in this book. I also watch my nieces and even nephews as they are growing up and see the impact this body image, fat phobic, diet focused world has on them. I want to do better for them, for my future children, and for the little girl still inside me. Doing better for them starts with being kinder to myself and that includes appreciating my body as it is and recognizing all that it has done for me while also striving to make healthier choices that will give me a more full and energetic life.

Thank you for the inspiration, encouragement and gentle nudge Jenn!

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this book and felt like I was going on walks with my best friend! Jennifer has beautifully put into words how I have felt with body image struggles for years. I’m so thankful that I was able to start my journey with loving myself As is! Read or listen to this book ASAP!!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Changed my brain. I adore this book. Everyone should read it. Similar in a lot of ways to More Than a Body, but this one hit me even more powerfully, and I didn't think that was possible! Love love love.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a re-read.

[Anya Bird · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a book which could’ve been a text message. Although the messages are generally good, it’s so repetitive that it was painful to read and the author makes some sweeping assumptions that other people have the same very disordered thinking as her. She says ridiculous things such as going on and on about how you can’t blame the scale for this, that and the next thing and seriously doubles down on the idea that people literally think it’s the scale’s fault… what?!? A lot of heteronormativity as well as assumptions that every reader is a woman. Also too much religion for me.

[Jayda Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a fan of the religious aspects of this EXCEPT when she said even god took a rest when creating the universe so you also need a rest. As someone whose brain has been beat up by both ends of the “perfection” thought process in reference to my body and my health, I love this book. Incredibly important message.

[Paula Brand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book if you have been battling weight demons. I appreciated her straight forward approach, brutal honesty and insights on how to value yourself at any weight. It's more about living a healthy and confident lifestyle than being a certain size and her book states this beautifully.

[Joy Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a motivational book that speaks to living our bodies, as is. Recognizing that we have good bodies. Then she goes in to how we can care for our bodies to keep them healthy, but not to focus on losing weight alone. She speaks from experience as a woman who'd been 300+ pounds at one time.

[Morgan Rumsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - I listened to the audiobook, it was narrated by the author and she has such a warm, kind voice. I loved her perspective on loving your body AS IS. A good read/listen for anyone who has struggled with body image.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book. I love Jennifer's outlook on living and loving the body we are in while also talking about taking care of it and caring for it in the best ways you can.

[Jessica Holley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an encouraging book that really opened my eyes on the way I view my body! I’m ready to start loving my body as I continue to work on my health. ♥️

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read and message!

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

First half was 5 stars, echoed so much of what I’ve experienced and also come to believe, second half I related to less, but would still recommend.

[Kristena M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps I should have read this book rather than done the audiobook. I thought the overall message was good but the author was repetitive, which annoyed me.

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS! It was like Jennifer wrote this just for me! I have struggled with body image for most of my life, and this book hit on so many things I’m personally working on.

Jennifer talks about her experience with being over 300 pounds - how she got there and how she lost it. She talks about having skin removal surgery. The bulk of the book is about loving yourself no matter what size you are and the importance of having that mindset.

I don’t EVER read a book more than once, but because I listened to this, I will absolutely go back and actually read it so I can absorb it better.

I listened to this via Hoopla. It was very easy to listen to and Jennifer reads the book. This book is also told from a Christian perspective, though it’s not super heavy on that. A similar book to this would be Breaking Free from Body Shame by Jess Connolly. I absolutely love Jess’s book as well! Both are similar, but also different.

[Leann Pickerill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for those actively working on mindset.