52 Ways to Love Your Body

This book is so sweet and helpful. I’m a mom and I work, and I always feel like there’s never enough time. Yet I want to be healthy and happy, and not let life just sweep past me while I’m busy. This book is perfect for me because each chapter is really short, and reading the few pages is a pleasant little break. Then I have a positive, thought provoking idea to think about for the next week, in the tiny pauses in my days. It’s a great way to focus myself gently, and to take little steps towards being more present in life.

Super Inspirational. Most women I know can use a little help befriending our bodies. This little gem is that help. It makes a great gift, too.

Excellent book. Arrival was longer than expected however it was my error.

I didn't expect much, but wow, was I surprised!I was the thin one. The "pretty" one who always accepted her thinness as a good thing (even in the fifties when thin was not in). And even though I had/have a thigh covered in dark purple birthmarks, I modeled, I danced professionally, and I worked in Los Angeles theatre. So body-hating is relatively new to me.When I hit my fifties, thanks to heart disease, a low thyroid, and conditions other than Eating Too Much (I've never been interested in food, weird as that sounds), I started to gain some weight. I didn't get fat, but people were used to me being The Skinny One. Until old boyfriends, doctors concerned about The Change In My Weight, and even my therapist started shaming me with "But it's not normal for YOU." And I retreated within myself, married a man who doesn't want anything to do with me (self-loathing?), and started trying to Hide Behind Oversized Clothes.THIS BOOK IS CHANGING THAT, AND I'VE ONLY WITH WORKING WITH IT FOR A FEW DAYS!I'm forgiving my seventy-year-old breasts (that never existed before, much less started sagging). I love my lack of six-pack abs -- hey, they carried three children so don't shame them! I realize that these dancer's feet carried me away from a physically-abusive first husband, that they danced on point, that my hands touched children and my dying grandparents and people I wanted to soothe. That my less-than-firm face smiled at students who were scared and that this once-bright smile made it all right for them. WHEN YOU GET TO THE "LOVE LETTER TO YOUR BODY" SECTION, YOU WILL BE AMAZED AT WHAT SHOWS UP!I have notes all through this book already and I'm betting you'll do the same with your copy. When you realize that your body healed after the abuse and surgeries, that it cuddled your favorite childhood pet, and that it got you through those nights when you were forced to sleep on a friend's floor, you'll begin to love it no matter how it looks to other people right now.This is really a game-changer. I went from glaring at my face in the mirror to mimicking my first modeling coach when she shouted "Sparkle, Baby!" And it happened in less than a week.Some of the sections that I figured I'd skip over? I ended up reading them and devouring them. Most everything in here is smart. Beyond smart -- wise. And if you really work at it, this book will change how you feel, both in private and in public (and yeah, they really are different animals).Try this book. Really. It works.

This is the sweetest gift I've received this year! Admittedly, the year has just begun, but "52 Ways to Love Your Body" lives next to my bed, as a part of my new years mindfulness minders. What I most love about the book is how simple it is; there are anecdotes [sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, always delightful!] and then what I would consider dates with yourself. Like "Full", her memoir about coming to terms with her body image issues and eating disorder, "52 Ways…" is an open book. She tells it like it is and then gives real, mindful ways to think about your body, and by extension yourself, differently. If I have a criticism, it's that I feel like this writer's work is being pigeonholed as "eating disorder genre" and it's much more than that. [I don't have an eating disorder, and I don't "hate my body"; I was initially hesitant about picking up her first work because of how it was shelved/referred to.] I'm glad I was encouraged to give it a shot because her writing and her wit and her sheer honesty IS relatable, whether or not you have an eating disorder or any related "issues". As a middle aged woman of color who has been struggling with the aging process -- not what my body looks like but HOW it does or doesn't work in ways that I have always known it to -- these 52 little epistles of lovingkindness help me to honor my body as it is in this moment. As well, the loving treatment that the author knowingly guides you through/to is actually joyous. I've decided that I'm going to reread a chapter a week and make it my own mindfulness practice. And I've already ordered another for a young friend. Love. This. Little. Book. [I hope she comes back next year with a follow-up; it'll be an annual ritual!].

Kimber speaks in a genuine voice about the challenges she (and I) have faced with learning to love our bodies. Because of her authenticity, I immediately connected to the inspirations and teachings. I felt myself physically and emotionally relax when learning to get curious (#2) and self judgement dropping away as I put it into practice. The Second Arrow (#29) helped me examine the experience and let go of a story I had carried for years. Reading “Dear Body A Love Letter” (#41) connected deeply and helped me write my own love letter. Throughout this journal, I found encouragement to reconnect with and learn to love my body.

The wisdom in this book came straight from the heart. I enjoyed it so much, I even bought more copies to give to my coaching clients! I found it very easy to read and I was able to take in the bite-sized pieces of info through the weekly chapters to create real change in my life. I loved starting this in the new year because now I can take action by re-reading a chapter each week. I especially loved reading about self-massage (warm sesame oil after a shower is my new favorite way to love my body) and the insight of having 5 positive experiences or self-talk for every time I catch myself having an instance of negative self-talk. Besides the insightful weekly tips to love your body, this book is also full with Buddhist wisdom practices interspersed between Kimber's personal stories. I'm so glad to have found this! Thank you Kimber.

Kimber is lovely and funny and honest about what a waste of time it is to hate anything and everything about our bodies. She gives you the skills to appreciate all that your body has done and does for you everyday​! She helps you to realise​ that your body needs to be fueled with good nourishing food and treats too and that your body also wants you to find movement that it likes like I know my body loves yoga and walking and dancing and bicycling and it hates lifting weights or jogging. Find what works for you and enjoy your body!!!

Good book to feel good about you