There is this very prevalent view, that we are "inside" our heads, that basically our brain makes us who we are. I don't believe that anymore, not even from a scientific standpoint.
If you ever were in love, you probably know this feeling, that you really like the way, that she (put in your preferred pronoun here) walks, the way she talks, the way she smiles, the way she touches you. Now I'm not disregarding the other things you value in her, like your shared worldview, and common interests and how she treats other people. But you don't just love her values and opinions either. You love her as a whole.
As a matter of fact, the way she walks, is not at all located in the brain. It is located in the whole nervous system stretching throughout the body. That's right, her legs do the walking all by themselves! ;-) Even the nerves in the spinal column only play a small role. Really, the brain only sends the signals: walk and stop. So really body and mind are one unity. All that we are makes us who we are, not just some parts, not just the mind.
It is no wonder thus, that even the catholic church says, that when we die and the soul leaves the body, we are incomplete, we are lacking, until the resurrection of the body. Now you might believe in a life after death or you might not, but to me one thing is for certain:
We are embodied creatures, and our body is good and right, and we should and cannot be without it. It just makes no sense. We are here on earth to embody what we believe is right. We are here to do the best we can and as I wrote in another topic, I don't believe that love is possible without sacrifice. And our bodies are exactly what makes us able to sacrifice and love.