Hey everyone, Bex here!
Lisa is pretty busy kickboxing her way through life so I thought I would step in and help her out! This week I get to do a guest blog post for Refire Fitness and I’m pretty stoked!
Let’s Jump Right In!
I have an exercise for you. Take out a piece of paper and a pen and start to write down everything you know about body positivity. Once you’re done, take that piece of paper and destroy it. You can crumple it up, toss in a fire, rip it into pieces and let it drift in the wind…whatever floats your boat.
Why did I ask you to do this? Because. Body positivity has become such a mainstream hashtag that it’s lost all of its credibility. It doesn’t have the solid reputation it once had. Now that I have your attention and you’re giving a very firm ‘what is this chick talking about’ look, let me explain.
Feeling good about yourself is an important step to living a healthy lifestyle. If you’re looking in the mirror and all you can see are the negatives and shame yourself for how you think you look, you will be stuck in a vicious cycle that will get you nowhere closer to a happier you.
“Don’t value your body over your being”
On this blog, Lisa has talked to you about many aspects of being healthy inside and out. Necessary components such as the importance of eating the rainbow and drinking plenty of water. She also likes to stress the fact that being well isn’t a chore and that you’re allowed to still have the good things in life. Do you want that pizza? Eat it! Order it with some extra veggies on top and have a side salad any way you like it (BRB - going to eat that pizza!).
As a personal trainer, she wants you to feel good about YOU as a WHOLE person. This doesn't just mean being able to get up off the floor without your knees cracking or your hips hurting. This is about you looking at all of the things that make you YOU and loving every part of you.
It’s imperative to love the feet that take you places, the legs that jump for joy, the hips that move when you dance, the tummy that jiggles with laughter, the heart that loves, the lungs that breath, the arms that hug, those laugh lines around your mouth and eyes. Everything.
Body positivity is a big component of how we feel about ourselves. In my experience, it is hard for us to heal as a person mentally and physically if our mind is not in the right place if. If you look into the mirror and all you are doing is judging yourself and hating yourself there is no way any kind of exercise regime or fad diet is going to give you what you want.
Body positivity starts in your heart and in your soul. When this trend was first created back in 1966, it was designed for the overweight and was created to help those feel good about themselves regardless of their size. Then, in 1996 a psychotherapist who also suffered from an eating disorder started the website thebodypositive.org.
And all of this is true. Body positivity is about loving your body regardless of the size that it is regardless of the shape and regardless of the colour of the skin. But please don’t limit this to those who are a size or two bigger than they want to be. This pertains to everyone.
Instead of using the hashtag #bodypositivity, I want you to use #TheWholeMe. Start feeling positive about everything from the inside out! Here are some ways you can start to feel good right now:
1. Listen to your body. If you feel hungry, have some water (trust me). If after 10 minutes you’re still hungry, give it something good to eat. And don’t forget that you NEED to treat yourself and do not feel guilty about it.
2. Understand that nothing is perfect. That includes your body. Most of the things we love in life are for its imperfections, and not what we deem to be perfect.
3. FORGIVE YOURSELF. Understand that you cannot change the past. But we can forgive ourselves for anything we feel we need to forgive and move to the next step…
4. Start loving yourself. When you look in the mirror, don’t look at the things you hate. You’re missing out on the things that are so good. Every morning when you look in the mirror, find something new about yourself that you love. Have you got really long eyelashes? LOVE THEM!
5. Start a good bedtime routine. This means cleaning your face, putting on some moisturizer and reminding yourself of one thing that you loved about today. Mondays can suck, just because it’s a Monday. For example, you might have been waiting in line to get into the store forever today, but that 3-year old that walked by had the best laugh! See…that made you smile, didn’t it?
6. Be consistent, mindful and present. Enjoy the moment you’re in. I’m telling you that physical wellness doesn’t start until mental wellness is on the right path.
Plus, Lisa has got your back! You don’t have to go down this road alone. She has some awesome free resources to help you get started with some good eating and a quick start guide to get you on the right path. These are perfect for a beginner or as a refresher for you pros out there!
You can also get a buddy, someone you trust, but someone who will be honest and true, to help you along. There’s nothing like a sister from another mister to set you straight and cheer you on, all at the same time!
Let’s do this! - Bex Foreman
Create real change today - fuel your fire!