4 WAYS TO DITCH
ANXIETY ABOUT
W
E’VEall
been
there.
We’ve
eatenthatextrasliceof
cakeorhada fewmore
tequilaswecertainly
didn’tneed.Andthere’s
a feelingofguiltwhen
it comestoindulging
becauseit leadstoa
massiveamountofanxietywhenit comesto
one’sbodyimage.It makesuswanttoavoid
ourbikinis,worryingwhatpeoplemaysay
whenshowingoffourbod.Thisis a toxictrait,
butit’sa mouldthat’sdifficulttobreakoutof.
AshleyLytwyn,a nutritiontherapistatBreathe
LifeHealingCentreintheUS,givesusa few
tipsonhowtostartlovingyourbody.Change Your Mind-set
THEwayyouthinkabouta certaintopicor
situationis vitalandbeinganoptimistina
worldfullofpessimistsis guaranteedtomake
youlivea happier,healthierlife.Whenit
comestoyourbody,Ashleysays,“Trytostop
yourselffromthinkingabouttheshort-term
quickfixandconsiderwhatthelong-term,
sustainablechangesmightbe.Anytimeweset
ourselvesupfora quickfix,it usuallybackfires
andleavesusfeelingfrustratedandhopeless,
orcanmakeusfeellikewe’vefailedandthat
we’reultimatelynotwherewewanttobe.
Setonesmallgoalandwhenyou’vecreated
consistencywiththat,addinanothersmall
goal,ratherthana hugeoverhaulallatonce.”Stop With The Fad Diets
UPONseeingcelebritiesorotherpeoplewith
greatbodiespushinga certainfaddiet,it may
seemattractivetojumponthebandwagon.
However,thesedietsareoftenreallybad
foryourhealth.“TheKetodiet,intermittent
fasting,verylowcarbdiets,andno-sugardiets
[arebadforyourhealth],”Ashleysays.“Most
ofthesedietscutoutfoodgroupsandwill
leadtodeprivation-drivenbinges.Ratherthan
cuttingthingsout,think,‘WhatcanI addinto
createmorenutritionalbalance?’Forinstance,
could you create more balanced snacksBeing ‘Beach
Body Ready’
YOU des
to enjoy
be prou
your bo
whatev
it loo
like – a
the anx
about b
perfe
needs
stop
aroundfruitsandvegetableslikecarrots,
hummus,wholegraincrackers,ora pieceof
wholewheatbread with peanut butter and a
banana?”Fitness Shouldn’t Be A
Chore
THEgymmaynotbea placeeveryone
enjoysbutexerciseis imperativetolivinga
happy,healthylife.However,it shouldn’t
feellikea chore.It shouldbesomethingthat
youenjoydoingbecauseit makesyoufeel
good.
“Writedownthreeactivitiesthatyoulove
todo.Maybeit doesn’tlookliketraditional
hoursinthegym.Is it playingclubvolleyball,
rollerblading,orgoingfora hike?Anytypeof
movementis acceptableandincorporating
thingsthatyoulovewillbeeasiertoachieve.
Plus,youwillmorelikelybeabletostickto
theincorporatedfitnessactivitiesif youare
lookingforwardtothemandenjoyingthem,”
Ashleysays.
Onceyoustartgettingstronger,youwill
seetheeffectexercisehasonyourbody
andyou’llbemoreinclinedtoshowoffthe
hardworkyou’ve been putting in at the
beach.There’sNo Such Thing
As ‘Beach Body Ready’
WITHsociety’spressureonperfection
increasingwiththelikesofsocialmedia,it’s
importanttounderstandthatperfectionis
somethingnoonefeelsthey’veachieved.
So,whilethereis alwayssomethingmore
youfeelyoucanachieve,it’simportantto
celebratewhereyouarerightnow.
“Asthemonthsgetwarmerandfriends
andfamilyarerampingupforbeachdays,
summervacations,andbraais,remind
yourselfofthepurposeoftheseevents.
Theyarenotto‘lookperfect’.Theyarean
opportunitytobesurroundedbylovedones
inthemonthsofbeautifulweather.
Thepressureis derivedfromdietculture
whichis ultimatelytryingtosellusa new
product,a supplement,ora gimmickyway
tolivea betterlife.It is easytoforgetthat
simplybeingwithfriendsandfamilyISthe
betterwayoflife,andyoudon’thaveto
changewhoyouaretoenjoythis,”Ashley
says.Disregardotherpeople’sperceptions
andlearntobecomfortableinyourown
skin.Enjoyspendingtimeatthebeachand
livea lifewhichmakesyou, notsociety,
happy. Trust us, it’s a game-changer.Ashley LytwynLIFESTYLE
BY EL BROIDE