WELL-THY LOVE YOUR BODY
PHOTOGRAPHYAroHaWellnessRetreat.@janellebruntonrennieWhat would you say to your younger self in regards to
treating yourself kindly? If you wouldn’t say it to your best friend,
you have no business saying it to yourself. Your body hears everything
you think and say. I used to motivate myself when I was bodybuilding from
a place of punishment and self-loathing. I can’t believe I used to speak to
myself the way I did. I am super-conscious of how I talk to myself now.
I did a lot of work with a self-love and life coach around five years ago,
and she made me do quite of bit of ‘mirror work’, where you sit in front of a
mirror, look yourself in the eyes and tell yourself how much you love,
respect and appreciate yourself. At first, I found it so confronting and
uncomfortable; I couldn’t even look myself in the eyes. But it gets easier
with time, and now I truly love, respect and appreciate myself.
You lost your husband, Kurt, to cancer earlier this year and
are running the Auckland Marathon for him. How has running
helped you through the grieving process? I have found running,
and training at the gym, to be extremely cathartic. It’s amazing how often
I’ll have a good cry when I’m out for a run. I do a lot of thinking when I run.
If I feel nervous or anxious, or I’m worried about something, I can run it off.
Exercise has provided me with an outlet for any anger or other feelings
that surface. It also provides me with a very welcome post-training natural
high. It’s given me something that I can control in a world that has made
me relinquish any sense of control that I thought I had. It’s also given me a
sense of daily achievement, a date for me with myself.
What food choices do you make these days? The last few years
have been challenging to say the least. But they have taught me some
valuable lessons. One of them is balance. I believe it’s important to nourish
your body intuitively. If you listen, it will tell you what you need. Thirst and
hunger are the easiest ones to tune into, but your cravings will also tell
you a lot about your daily needs (this doesn’t include the sugar craving at
3pm – that’s a whole different thing!).
It’s not about the labels, it’s more about your daily choices. I choose
foods that are strictly gluten free and also favour plant-based wholefoods
99 percent of the time. The other one percent gives me the ability to have
some wiggle room one night a week. I might choose to eat haloumi cheese,
or something else that gives me a little balance if I’m eating out.
What would you say to other women looking to practise
self-love and care? At the end of the day, taking care of ‘you’ needs to
be a multifaceted approach, and it’s highly individualised – we are all
different and good health is not a ‘one size fits all’ model. I believe it all
comes down to being in touch with, and listening to, your own intuition.
Your body will always guide you if you let it. So many people are leading
with their head and have disconnected from listening to their body’s needs
and responding accordingly.
I also believe practising gratitude and positivity are critical to our good
health mentally and physically. No matter what the challenge or situation,
look for the lesson in it and find the gratitude.
Ditchingmeatanddairyovernightisnotforthefaint-
hearted. And had I not had all my meals prepared by an
expert plant-based chef at Aro Ha Wellness Retreat (see
pictures below) I may not have been so willing to go full
cold (meat-free) turkey. But with my energy soaring, my skin
glowing and my general feeling of bloat dissipating, I was
curious to see if I could stick with the programme once
I was back in the real world. Here’s what I’ve noticed:
1 My gut. I mean I really notice it now. We’ve gone from being
virtually estranged to having regular contact. Very regular.
2 My sugar cravings have vanished, especially around the
dreaded 3pm slump. I’m far more likely to reach for a
handful of almonds than a chocolate bar, which is
something of a miracle.
3 Carbs are back! I used to swell up if I even looked at
anything grain-based but – as long as I stick to whole grains- pasta, bread and rice no longer aggravate my tummy.
4 Environmental and ethical reasons aside, any confusion
around what to eat is gone. I feel completely resolved in my
food choices. This in itself is a massive relief.
5 It’s been far easier than I thought it would be. There are
so many vegan options available, from nut cheeses and
dairy-free milk to meat alternatives like jackfruit. I haven’t
once felt like I’m missing out on anything.
THE POWER OF
PLANT-BASED
EDITOR VANESSA MARSHALL SWITCHED TO A VEGAN DIET
DURING A FIVE-DAY WELLNESS RETREAT IN QUEENSTOWN.
EIGHT WEEKS LATER, SHE’S NEVER FELT BETTER