As the clock strikes midnight to welcome in a new year, chat soon turns to the new year, new me approach, closely connected to diet talk. At this time of the year, our mindset isn’t far off that same place as a lot of chat about summer bodies rises to the surface. We’re met with content telling us how best to prepare and the things we should be doing to ready our bodies for summer – not in the sense of endurance and protection from sunburn. It’s all diet plans, double cardio sessions, replacement shakes and detox teas instead of messages of encouragement reminding us that we shouldn’t feel ashamed of our body. We live in a world that expects us to suddenly change our appearance for the sake of two weeks on the beach. Doesn’t that seem unrealistic? Today, society is becoming more educated about the importance of body positivity and focusing on our health as opposed to solely aesthetics but still, this message of being beach body ready is rarely questioned.
In order to counteract that, we’re bringing you the best of body positive messages from across the media.
8 Body Positive Heroes You Need To Follow On Instagram
“Whilst Instagram can be a bed of self-doubt for the way we think and feel about ourselves, there’s a group of women out there who are trying to put a stop to it (and they’re doing a really great job).
These are the new body positivity heroes who are shining a light on the other smaller, quieter body positive movements which encompass the whole spectrum of society. From accounts that celebrate ‘mid-size’ bodies to influencers appreciating the physical achievements, their bodies can take on and achieve, from mothers to women with disabilities.
These accounts will make sure your morning scroll leaves you motivated and ready to take on the day. What are you waiting for? Hit follow now.”
Click here for the full article.
11 Body Positive Women On How They Learnt To Love Their Bodies Just The Way They Are
“My turning point was in a bathroom in Barcelona after losing 4 stone for a ‘bikini holiday’. I was at my lowest point mental health wise, and while I had the ‘bikini body’, I realised that I had severely damaged it. I realised that instead of apologising for my body, I should be apologising to it. It was then that I decided to embark on my self-love journey.”
Click here to read the full article.
How Body Neutrality Can Help If You’re Not Feeling Great About Your Body
“There’s finally a sea change happening on social media – slow as the tide may be, we’re seeing jubilant celebration of bodies of all sizes, colours and abilities, but how do you navigate the choppy waters of body image, when, try as you might, you can’t muster elation when assessing yourself in the mirror? There’s a different way to frame how we consider our figures, and the bottom line is acceptance. If that sounds a bit wishy-washy, here’s how to get there and why you don’t need to throw a body positivity party to feel good about yourself (although by all means DO if you’re feeling it).”
Click here to read the full article.
These 16 Body-Positivity Books Will Help Transform Your Relationship With Your Body
“We often turn to books to change our lives for the better, and that includes our relationship with our bodies and food. We’ve selected 16 tomes that are all about empowering us to look at our bodies in a new way and stop obsessing over everything we eat. They’re written by experts in the field, or inspiring women who’ve been on the journey themselves and want to share their experiences with the world.
Our picks cover body positivity, health at every size, intuitive eating, and how to eat the best way for you when you don’t want to follow a diet. Add your favourites from our list to your 2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge, and keep the good vibes going by dipping into three body positive Instagram accounts that aim to encourage self-love and acceptance.”
Click here to read the full article.
Isn’t It Time We Became Body Neutral? Instead of Loving Our Flaws, We Should Forget Them
“The anti-diet dietitian Laura Thomas, author of Just Eat It, told me about a new way of looking at the body that might suit me, Body Neutrality: “It’s what’s called rational self-acceptance in body image literature,” she says. “It’s knowing that, in fact, I don’t have a perfect body or it doesn’t align with societal ideals but it’s my body and it allows me to move through the world. It functions for me. It’s being accepting of the fact that this is your body, your home.”
Click here to read the full article.
View this post on Instagram