body image – the joy of five

This picture has been doing the rounds since May 2018. It was the last time I finally felt like I was getting things back on track, but sadly despite several failed attempts the gap I had created in my jeans is now well and truly full again, as is the disappointment in myself.

My life used to revolve around the gym and healthy eating. For me this was always a priority, nothing else would get in the way of it and if I’m honest with myself it was obsessional, unhealthy, made me ill and in turn made my family suffer because of it.

The cycle of super strict eating, fad diets, over exercising followed by overeating and doing nothing have since filled the years resulting in beating myself up and living with the huge sense of failure.

I have let any kind of self care go and my hair and skin have both suffered terribly because of this, so this is something I have been looking to change and have found some of the best hair products for women from Lilyhair.

As with every New Year I have filled myself with hope and a new found motivation has been fuelled with the hopes that this year things will finally change for the better and I will find a happy medium when it comes to health and well-being.

For the past few years it hasn’t just been the weight gain that has impacted my life, it’s been the implementations of this that are really showing.

I am run down the majority of the time, continual headaches and migraines that I know are linked to my bad diet, dull and dry skin that I’ve never had before and the inability to exercise like I used to.

All of these things have been staring me in the face for so long but I have been choosing to overlook them and hope they just go away which I know is not going to happen unless I change my lifestyle.

Above all of this though I want to to be a better role model to my children. I don’t want them to think that the perfect body is the only way to true happiness but I do want them to understand that we are blessed to be given the bodies we have and we should do our best to look after them, feed them, nourish them and not abuse them like I have been doing for way too long now!

For the majority of people the phrase “are you holiday ready?”means only one thing. That worry of of how you are going to look when you hit the beach!

Europa Pharmacy have gatheredsome staggering statistics that show only 31% of women get excited when they are packing for their holiday and 1 in 3 worry about their bodies everyday they are away.

I for one am one of these statistics and have spent years crash dieting, crying over how I look in bikinis and miss out on quality family time when I’m away because I’m to busy stressing about my body image for the entire holiday.

This year I am going to turn things around and focus on all the the wonderful things you have to look forward to when you planning a trip away.

A New Wardrobe Who doesn’t love going out and shopping for some beautiful new items to stash away in your case ready for your trip. I’m going to chose pieces that are bright, flattering and the kind of thing you only get the chance to wear while your abroad due to the lack of good weather you get in the UK. Plus those all important beauty essentials to get you ready before you go and to emphasise that brilliant tan while your away!
Planning Places To Explore There is nothing more exciting than going to a country that you’ve never been to before and exploring all the exciting new places there are to investigate. Why waste time fretting in front of the mirror about how you are looking when you can discover new places you may never have the opportunity to see again.
Quality Family Time with the hustle and bustle of life at home with work and school, quality time is something that often gets pushed asside. A holiday is the most perfect time to push all the worries of everyday life to one side and just enjoy each other’s company.

I urge you all this year to banish those negative body images and instead concentrate on all the things they are really important when you go away.

Make the run up to it exciting and hopeful for the fun time you have to come rather than wasting all that energy on focussing on all the things you don’t like about your body.

Let’s face it do you come back from a week away remembing what all those strangers looked liked on the beach? I’m sure the answer to this is no and nobody else will be worrying about your wobbly bits either!

Enjoy yourself, enjoy your family and create all those every lasting memories to think back to fondly for years to come.

*Collaberated post