Walking the path to self-love

This time last week I shared about the past 12 months of my life and stopping the dieting dance that I’ve been doing my whole life. I was overwhelmed and touched by the response from everyone. To know that other have walked the same path, was sad but comforting at the same time. I have been speaking to Julie from Beautiful You regularly for over a year now, and she’s helped me along the way. She’s amazing and I adore her. We spoke on Friday and wanted to share in some way a little bit of advice. Julie has kindly written this piece for me to share here.

I’m honoured that Chantelle has asked me to write this short, but hopefully sweet, guest post, to follow up on her beautiful and poignant ‘The Dieting Dance.’ The words she shared with you about her journey to learning to love her body and give up a dieting merry-go-round has clearly touched many hearts. Not only are her words a lovely sharing of her life, they clearly mirror the many feelings and experiences so many of you and many others, have.

As someone who is passionate about helping people learn to love their bodies, the following are my most powerful and best used tips that may help you on a path to body love and a positive relationship with food too:

♥ If you’re tempted to go on the latest diet or just give another diet ‘one more go’ please remember you’re embarking on something that has a 95% long term fail rate. Also – just in case you’re thinking it’s your fault the diets you are trying are not working – it’s not. It’s the diet. Not you.

♥ Don’t for a moment think that being thinner will make you happy, or be the answer to all your prayers. Weight loss does not give that to you. Only you can give that to you by choosing to love yourself and develop the type of thinking that supports a happy mindset.

♥ Don’t focus on numbers. Give up counting calories, weighing yourself and measuring yourself and instead focus on how you feel. Beautiful and healthy people shine with energy and vitality; something that is not determined by size and weight alone.

♥ Saying things such as “You’re disgusting. You need to lose weight” to yourself means you are operating from a position of self hate which will likely see you move into a mindset of diet and deprive. Think instead what you might achieve if you said “I love my body. I honour it and respect it.” How might that change how you feel, eat, exercise, live and love?

♥ The most powerful way you can develop a more positive relationship with food is to learn how to eat mindfully and intuitively. It’s all about slowing your eating down, eating foods you love, not depriving yourself, eating when you’re hungry and not eating when you’re not.

♥ Learn to love and appreciate your body for what it does rather than what it looks like. Express and think grateful thoughts to yourself about how it supports you to walk, play with your children, work, love and experience the world. When you learn to think of your body in this way you will become less concerned about comparing yourself to others and what you look like, and more grateful for the amazing things your body can do.

♥ Know that a loving and positive relationship with food and your body is absolutely possible no matter what your history, dress size, weight, age, gender and anything else you can think of. If you want it, you can have it.

Wishing you much body love,
Julie Parker

Julie Parker is a certified coach and clinical counsellor for women who want to shine with passion, confidence and unshakable self-respect – and take magnificent strides towards beautiful bodies, beautiful businesses and beautiful lives. Through 1:1 sessions, both in person in Melbourne and virtually around the world, Julie’s clients sift through their dreams, set crystalline goals, dissolve limiting beliefs and celebrate their successes as they begin to live their song. At Beautiful You, Julie shares inspiring images and empowering words to help women cherish their bodies and claim their brilliance. Find her online at BeautifulYouByJulie.com, Facebook and Twitter.

{image via pinterest}