I got to thinking today, after yesterday’s That’s Life magazine release, how our perception of acceptable body image has been so incredibly distorted by the media. It’s estimated we see up to 5,000 messages a day, many in the form of advertising containing slim, trim and athletic bodies. For women it’s even worse as we are bombarded with thousands of images of ‘socially acceptably shaped’ women in magazines, newspapers and on TV advertising everything from feminine hygiene to motor-sports. Most of them have been edited, retouched and air brushed. Few are real. And those that are, are the minority.

Constantly surrounded by this reinforcement of what we should look like many women tend get depressed by their looks and their weight. It doesn’t matter whether you are carrying around and extra 5 or 50 kg, at some point we all feel a sense of failure and inadequacy when compared to socienty’s idea of perfection. That sure is a lot of baggage for us to carry around. It affects our mood and it sometimes drives us to eat too much, sometime to drink too much and sometimes to the gym where we then feel even more of a failure compare with to the size 6 anorexic (but still unhappy) babe running at 12kph on the treadmill next to us. So how did we get caught up in believing that those perfectly air brushed waifs are what we are meant to look like, and that they are … perfect?

In 2006 the Dove “Evolution” Campaign for Real Beauty took one giant leap forward in helping women learn to accept and love their curves. It shows, in time lapse, a very normal woman being primped and made over physically, then digitally altered into someone’s idea of publicly acceptable beauty. It’s still one of my favourite YouTube videos and if you haven’t seen it then I highly recommend you take a look. Whilst watching it you will soon realise that you too can look like a model with the right make up, hair and Photoshop programmer. And whilst media can try and even succeed at distorting our idea of beauty on a superficial level, what it lacks is the human to human connection, and this is where our inner beauty always shines through, no matter how we look on the outside.

Often times we’re so busy working, thinking about what we still have to get done today, tonight, this week or next year, that we don’t realise what’s going on around us. In the doing-ness of it all we forget to be present and appreciate the very moment that we’re in. A healthy life is all about balance. Just as it’s important to stay motivated and productive and get things done,  it’s also vital that we stop to ‘smell the roses’, lift our heads and look around. Today I took some time out in the Fitzroy Gardens to do just that and, taking a different path was presented with a treasure trove of beautiful Camellia blooms. All shapes and sizes and an array of colours brightened my morning and reminded me of the cherished times I spent with my grandmother in the Dandenongs. The flowers and the memory brightened my day and made me feel a whole lot happier. So stop for a moment, lift your head, and look around. Forget about the future, just listen to the sounds and be in this moment right now.

“You develop a habit through repetition”

According to dictionary.com a habit is “an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary”.

It is said that it takes a minimum of 2 weeks to develop a new habit. So if you’re wanting to develop a new habit you must perform it in the same manner every day for 14 consecutive days for it to become embedded in your subconscious so the behavior becomes automatic. If you use triggers (positive or negative) to reinforce the behavior, coupled with a replacement then it’s even more likely to stick long-term.

Let’s think about this for a minute – so all it takes is 14 days of doing something the right way, to reprogram myself. Think about the addiction of biting your nails. If you 14 days, you wore a rubber band around your wrist. And every time you went to bite your nails, you stopped and flicked the rubber band (negative trigger), and then every day you went without biting your nails you did something nice for yourself (gave yourself a foot treatment or massage, or a manicure or pedicure), do you think after 14 days of this behavior you’d be less likely to automatically bite your nails?

So how would this work with diet and exercise?

Start small, and make incremental changes: don’t go for a radical change that your body will rebel against and that is impossible to sustain. Aim to adjust your lifestyle food program on a small scale – cut out sugar, cut back from 3 to 1 coffees a day, or cut back food intake if you’re over eating (subscribe to a home delivered diet plan or use diet software to track your food or calorie intake, both will help re educate you).

The same goes for exercise, start by increasing your exercise duration or intensity slightly. Take the stairs where possible instead of the lift. Don’t go for the closest car park to the shops or mall. Get off a stop earlier on your way to work and walk the rest of the way. Increasing your activity several times through the day will have a compound effect and will be far less noticeable than trying to pack in a 1 hour fitness class that you end up missing because it all seems too hard.

Keep gradually turning these incremental diet and exercise changes up over the next 14 days, rewarding yourself when you stick to it (with something other than food or alcohol), and you’ll find yourself spiraling upwards to greater health and vitality. What have you got to lose? And think what you will gain in the process.

Start to create new habits that support your wellness by visiting our Exercise Tools and Tips or Diet Tools and Tips pages now.

“The greatest legacy you can leave your children….

…. are happy memories”

Is your weight weighing you down and preventing you from spending valuable time with your family? Would you love to be more active and involved with your kids on a physical level but can’t keep up? Do you want to get more out of life but are just too darn tied at the end of the day?

Most of us wish we had more energy to spend with our loved ones (parents, spouses or children). Things get in the way and we only have a limited amount of energy. But what if it were possible to have more energy, to get through the routine of the day with more zest and more quickly so that you’re left with more time (and energy) to squeeze a bit more out of life.

What if you had the extra energy to do all those things you wish you could?

Think of the wonderful memories you could create: playing cricket or catch with your children;  taking your spouse on a romantic weekend away (and not just spend it sleeping); taking your aging parents to an outing or event that would give them joy and in the process create a lasting memory for your both.

It’s no secret that poor fitness and carrying all that extra weight around makes you tired.  We only have a limited amount of time on this planet, in this lifetime. Why waste it? Why not take charge of your health and well-being now? Why not regain your health and fitness and give yourself the best opportunity to add extra years to your life and create some more happy memories with your family?

It IS possible…. you CAN do it…..it’s YOUR choice.

Why not get started and visit our Exercise Tools and Tips or Diet Tools and Tips pages now.