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That time LittleThings.com asked me about what it means to be body positive in Los Angeles...

6/30/2016

I love helping women to feel better in their bodies. To love the skin they're in.

But what does loving your body really mean?

Does it mean you really have to love every bit unconditionally?

Does it mean never having a negative thought about your body when you look in the mirror?

No. Not really. I mean maybe one day.

But loving your body is a daily practice.

And it starts with acceptance.

It also starts by talking about it with other women.

Sharing our stories, our pain, our hurt, our shame, so that we can realize that every woman no matter what her size struggles to love her body.

Yes every woman.

Even that one you're thinking of right now.

The one who you look at and think "If I could JUST look like her then I'll be beautiful".

Well for the last year I've been hosting an in person coaching and connection group in my home called Body Love LA, and a website called littlethings.com asked my friend Ian Midgley, a documentary filmmaker, to do a piece about me and the group work I'm doing here in LA to help women accept and love their bodies in a city that makes it extra hard.

You can read about and watch the piece here!

And if you're interested in joining in the conversation and having opportunities to talk about and feel more empowered in your relationship with your body, your food, and your self, I invite you to join my new community - The Rebellious Eater - on Facebook where I'll be doing live streams and hosting online group discussions, as well as posting about local LA opportunities to be a part of the conversation.

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Are you thinking about doing a cleanse to get bikini ready? Try this instead...

6/7/2016

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Three of my clients this month asked me about going on cleanses.

All of them within a week of each other.

Coincidence? I think not.

In the typical health coach realm, this could be an exciting prospect, probably viewed as a win.

“Yay! My clients are ready to eat better!”

That’s good right?

In this case, not really. Because eating better - or having a well-nourished body - isn’t what it this was really about. Not for my clients anyway. And probably not for a lot of people on cleanses in the months of May and June.

These cleanses had nothing to do with eating better, but they had everything to do with summer being right around the corner and the fears coming up that their bodies aren’t perfect yet.

… or about the messaging getting louder in the media that made them feel like their bodies were flawed and disgusting.

… or because their butts didn’t look like the photoshopped bikini butts in sponsored posts on their newsfeed which even though they know are fake still manage to push the buttons installed so deeply by diet culture that they just can’t shake the thoughts of compare and despair.

These cleanses were about going back to the default re-set button so they could feel some relief because the feelings of self-loathing, shame, and fear of food were so loud they just wanted to shut them up. And fast.

I get it.
I’ve been there.
I repeated that pattern at least a hundred times from age 15 to age 30.

And every. single. time. The same thing happened.

I starved. I binged. I hated myself.

My clients all struggle with loving their bodies. They have yo yo dieted or struggled with overeating for most of their teen through adult lives.

They came to me to learn how to love themselves into sustainable weight loss and health.

For these clients, crash cleanses were not in alignment with this goal.

They were not about eating healthier or detoxing or resetting their palette.
They were about dropping pounds and fast.

Cleansing in this case was about crash-dieting. And crash dieting is not a sustainable or a self-loving strategy that will work in the long run.

So what can they - and you - do instead?

Here are a few things to start with...

Stop looking for a quick fix. Skip the cleanse. No amount of quick fix, crash diet, restrictive cleanses are going to help you feel good about your body and they’re going to set up your metabolism for weight gain, not weight loss in the long term.
Ditch the scale. Stop worrying about the number. It doesn’t mean anything, and chances are you won’t be able to do much about it before the summer starts without hurting yourself or making yourself sick. Work on self-acceptance instead and focus on feeling better in your body day by day.
Ignore the media. Get an ad blocker. Turn off the TV. Go to Trader Joes instead of Ralphs and DO NOT look at magazines. And when the ads come on remember their agenda - sell you crap you don't need by making you feel bad about yourself.
Think additive, not restrictive and take it meal by meal. Don't try and change things overnight. Add in more greens and fruit. Ask yourself “what food would make me feel nourished, light but satisfied, and most of all, cooled down!"
Eat what’s in season. Let the earth guide you. Shop at farmer’s markets and have fun learning about how to prepare summer foods. These foods will be lighter, hydrating, and will help you feel more connected to the season. Think of it as an experiment. Get playful with it. Its a great time to try new things!
Eat mindfully. When you eat, stay present. Eat what you want, but savor it so that you really get to enjoy the full experience. Notice when you’re full. Breathe between bites. Let your body have 20 min to notice that’s been fed and then ask yourself if you want more.
Check in with your body every morning to see how it feels or wants to feel. Ask yourself “how does my body want to move today to feel energized, joyful, and stronger?"
Find a bikini or bathing suit that fits you well and get comfortable wearing it before you go out. Don’t worry about the size on the tag. Coordinate it with a cute beach hat, sunnies, and some new sandals. Put on your new summer outfit, play your favorite summer funtime jam and dance to it in the mirror in your bikini. (Swimsuits for All or Modcloth are great places to start).
Wear it with confidence. Go to the beach and remember that you’re a bombshell no matter what your size or shape. No matter what that bikini or bathing suit or sun dress looks like, when you wear it with confidence, you’ll own that beach!
Remember there is no one judging you but yourself. Or if someone is, flip them the bird and strut your gorgeous body somewhere else because you don't need them in your life!

If you are looking for a little extra help feeling body confident before the summer kicks into full gear, join me this Sunday the 12th in Eagle Rock for my monthly Body Love LA meetup (this month's topic...Beaches and Bikinis and Diets, oh my!) or on June 22nd as part of the Free the Nipple Yoga Workshop series....

And if you want to get deeper and transform your relationship with food, your body, and yourself, you can schedule a discovery call and discover the possibilities of what can happen when we work one-on-one!

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That time LittleThings.com asked me about what it means to be body positive in Los Angeles...

Are you thinking about doing a cleanse to get bikini ready? Try this instead...

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