How to (Finally) Love Your Body by your Burlington Naturopaths
It’s a fact of life: over your lifetime, your body will change. Think of how many ‘different’ bodies — its shape, size and proportion — you had from birth to adulthood. And as we age, our bodies change again (and again). Our bodies are a marvel from head to foot, enabling us to do all that we do. So why do so many of us, especially women, spend vast amounts of time and energy resenting our bodies and worrying about how we look? What can we do to be at peace with the body we’ve got?
The natural health perspective
Looked at holistically, maintaining a healthy body image is a key component of our overall health. Body image is linked to self-esteem, and positive self esteem creates positive self talk. We know that our thoughts and beliefs affect our behaviours, our lifestyle and even our physical health, so it follows that a healthy body image and a healthy body, mind and spirit are linked.
Our formative years
The beliefs we have about our bodies are often formed in the years around puberty. Girls compare themselves to their friends and photoshopped magazine images and may decide they don’t measure up. Or they may be on the receiving end of teasing and bullying by their peers. Sometimes we continue to carry these beliefs with us, consciously or not, throughout our lives — tugging at clothes in the changing room, opting out of beach activities with friends in the summer. We may follow unhealthy fad diets and ‘miracle’ solutions, even opt for surgical procedures. While the results of these efforts may be temporarily pleasing, the general dissatisfaction and unhealthy body image remain.
Aging and changing
Most women, if asked, won’t say they enjoy the aging process. We live in a youth- and beauty-obsessed culture and we are bombarded with images of the ideal body in the media. Thankfully this is changing — we are beginning to see more diversity and an increased respect for women of all ages and sizes, and we are redefining beauty as something that comes from the inside out.
Here are some healthy ways to (finally!) make peace with your body and let your true radiance shine through:
Become aware of self talk.
The first step is becoming aware of thoughts and beliefs that might be contributing to a negative body image, so that you can begin to reframe those thoughts and engage in healthier self talk. There are many self-help books and resources to help with this. If necessary, seek professional support through your naturopathic doctor or other health practitioner.
Become your own wise, best friend.
When a friend is experiencing a problem in their life and asks for advice, we instinctively know how to respond. If a friend were dealing with body image issues, what would you say to them? Would you care about a friend any less if their weight or shape changed? Become your own best friend and give yourself the same advice you would give that friend. You can greet yourself in the mirror (“Hey gorgeous! Looking good!”), or have a healing conversation with yourself in your journal.
Focus on optimal nutrition.
Instead of trying to motivate yourself to ‘diet’ from a desire to try and look a certain way, take inspiration from the many health benefits of eating well. These include: a body that functions optimally from a place of vitality, a happier mood, improved metabolism, and an overall feeling of wellbeing.
Foundational to eating well is focusing on whole, unprocessed foods with an emphasis on (organic) vegetables and lean sources of protein; focusing on alkaline and high-fibre foods, and eliminating most saturated fats and dairy, as well as refined grains and flours, sugar and salt.
Enjoy physical activity.
It’s the same with exercise. Engage in a variety of activities that make you feel good, rather than adopting a boot camp mindset where you are trying to fix something that is wrong as quickly as possible (and risking injury in the process). Mix it up with a combination of aerobic, strength training, interval and restorative activities that you enjoy and can integrate into your lifestyle. And if they take you outside into nature, all the better!
Check for food allergies and intolerances.
Food allergies and sensitivities, such as to gluten, wheat, dairy, eggs, yeast, pork and soy, are linked to an inflammatory response in the body, and may contribute to bloating and weight gain, as well as a variety of other symptoms. NEX Wellness offers food allergy testing and food sensitivity testing in Burlington and Binbrook. After testing, your naturopathic doctor can formulate a plan to eliminate reactive foods from the diet; most people see improvement within a few weeks of eliminating the reactive food(s).
Deal with possible hormone imbalances.
If you are experiencing unexplained weight gain, particularly if you are peri- or post-menopausal, it may indicate a hormone imbalance such as low thyroid or estrogen dominance. The best way to know for sure if you have a hormone imbalance in your body is to get a comprehensive laboratory hormone assessment. (Your NEX Wellness naturopath in Burlington or Naturopath in Binbrook can coordinate this for you, and if a hormone imbalance is present, will work with you to resolve or manage it.)
Paradoxically, once you can love and accept yourself exactly as you are, you’re more likely to naturally release any excess emotional or physical ‘weight’ you are carrying, and you will feel ‘lighter’ and more joyful on every level.
By creating healthy attitudes and behaviours that show your genuine love for your body, you will find that your body will love you back!
Our Burlington naturopaths and Binbrook Naturopaths offer various services with a focuses in hormone women’s and men’s hormone health, natural remedies for hormone imbalance in perimenopause, menopause, and post menopause, low thyroid, and bio-identical hormones.
Call or email us to book your appointment today. For a consultation with a Naturopath in Burlington call 905-634-5000. For a Naturopath in Binbrook please call 905-692-9300.
Otherwise email us at info@nexwellness.com.
