Latest / The Manifestation Station / Ep 90. Love Your Body Now: Gentle Manifestation for Your Dream Body

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Ep 90. Love Your Body Now: Gentle Manifestation for Your Dream Body · The Manifestation Station

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You're listening to the Manifestation Station podcast.
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I'm your host, Holly Edwards, and together we can help create your magic.
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Welcome back to another episode of the Manifestation Station.
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Yes, it is me. It's Holly Edwards. We are back.
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I don't know if you've missed me or not, but I don't know if you noticed that
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the Manifestation Station,
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I didn't drop any episodes for two weeks I can only apologize I knew it was
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going to happen I was going to batch record some episodes but I do think,
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I'm hoping you're going to let me off because I have a very very very good excuse
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and that very good excuse is sitting with me right now,
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yes you probably will know if you follow me I have just had a baby two weeks
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ago I'm in my magical baby bubble for all of you who are parents,
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you've all been saying to me oh my god it's the best time and it's crazy and
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everything and it really is,
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for those who haven't gone down that path let me tell you this what an experience
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oh my gosh it's been a crazy two weeks,
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it does mean that I haven't brought you any episodes of the manifestation station
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so I'm hoping that you are gagging for the new episodes coming up.
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I'm dropping this today live actually today. We are Thursday the 29th of October.
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I had a c-section two weeks ago so I've just been recovering and I've been healing
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and getting to know my baby and what my baby needs and just,
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having lots of lovely baby cuddles really, to be honest with you.
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But yes, I am healing for anyone who knows about C-sections.
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It takes a good six weeks and beyond. So I'm in postpartum at the moment and,
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I'm learning to accept my body at the moment.
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I've got a new morning mantra, which is every day in every way my body's getting
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better because there is quite a big healing process post c-section post giving
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birth I suppose in general,
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and so I'm working on that each day I'm getting a little bit stronger a.
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Little bit I'm kind of like I'm gonna say like emotionally stronger as well
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just day by day I'm just getting fitter my scar is healing everything going on inside my body.
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I just think I'm one day closer to healing. So on the theme of that,
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slightly on the theme of that, we're talking today about learning to fall in love with your body.
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Now, I've had lots of messages, actually, I was going to say actually over the
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years about could I do an episode on loving your body for those people who maybe
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struggle with yo-yo dieting and perhaps how we can,
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introduce manifesting the law of attraction positivity into learning to love
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our bodies but also to help us,
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attract and create our dream bodies and how to feel good and I guess it's for
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me it's actually probably more about,
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building healthier habits and manifesting a new relationship with yourself,
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learning to love your body, but also,
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getting yourself kind of in a healthier space where you can learn to love it,
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but actually you are seeing results as well.
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Now, maybe you're one of these that you've tried every diet going,
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you maybe you start a new exercise routine on a Monday, but by Thursday,
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oh my God, we've all been there, haven't we? Like Monday, we're like,
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right, I'm here. We're healthy eating, I'm going to the gym.
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And I think actually sometimes just on a side note here, I think sometimes we
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put too much pressure on ourselves and too much of a big goal,
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like, right, okay, I'm on a mission from Monday, I'm going to drop three dress
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sizes, I'm going to lose five stone, I'm going to go to the gym five times a week, and I'm
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going to walk every single morning for one hour.
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Now, what I think that does, it sounds exhausting just talking about it.
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And I think we over, it's like we, like over expectations kind of thing.
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It's giving ourselves too much of a big goal. So I think when you're motivated,
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perhaps on a Monday or Tuesday, whenever you go for it, On the days when you're
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not motivated, you're kind of setting yourself up for a bit of failure.
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So I always think it's about setting yourself small, achievable goals.
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Because even achieving small, achievable goals, what happens is you feel a sense
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of achievement because you can tick that. You can tick that in your head.
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I accomplished that today.
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I did my five-minute wall today. and what happens is that actually you feel
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like perhaps that you want to do a bit more or that you can do a bit more,
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so I think firstly I am going to give you some kind of tips and ways that we
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can use the law of attraction and manifesting your dream bodies but I also think it's about,
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learning to love your own but also not setting yourself up to fail.
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So, if this is you, you feel like you're starting your new routine on a Monday,
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but by Thursday or Friday or the weekend, all the goodies come in and we're
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giving ourselves what we say, the naughty things, and maybe we go,
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we can't be bothered to go to the gym.
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Maybe you've stood in front of your wardrobe feeling like you have absolutely nothing to wear.
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So, if you're one of these people that maybe you stand in front of the mirror,
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I feel like if we all been there at one point or another, you stand in front
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of the mirror and you're picking yourself apart.
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You know, you're grabbing rolls of fat and going, oh, I look fat in this.
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I wish I could tighten up this. I wish I were taller.
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I don't like my legs. I don't like my bingo wings, whatever it is.
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These are the habits that I want us to break together today because.
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It's about loving yourself, loving the body you're in, in order to attract and
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create a healthier, stronger version of you, which will kind of bring you to
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alignment of that dream body that you're looking for.
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So I think one of the hardest bits is that you know you want to feel better.
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And I have so many friends and family members and clients who feel this.
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They know they want to feel better.
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You want to feel healthier you want to feel stronger you want to feel more confident
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wearing the clothes that you want to wear but somehow,
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the way that you've been trying to get there has left you feeling worse about
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yourself and I think this is what can happen with diet culture as well is that
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actually can leave you feeling deflated and like you're not living or that you are
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restricting yourselves with certain foods but you're not seeing results straight
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away and that's why I think it's so important to,
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jump on the fact that it's actually about a lot to do with mindset as well it's
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not just action this one and I think many of us have been taught that we have
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to dislike our bodies in order to change them,
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and I don't want your motivation for change to attract your dream body to come
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from disliking your body I want it to come from a place of strength from a place
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of loving yourself that you actually want.
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A stronger body a healthier body to nourish yourself so I think it's not for
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me it's not about being strict on each other and ourselves it's.
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I don't want you to feel like you have to earn our food you know the good foods the bad foods.
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Let's just try a different approach together because I promise you honestly if we can kind of reset,
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your mindset that is what I really want to explore today we're going to make
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this practical there are little things that you can actually start doing today
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and I promise you I promise you.
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You will feel better about yourself. You will feel better about your body.
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And actually, I hope it gives you the motivation to go on and kind of keep making
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good choices for you. And, you know, for me personally, I think it's a good
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one for me this week. I'm recording this as a new mum.
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I'm a couple of weeks after giving birth. My body has been through an enormous,
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enormous amount. And I have respect for women, for mothers.
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And there are moments when my body at the moment feels unfamiliar
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I feel incredibly grateful for what it's done and believe me I'm actually I'm
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actually not in a rush to get my old body back I appreciate that,
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it's been through certain things and you know what it's created for me what it's brought for me
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I am incredibly grateful not in a rush to get my old body back you know there's
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definitely times when I feel like you know my body has changed it feels odd and
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I'm trying to appreciate my body and the body that I have now knowing what it's
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given me it's looked after me it's looked after my baby,
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and for all of you out there your bodies your bodies are healthy think about
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what it is that your body gives you what it allows you to do and I think both
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of the things can exist together that perhaps you want a healthier body and your dream body,
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I want to call it healthier body rather than you know drop a dress size or something
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like that but also you can.
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Have a gratitude for your body at the same time you can love and appreciate your body now
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and still want to build those healthier habits and you can feel grateful for yourself
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and still have goals so the difference is the energy you bring to those goals
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we're not saying we're not motivating ourselves coming from a place of dislike
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we're proud of our bodies we're grateful for our bodies but it's okay that we
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want to build healthier habits.
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And that's the change that I kind of want you to see with your mindset.
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So step one is to change the way you speak about your body.
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I saw a quote recently. Oh my God, I absolutely love this quote.
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You know when it stops you in your tracks. Now it said, speak to your body like
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you're falling in love with it.
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Tell it how beautiful it is. Thank it for everything it allows you to experience.
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Care for it because you adore it, not because you're disappointed in it.
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And when you look in the mirror, let the first words it hears from you are words of love.
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How beautiful is that? And yet, so many of us, so many of us speak to ourselves
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in a way where we put ourselves down physically.
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We pick apart our physical appearance.
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We would never speak to our best friend the way we speak to ourselves in the
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mirror. So we wouldn't look at someone we love and say, your stomach looks awful today.
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You really need to sort yourself look at the state of you but sometimes we allow
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ourselves to say these things to our own bodies,
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and we can become accustomed to that and that inner voice,
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we can become so accustomed to it that actually we barely notice it anymore,
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so the first step really is becoming aware of that voice notice what you say when you get dressed.
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Notice how you react when you catch your reflection in the mirror so notice
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the thoughts that pop into your head when you see a photograph of yourself I
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think we all do this and this is a conscious thing that I've,
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made sure that I don't do anymore so if someone takes a photo of you perhaps
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they post it online or they show you it and you naturally want to zoom in and
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start going oh god I look awful I have made myself refrain,
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from pulling myself apart if there's a photo I don't like I just go nice photo,
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doesn't have to be the best photo of me ever,
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There may be angles where I look bigger, where I don't like the color of my
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hair or I don't like the size of my legs, whatever we're talking about.
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But I really try not to pick those photos apart. And I just go,
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nice photo, nice memory.
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You don't have to suddenly look in the mirror and declare that you love every
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single thing about your body today.
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That is unrealistic. So don't force it. Just start with something a little bit kinder.
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So instead of saying, right, I really hate my stomach or my tummy looks big
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in this, just try something a little bit kinder, like my body deserves care,
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whatever that looks like.
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So instead of saying, I look terrible, try and swap it.
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I'm having a day where I don't feel my best, but that's okay.
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And instead of waiting until you look different to be kind of yourself this
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is the main thing I'm talking about today we're not waiting for the future version
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of you we are stepping into them now so,
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we're being kinder to ourselves now not once we get into our smaller pair of
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jeans not once we've wanted to run a 10 mile marathon not once we're I don't
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know in the dress that we bought last year that we can't fit in,
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you don't have to be completely in love with how you look today to treat yourself
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with love so that is your absolute bare minimum starting point,
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now the next thing is to stop waiting for your dream body to live your life
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oh my god i want to shout this from the rooftops,
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how many times have you bought an outfit maybe in a smaller size or you've kept
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an outfit in a smaller size promising yourself that you will wear it when you lose weight,
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or maybe you avoid buying something you love because you think you'll look better
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in it once your body changes maybe that could be the same thing for a bikini
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or a swimming costume when you go on holiday when I've lost the weight I'll wear that,
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when I'm smaller I'll fit into that this part takes hold of so,
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many of us and it holds us back on living now, living now.
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We still have healthy bodies that we're in now that we can enjoy and appreciate now.
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So I think we often tell ourselves that confidence is waiting for us,
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like somewhere in the future.
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But what a shame. Think about that for a minute, that we're not living to our
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full potential, to our full capacity.
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Because if we spend all of that time waiting to feel good enough.
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When we could actually be enjoying ourselves now and enjoying our life now and
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dressing the body that you have today.
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And that's what I want you to do. Buy clothes that fit you comfortably and make you feel good.
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Wear the lovely outfit. Take the photograph. Don't scrutinize yourself.
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Go for the swim. Go on holiday. Wear a swimsuit.
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You don't need to wait until you've changed your body to deserve to feel beautiful.
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And even though with that simple mindset shift, I guarantee you,
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you will start attracting more of a self-worth with your body,
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how you feel now and how you look as well,
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and this is important particularly important when your body changes for reasons outside of your control,
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perhaps you will have health issues at the moment perhaps you have an injury
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or like me maybe you're going through pregnancy or post partum you're recovering illness stress,
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maybe you're aging slightly or going through different seasons of life.
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This is something that we have to embrace.
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We have to embrace. These are reasons out of our control. Your body is allowed to change.
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We have different seasons. Sometimes I look back and I think the smaller versions
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of my body aren't when I was at my happiest.
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I've now been during pregnancy, I've been very sick and I've been eating a lot of beige foods.
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I was in a different season. I was surviving. So.
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Your body is allowed to change and your life doesn't have to stop whilst it does.
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The next step, step three, is to step into your future self.
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Now, how often do I say this? It's about your future self and getting into that
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mindset of future you who already has the dream body, the healthier body,
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the healthier mindset with food.
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And this is one of my favorite ways to approach healthy habits and something,
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that has genuinely, genuinely helped me in the past.
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So I want you to imagine for a moment your future self, the future self who
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is already in your dream body, whether that's your dream size,
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it's stronger, it's healthier, it's happier, it's more confident.
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So imagine yourself feeling energized and comfortable in this body.
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Imagine yourself waking up and feeling good.
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Feeling good whatever you pull out of the wardrobe and put on.
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Having more energy, feeling more confident and knowing that you're looking after
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yourself. So here's the important bit.
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Every time you make a decision that affects your health, I want you to ask yourself
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one very important question and ask what would my future self do?
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That future self who's in your happier body, healthier body.
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What would they do? That's it. So this can crop up at any moment.
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If you're standing in front of the fridge and you have no time and you're wondering
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what to eat, ask yourself, what would she do? What would they do?
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What would my future self do?
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Future self who already has my dream body.
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You've finished work. Maybe you're deciding whether to go for a walk.
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Maybe you can't be bothered.
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Ask yourself, what would they do? What would future me do?
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Future you probably already has healthier habits. Maybe they eat less sugar.
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Maybe they take more steps in the day. Maybe they order healthy lunches at work.
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Maybe they drink more water. What would they do?
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So if you're thinking about making a healthy lunch, preparing something for
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tomorrow or reaching for a snack, what would my future self choose instead?
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This isn't about being perfect. This isn't about cutting everything out that
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you enjoy, not cutting out all your sugar or your carbs or all of what you describe as naughty treats,
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your future self can absolutely enjoy the takeaway a piece of cake a glass of
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wine a night on the sofa this is more about the choices that you are making,
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most of the time not whether you get every single decision right again not being
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so hard on yourself is such an important step in this challenge.
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You're simply beginning to make choices that support the way that you want to feel.
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So decide that. How do you want to feel in this dream body?
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How do you want to feel? Do you want to feel healthier, more confident,
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slimmer in your clothes?
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And ask yourself, what would my future self do? You're simply beginning to make
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choices that support the way that you want to feel. And that's what I love about
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this approach because it takes you out of the mindset of I need to lose weight.
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I need to be stricter I need to say no to the cake I need to fix myself.
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Instead what you're doing is asking how would the version of me who feels healthy
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and strong look after herself today,
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there's something so powerful about that shift,
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you're no longer waiting until you reach a certain goal to become that person,
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you are practicing being her right now,
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every walk every nourishing meal every time you choose,
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to get an earlier night instead of scrolling on your phone endlessly for another
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hour these are the little votes,
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for the person that you're becoming and if you make a different choice that's
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fine too you haven't ruined everything you just get another opportunity to choose
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again to ask the question again,
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so this week just try when you're faced with the decision whether you can't
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be bothered to go to the gym to go for a walk to drink the bottle of water just
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pause for a second and ask yourself what would my future self do,
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and I promise you will probably be surprised by how often you already know the
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answer and you know what every time you choose make a better choice I should say
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you're going to do a little victory dance you're going to be like yay I chose me
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I chose future me and future you,
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gives you a little pat on the back and goes well done you passed that one.
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Now, the next step is, this is one that really, this is something that I came
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up with in terms of having a healthier body.
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It's try a no counting, no obsessing reset.
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So rather than jumping on a new diet trend, cutting out sugar or,
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you know, eating, what was that?
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Do you remember that diet where there was like maple syrup and cayenne pepper?
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I'm sure it was like a Beyonce diet.
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Before you try one of these fads what I want you to do instead is try it this
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is something that I have personally found so helpful when I feel like I need a healthy reset,
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now what I do is rather than jumping on a diet trend I will simply say I'm going
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to decide for a couple of weeks this is having a reset by the way.
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For a couple of weeks, I'm going to focus eating as naturally and nourishingly
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as I can. That's the only rules.
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There's no calorie counting. There's no step counting. There's no forcing yourself in the gym.
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So all I simply do is go, my only goal is that I can eat pretty much.
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No, not whatever I want. What I'm going to say is there is no limit to how much I can eat.
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But instead it has to be healthy it has to be natural it has to be perhaps home cooked or at least,
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like a healthy option in the shop so I kind of think of like raw healthy ingredients
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I'm upping vegetables so for example I'm like no limit to how much I can eat
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so I'm never going to go hungry but I will focus on the food itself and making
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sure that it is nourishing so things like salmon, eggs,
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fruit, vegetables, salads, satisfying lunches, home-cooked meals,
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foods that nourish me and help me feel good.
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So it's just choosing more of the good things, but there are no restrictions.
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I'm not restricting myself. Also, maybe I'll go for maybe more dark chocolate or something like that.
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And the important thing is I'm not telling myself I can't eat or that I have
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to ignore my hunger I can eat
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satisfying meals have snacks enjoy my food the focus is on adding nourishment
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and making choices that support me.
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And what I find helpful about this is that it changes the conversation in my head so
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instead of asking how many calories is this I'm asking is this going to nourish
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me is this going to help me feel good is it natural food choice?
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Am I looking after myself?
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And what it does, it resets me into making good choices.
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It resets me into feeling better about myself because I've made good choices.
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And it reminds me that food is there to fuel me, support me and give my body
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what it needs. So when I start eating more fruit, more vegetables,
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preparing meals at home, I feel quite accomplished.
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There's something where I kind of feel like I'm looking after and backing future me.
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And like I say that little kind of victory dance and getting a pat on the back
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from future me what I do then is after my reset I kind of go I'm feeling quite
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good about myself I stuck to that thing I've held myself accountable.
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And as a result you may naturally find yourself reaching for less sugary snacks
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less processed foods now what happens in turn
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is that one you feel better mentally because you're making good choices.
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Two, a byproduct of that is that actually the likelihood is that you will very
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possibly lose some weight, feel a little bit better in your clothes.
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So it has, we're kind of doing a mindset and action shift first.
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And actually the dream body, the healthier body is kind of following suit.
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So for some people, these habits may also support gradual change over time.
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And that's what we're talking about here. The win here is that you're building
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a healthier relationship with food and learning to look after yourself without
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obsessing about the numbers.
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The goal is to feel cared for, not controlled. So keep that in your mind if
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you're going to give that a try. Now, if you do give that a try,
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let me know because it has worked wonders for me. I try it with my clients.
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I have one of my sisters as well. And I say, look, don't overthink this.
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Don't cut out a load of food groups. Let's just try by resetting and choose
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less processed food and more natural nourishing products. I love that one.
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The next step, make healthy choices easier.
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Now, one of the biggest things I've learned is that we cannot simply rely on
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motivation because you might feel incredibly motivated on Sunday evening,
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and you're planning your new routine, you're buying ingredients,
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you're promising yourself that next week is going to be different.
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But sometimes when Monday arrives, maybe you're tired, you're busy,
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you're stressed, suddenly that plan feels much, much harder.
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And these are the days where it's really good to have a better relationship,
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a mindset relationship with food and your body,
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so rather than relying on willpower making the choices you want to make a little
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bit easier so if you want to eat more fruit,
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make it visible and easier to grab it's so simple but if you go out and buy
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yourself some fresh fruit and perhaps even cut it up wash it cut it up make
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a nice fruit salad if it is visible it's far
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more easier for you to grab if If you want healthier lunches,
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have a few simple ingredients ready in the fridge, ready and easy.
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So it's not going to take you a load of prep.
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But by having these foods more visible, it's kind of coming to the forefront
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of your brain. You go, do you know what? I will grab the healthiest snack.
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If you want to go walking more often, keep your trainers somewhere you can see
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them. Make them visible.
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If you want to spend less time scrolling through accounts that make you feel
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rubbish about your body on social media, unfollow them or mute them so that
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you are not tempted to keep scrolling because.
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That is imprinting on your brain and not making you feel a good version of you.
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Ask yourself, how can I make looking after myself the easier option?
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And remember, make these choices visible for you.
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If you are someone who loves the gym you don't have to force yourself into a
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five-day gym routine we're making things simple here,
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so remember healthy food doesn't have to be complicated or expensive
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it doesn't have to look like something from an influenced kitchen just make
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it more visible a simple meal you can make on a busy day is far more useful
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than an elaborate recipe that you never get around to cook in,
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and this is what I mean the same goes for movement you don't have to be at the
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gym five days a week just put your trainers out make them visible start with
28:02
a five minute wall start with a dance around the kitchen start with a beginner's class,
28:08
or a form of movement that you do actually enjoy,
28:13
If like me, you're recovering from childbirth or perhaps you have illness or
28:18
health issues or an injury, your version of looking after yourself might actually
28:22
be rest and following the advice of your healthcare team.
28:28
I'm not allowed to work out at the moment. Now, if you follow me on Instagram,
28:32
I love a 5am morning walk.
28:34
I like to be active, but rest is not a failure. Sometimes rest might be the
28:39
top of your list. The point is to find something that fits your life because
28:44
habits are much easier to maintain when they are realistic.
28:48
This is the big thing that I could keep shouting about today.
28:51
Make your habits realistic.
28:54
How about adding before you subtract? So there is a simple shift but I think
28:58
it can make a real difference. So instead of beginning with a list of everything
29:02
you're not allowed to eat, think about instead what you can add in.
29:07
Can you add in just a piece of fruit to your breakfast?
29:11
Can you add in just some vegetables to your lunch?
29:15
Can you make a meal that makes you, that leaves you feeling satisfied?
29:20
Can you drink a glass of water today and get some fresh air or give yourself a proper break?
29:25
When we start by taking everything away, it can feel overwhelming.
29:30
It can feel like we are living in deprivation. Now, if we're looking that manifests
29:35
in and we're looking at lack and we're looking at we're not allowed to eat this,
29:39
we're gonna we're gonna attract in more lack more deprivation so simply turn
29:44
it around and add something in where can I add in the piece of fruit where can I add in a healthy meal,
29:49
and this can help us create a really healthy new cycle so instead of saying
29:55
what do I need to cut out simply swap it and say what could I add in to look
30:01
after myself it's that simple Cool.
30:05
And also, stop making the scales your only measure of success.
30:10
And I think so many people get disheartened when they are constantly weighing themselves.
30:16
And that is their only sign that their efforts are working.
30:20
But your body, let me tell you this, your body is affected by so many things.
30:24
Hormones, sleep, stress, medication, water retention, health conditions, life changes.
30:31
So your weight can fluctuate particularly more so as women even when you're
30:36
building positive habits so,
30:38
alongside any goals you have also pay attention to other signs that you're looking
30:43
after yourself are you feeling more energized are you sleeping better are you becoming stronger,
30:51
are you feeling more confident in your clothes are you enjoying movement more,
30:56
are you eating in a way that leaves you feeling more satisfied.
31:01
Are you being kinder to yourself are you spending less time thinking negatively
31:06
about your body I actually think that's one of the most important things we could say,
31:13
if if you're feeling if you're making some better choices and you're simply
31:17
feeling less negative about your body less negative about the way you look at
31:23
those That is a huge, huge win.
31:27
And in fact, I guarantee you that will help you on the right track to get towards
31:35
or so much closer to being in your dream body.
31:39
These things matter. And if you do have a specific weight goal,
31:43
I'm not saying that you're not allowed to have one.
31:45
There's nothing wrong with wanting to change your body. But you do deserve an
31:49
approach that supports your physical and emotional well-being along the way.
31:54
And asking yourself those other questions and not simply about your weight on the scales.
32:01
That is what I want to add into your mindset. It's that simple.
32:07
And the other thing I would say is to change the environment you're feeding your mind.
32:13
So let's talk about social media for a moment.
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I talk about this a lot because you can spend the morning trying to be kind to yourself.
32:22
Then you can open up Instagram, you can scroll, scroll, scroll,
32:25
spend 20 minutes looking at people whose bodies, lifestyles,
32:29
routines make you feel like you're somehow behind.
32:33
Women with perfect bodies, probably filtered, no disrespect but probably filtered.
32:39
And actually what it can do is the people you follow can influence what you
32:44
see as normal what you aspire to and,
32:47
what you believe you should look like so have a look at your feed how do you
32:52
feel after spending time on it are you inspired are you encouraged are you motivated or,
32:58
are you feeling inadequate less than envious disappointed,
33:03
you don't need to follow someone just because they're popular you need to really
33:08
hone in on this and start following people,
33:11
body positivity who are it doesn't mean that we can't follow people that look
33:15
good if your mission is to become a bodybuilder follow the bodybuilders but
33:20
you have to ask yourself how you feel about looking at these people,
33:23
I follow all sorts of people with all sorts of bodies beautiful thin tanned women,
33:30
muscly women who go in the gym and women who also are plus size and they show
33:36
everything and they show their cellulite and they show how to dress your rounder tummies and they
33:42
all make me feel good in certain ways and I think it's so important that.
33:47
You must create the environment that supports the relationship that you want
33:52
to have with yourself. That's it.
33:55
And plan for the days where you don't feel good because there will be days when
34:01
you don't feel amazing about your body.
34:02
There'll be mornings where you feel like your clothes don't fit right.
34:06
You can't find anything to style your body or days where you feel bloated or
34:11
tired or old or uncomfortable.
34:15
And moments also where you compare yourself to someone else and the goal isn't
34:20
to reach a point where you never have a negative thought ever ever again the goal is to,
34:28
stop allowing one negative thought to dictate your day it's that simple on those days,
34:36
try not to make dramatic decisions about your body don't decide you need,
34:40
a completely new diet or that you need a change of strategy because you don't
34:45
like how you look that morning so if that's you today don't punish yourself with exercise don't,
34:52
tell yourself that you'll be happy when you've changed instead just ask yourself
34:57
what do I need today maybe you need comfortable clothes today maybe you need,
35:03
a nourishing meal a walk a,
35:06
or a chat with someone who makes you feel good.
35:09
And perhaps you need to remind yourself that how you feel about your body today
35:13
is not the truth about who you are.
35:17
You can have a difficult body image day and still look after yourself beautifully
35:24
and still look beautiful even though you don't feel it today.
35:28
And that is the practice. It is that simple.
35:32
And the final thing that I want you to do is to thank your body for what it
35:38
allows you to do and I want to come back to that quote because,
35:43
this is the bit that I really really want you to take away from today because,
35:48
what if instead of only noticing what you want your body to look like what instead
35:55
if you started noticing what your body allows you to experience So your legs
36:01
carry you through your day.
36:04
Arms allows you to hug the people that you love. Oh, how beautiful is that?
36:10
Your body allows you to experience the feeling of sunshine on your face or a
36:16
walk in the fresh air. There's nothing like it. Is there a dance in the kitchen feeling exhilarating?
36:23
And a laugh, maybe a laugh of your friend that makes your stomach hurt.
36:28
If your body has carried you through something particularly difficult as well.
36:33
Perhaps you can acknowledge that too.
36:35
Perhaps if you've recovered from an illness, whether that's a serious illness or a cold or pregnancy.
36:42
I know my body has been through so much recently, pregnancy,
36:46
birth, recovery, and it's given me a whole new appreciation for it.
36:50
That doesn't mean I feel wonderful about every change every day.
36:55
We're all human, aren't we? But there are moments when I really have the most
37:01
amazing appreciation for my body.
37:03
And I actually do this even if I've had a cold. You know, when I've spoke to
37:07
my sister the other day, she said, I've got a rotten cold, I can't breathe.
37:10
And you suddenly realize how much you love your body when it's working properly.
37:15
So give the gratitude for your body and not just how it looks,
37:19
but what it actually gives you.
37:22
So here's like a little bit of a seven-day body kindness challenge that I'm
37:28
going to give you. So if you want to kind of utilize this and go,
37:30
Holly, I'm jumping on. This is it. This is fabulous.
37:34
I'm going to give you a seven-day kindness challenge for your body.
37:36
If you decide to do this, let me know how you get on. Let me know how you found
37:40
this episode because I think it resonates with a lot of us.
37:44
I'm at thehollyedwards if you want to drop into my DMs on Instagram or at the
37:49
dot manifestation station please do let me know how you get on and um let's
37:53
leave you with this little challenge so it's nothing extreme,
37:57
it doesn't require you getting a gym membership or a complete life overhaul
38:01
there's just seven small practices okay you could pick one or if you can go
38:06
sod it i'm going to do the seven days and do your one week
38:09
i guarantee you that you'll come out feeling a little bit better about it.
38:14
So day one is to notice firstly how you speak about yourself.
38:22
So when you catch yourself having a negative thought, perhaps you're looking
38:26
in the mirror and you're judging yourself and judging your body,
38:29
try replacing it with something kinder and more realistic.
38:34
So whether that's gratitude for what your body has allowed you to do today,
38:38
what it's carried you through in the past.
38:41
Maybe perhaps something that you can pick out that does look good and that you're
38:45
pleased about or that you're happy about or grateful about that's day one,
38:49
day two I love this one wear something that makes you feel good in the body that you have today
38:56
so stop saving all of your favorite clothes for a future version of you you're
39:01
allowed to wear that today what will make you feel good today what will make
39:04
you feel adventurous and knit up today
39:06
that could be lounge wear it could be a bougie outfit wear something that makes
39:10
you feel good in the body that you have today,
39:13
day three is to ask what would my future self do before one decision that supports
39:19
your health very simple day four.
39:23
Prepare one nourishing meal or snack that makes looking after yourself feel easy.
39:29
So just make one meal, one snack where you go, actually, do you know what?
39:34
That makes me feel like I'm looking after myself. Day five,
39:38
unfollow or mute one account that makes you feel worse about your body and follow
39:44
someone body positive or who makes you feel encouraged instead.
39:50
Day six do some movement that feels good for you so if it's appropriate for
39:55
your body and current health that might be a walk a stretch,
40:00
or just even giving yourself permission to rest do something that makes you
40:06
feel good for you day seven,
40:09
write down five things that your
40:10
body allows you to experience that have nothing to do with how it looks,
40:15
that's simple five things that your body allows you to experience.
40:20
That has nothing to do with how it looks and throughout the week just remember
40:25
you're not trying to prove
40:27
that you're disciplined enough to deserve a better or different body you are
40:32
simply practicing looking after yourself because you already deserve that care,
40:37
and that's it if there's one thing that I want you to remember from this episode
40:42
it is this You do not have to choose between loving your body and wanting to look after it.
40:49
You can appreciate where you are and still have goals.
40:53
You can want to feel healthier and stronger without making your current body the enemy.
41:00
And you can start becoming your future self today through the small little decisions
41:08
that you make when nobody else is watching. Okay.
41:12
So the next time you think about opening the fridge, thinking about going for
41:17
a walk or deciding what to have for lunch, just pause for a minute,
41:22
and ask yourself, what would my future self do?
41:28
That's it. One question that will change your life.
41:32
Not the version of you who is constantly criticizing yourself.
41:37
Not the version of you who believes they have to be perfect.
41:40
This is the version of you who feels healthy, who feels strong,
41:44
who feels confident and at peace with themselves. What would they choose?
41:49
That is all the mindset that I want you to shift into this week.
41:54
Shift into that if you're feeling like, you know, save this episode.
41:58
If you want to come back, if you're feeling like you need a little health reset,
42:01
you're worried about body image, come back to this because this isn't about perfection.
42:06
It's about the relationship you build with yourself over time.
42:09
So please do me this one favor, speak to your body with a little more love,
42:14
feed it with care and actually recording this episode today is also making me remember this myself.
42:21
Yes, I'm in postpartum. What am I grateful for?
42:25
What small choices can I make today that make me feel healthier,
42:29
that make me feel like I'm choosing myself, that I'm feeling countable?
42:35
But also just feed your body with care move it in ways that feel good when you
42:40
can give it rest when it needs it and stop putting your happiness on hold,
42:46
until you look a certain way your body is not your body that is the problem
42:50
you need to solve before you're allowed to enjoy your life so wear the bikini
42:55
wear the swimming costume wear the outfit that you've been holding back on,
43:01
and be you because I promise you.
43:04
Everything else will follow. The body will follow. This isn't just about mindset.
43:10
What I'm trying to suggest is that these mindset changes will help shift your
43:14
mindset into making different choices and in turn, in turn, we can lose weight,
43:20
we can get stronger, we can get fitter, we can drop a dress size.
43:23
But it's far more about the right mindset and loving yourself first.
43:31
Thank you so much for listening to this episode I really hope it's resonated with you if it has,
43:38
maybe share it with someone who might need a little reminder and take
43:42
one little step today towards becoming that version of yourself who feels good
43:47
inside and out and as always remember you are exactly where you're meant to be goodbye.