Do you catch yourself looking in the mirror and sucking in your stomach? Flexing for the camera? Grumbling at your cellulite? Comparing yourself to people at the gym, pool or beach?
This state of mind can eat us alive, turn us into our own worst critic and can be a sign of a very real and very commonly unacknowledged issue, body dysmorphia. The “imperfections” of your body are normal, a part of being alive and according to this week’s guest, ultimately insignificant to the human experience.
“I want people to understand that they’ve got 28,000 days on the planet, if they’re lucky, and that is not a lot of time, so let’s not waste them worrying about cellulite or our stretch marks.”
Taryn Brumfitt started her public career by doing things unconventionally. In 2012 she casually posted a photograph of what her body looked like years after competing in swimsuit competitions. With pure embrace, love and fearlessness she posted a nude photo that showed skin folds, cellulite and the realness of a woman’s body without the spray tan and photoshop. The act was almost as beautiful as she is. And it went viral. 100 million people kind of viral.
Since that day, Taryn has dedicated her life to sharing a simple message: get your relationship right with your body. She’s an internationally recognized keynote speaker, founder of The Body Image Movement, a best-selling author, creator of a documentary called Embrace, 2019 Australian of the year and a mother of three.
“If we truly want to be the best entrepreneurs and friends and husbands and wives and all of those things, having an exceptional relationship with yourself and your body is everything.”
Ways to Shift Into Right Relation With Your Body
- Move your body for pleasure, not punishment! Exercise doesn’t have to be a drag, find things to do that you enjoy. Go swimming, go for a hike, find things that light you up and get you moving at the same time. Don’t move your body because you ate the cake, move your body because you love to.
- Your body is not an ornament, it’s a vehicle to your dreams. Find the reasons to love your body. Find a part of your body that you hate and find the love for it. Love is there, but you might have to search a little.
- Notice the messages of body-hate around you, but don’t take them in, don’t take them on.
- Treat your body like a temple. Eating 20 donuts on the couch isn’t loving your body, its sabotage. Nourish your beautiful body with beautifully nourishing food.
“I just want people to understand the true power that comes from not anchoring yourself down and weighing yourself down inside your own head by talking negatively about your body. It’s a superpower that we can all tap into and it’s very possible for everybody.”
How To Be a Good Role Model to Kids Around Food & Body Image
- Show children positive body image by having a positive body image and being that example for them
- Don’t demonize food. Don’t talk about good food and bad food
- Don’t talk about dieting
- Throw out the scales.
- Enjoy our bodies, enjoy life and have fun!
“We were not born into the world hating our bodies, this is a learned behavior. We bought into the messages that told us to be anything other than what we are and it’s made us miserable and disconnected to our lives.
To check out Taryn’s website for her work and resources click here
Watch Taryn’s documentary Embrace on iTunes
This article was written by Olenka Toroshenko
Olenka Toroshenko is a Ukrainian Canadian artist, writer, and producer whose life is in service to a saner, meaningful existence. She is a multidisciplinary performer whose mediums include spoken word poetry, dance, clown, song, and ritual performance art.
Olenka is a Katonah yoga teacher, lifelong student, and lover of coniferous forests. She has worked in news broadcast and politics which have helped shape her understanding of the current cultural paradigm
https://www.olenkatoroshenko.com/
