Tag: health

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Body Image Body Shape Style Personalities Weight

@Lizzo, Queen of Glastonbury and champion of body positivity

Lizzo and body confidence
Love Your Body

Lizzo, Queen of Glastonbury

I watched more of Glastonbury than I usually would this year and almost by accident managed to see the magnificent Lizzo and her set.   If you watch the set online, there is some strong language right the way through.   If you only see the final number, Juice, it’s a triumph of self-love and body confidence but the strong language is still there.   I loved it!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p07df3fg/glastonbury-lizzo-live-at-glastonbury

Who is Lizzo and why should I check her out?

Lizzo (birth name Melissa Jefferson) is an alt hip-hop singer and rapper from Houston, Texas.   She’s winning praise from artists such as Missy Elliot and Chris Martin.

I’m not going to pussyfoot here, Lizzo is a big lady, curvaceous, vivacious and full of fun.   Her performances, just like the beautiful Lizzo, are larger than life and she wants everyone in the audience to feel good about themselves.   It’s a refreshing change to see a big girl who loves who and what she is.  Lizzo’s dancers aren’t the stereotypical slim, athletic types, they’re a group of plus sized ladies called Big Grrrls and they moved like a well-oiled machine with grace and power.   As a curvy lady myself, it was a joy to see someone like me on stage and loving it.   More importantly, the crowd loved them.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzUTyDGhlKF/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Lizzo and Body Confidence

Lizzo’s outfit was a triumph of purple sparkle but the most startling and wonderful thing was the cut of the lower body, it left little to the imagination and showing belly, bum and muffin tops – all of which she caressed, loved and showed off for all it was worth.   I confess I’d have been worried about my c section scar, cellulite and sagging skin, but Lizzo loves her body.  She celebrates every curve, lump and bump in equal measure and I adored her for doing it.

During the whole set she talked to the crowd, inviting them to love themselves, to look in the mirror and love what they see each day.  It was inspiring, uplifting and for many in the crowd it was an emotional experience.

From Lizzo’s Instagram feed 

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzVTaR_BRhx/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

How do we tap into Lizzo’s body confidence?

Try doing Lizzo’s suggested affirmations/mantra every day – at least once a day and ideally whenever you pass a mirror.  I also found lots of ideas, all simple things you can do – some each day and others every time you remember or think about it.

  1. Make a list of all the amazing things your body does for you
  2. Keep a list of the top 10 (or start with 5 if you’re struggling and build up) things you love about your body
  3. Try and remember that real beauty isn’t just about the packaging, it’s about what’s inside, the real, amazing you.
  4. Look at all of you, don’t just zoom in on those thighs, your belly or your bingo wings.  Look at you as a package, not just the parts, love all of you.
  5. Try and spend most of your time with people who love you and love how you look, ditch the haters and critics.
  6. If the voice in your head isn’t nice when it talks about you, change the voice or change the words.  Talk back to it and tell it you are beautiful, strong, amazing and powerful
  7. Do something nice for yourself, whether that’s a bath in peace and quiet – no kids or other interruptions, get your nails done, have a pedicure, go for a walk in the park/nature or take a shower and enjoy noise of the water.
  8. Help someone else, do something nice to cheer up a friend, volunteer at the local church, lunch club or other social group.
  9. Wear clothes that fit you and your shape, if you have curves, embrace them and love what you have.
  10. If you’re feeling down because of all the so-called perfect social media images, remember that just because someone’s life looks perfect it doesn’t mean it is.   Do something with your time that’ll make you feel better, take a walk, visit a good friend, watch a comedy on tv, listen to joyous, uplifting music, try some yoga or meditation.   This study found that women who see average or plus-size models in magazines/media felt better about themselves than those who saw slim/thin models, be aware of the images you are feeding to your brain.
  11. Start each day with some positive affirmations, your brain is in the perfect state to learn and train the subconscious mind at the start and end of the day.  Give it some good mental vibes with self-love affirmations and try to keep them in the present tense.  I am beautiful, I am strong, I am capable, I am awesome, I am sexy or whatever message makes you happy.   A few minutes every day will change your life.

If you take a minute a day to look in the mirror and compliment or be kind to yourself, you’ll find you’re much more accepting of your own features and will stop seeing them as flaws.  Every time I look in the mirror I say Hello Beautiful to myself and smile, it always makes me feel good. Try it!

I was reading about body image and found a lovely idea, Operation Beautiful, they encourage you to place random post-it notes with positive messages and leave them for others to find.   They believe we are all beautiful and we all need to see it.

I thought this was a great idea.   I also think I need to start leaving these message for myself.   I’ve started placing them around the house, usually near a mirror   My son has found a few and thought they were great fun.   Pick up those post-its and start helping someone feel beautiful today.  Maybe I’ll ask Lizzo if I can borrow that purple outfit next year 🙂

Here’s the link to our FREE Facebook Group for TransformMyStyle, I share lots of tips, tricks and advice here in a warm, friendly and welcoming community. I’d love to have you join us.  Or you can share this article on social media or with a friend who might like it.

If you’d like to learn more about our Online Colour Analysis Service,

Loraine

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Categories
Body Image Body Shape Colour Analysis Health Weight

Weight is just a number

Female Body Shapes
Type of female figures. Hourglass, triangle, inverted triangle, round, rectangle. Set. Vector illustration Cartoon characters Isolated Shapes

I was watching a film on Netflix, Brené Brown – The call to courage, where she talks a about courage, shame and the weight of societal expectations.   She made some really interesting observations about how men are judged on how successful they are, expected to always be strong and to defend their family at all costs.   While women are judged by their appearance and in particular their body image and weight.   We’re shamed for being too fat, too thin, too tall, too short and so on.

A friend posted an image on Facebook, all these women weigh 11 stone / 154lbs / 69.85kg which is the average weight of a British woman.   It made me think about weight and I’ve decided it’s just a number.

Five women who all weigh the same but are different heights and dress sizes
Five women who all weigh the same but are different heights and dress sizes

The image will take you directly to the article if you click on it.

The ladies range from 5ft 2in tall up to 6ft 1in tall, have different body shapes and lifestyles.   Some exercise, some walk, some don’t.   It’s important to remember that a pound of muscle takes up a lot less room than a pound of fat so weight isn’t always the most accurate measure of health, neither is BMI or body mass index.

My Ex husband is 6ft 4 1/2 in tall, his BMI has often been pointed out as high but the ratio based on height isn’t the most accurate and doesn’t take into account the muscle mass or skeletal mass of the person.  He was never overweight, never had any belly fat, so his BMI and weight weren’t an accurate measure of his health.

You could be skinny-fat, slim but with more visceral belly fat hidden in your system than someone who weighs more but is more active and eats a healthier diet.

Building up muscle as we get older can make a positive impact on your metabolism, your inch loss, your energy and your long term health.   That muscle will help increase your metabolism and help you look leaner, stronger and feel better.

So next time you weigh in, remember, it’s just a number.   It’s not the measure that changes who you are, it’s doing something about it.

I’m 51 now and 5ft 4in tall, like Angela in the article, lady on the left of the photo.    I weigh more than she does but I’m following a Rosemary Conley plan from her Hip & Thigh diet, it’s easy for me to remember and works for me.  I’m a way off 11st but it’s my goal to get there by March of 2020.     To keep myself on track I’ve set up non-food mini rewards along the way for each 7lbs lost.

Body shape makes a difference, I’m a pear shape or triangle with my weight in the lower body, but in recent years due to hormones and menopause I’ve been carrying some belly fat.    Belly fat is more dangerous than leg, hip or bottom fat and it’s something I need to deal with to avoid health complications.    See this article on the BBC website for more information.

I have added in some bodyweight training, 3 times a week for just 15 minutes per session.   It’s easy to fit into my working day and hard to find an excuse not to do it 🙂       I can feel more muscle after just a few weeks and there is definitely some inch loss even on weeks when the scales say otherwise.   See, weight is just a number 🙂

I’m working my way through the Couch to 5k programme from the NHS in addition to my daily dog walks.   I’m on week one and I can already feel a difference to my energy levels.     I’ll let you know what changes that makes to my weight and measurements as I go along.

What’s my point?   I guess to say that weight is just a number, it means different things depending on your lifestyle, how active you are, how you eat and isn’t the only measure of health or success in life.

If you’re overweight now, don’t put off changing your life.   If you want to have your colour analysis session or have a style consult, do it now.   You have the right to feel gorgeous every day and your weight doesn’t define that.  Learn to love yourself the way you are and your whole world will change.

Next month I’m adding in a five minute, no weights workout each day to tackle those jiggly upper arms, check in end of July for more info, maybe you’d like to join me?

Loraine

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