A cocktail of hot yoga, cabbage, kayaking, kale and clubbercise
I generally don’t dwell much on my body parts – what’s the point? Yet, occasionally I will have a proper, frank look in the mirror. I don’t hate what I see, I just don’t love it. But why don’t I love it? It’s just an average body I guess, whatever average is.
I scrutinise the flabby bits, the dimply bits, and the large bits with annoyance. But really (I repeat) what’s the point? As I reach middle age I am coming to the conclusion that it’s not going to get any better than this – it’s as good as it’s going to get.
Of course I could go berserk and fill my days with a cocktail of hot yoga, cabbage, kayaking, kale, clubbercise but I am wise enough now to know that is never going to happen and I would be miserable.
No – what needs to change is my attitude. This imperfect body of mine is actually quite miraculous. It has carried me around all this time, responds well when I exercise, doesn’t argue too much when I load it with excess chicken biryani and Becks and the most amazing thing of all is that it has borne me children.
My scars are a permanent, glorious reminder of this and really I should be thanking my reliable body for getting me this far rather than berating it for not looking like Shakira (I know I’m still living in the 90s)
Wouldn’t it be refreshing if we could all focus on the positive aspects of our body? Easier said than done I know. However I have found that a good place to start is to apply (literally) care to my body. Dedicating a few extra minutes to my skin regime has repercussions, as it is a reminder and confirmation of my body’s worth. Below are a few examples of where I started -
MOISTURISE – Amazing how different we can feel when our skin is healthy. Transform scaly, flaky skin with Pure Lakes conditioning massage oil. It comes in our 4 signature blends and contains a relaxing combination of vitamin and antioxidant -rich sweet almond and avocado oil.
LOOK DOWN - Our poor feet get a tough deal. We expect them to deliver daily yet give minimum return. Our rich foot balm with nourishing shea and coconut butter moisturises and aloe vera cools and calms.
DON’T GET IN A LATHER - Treat your scalp with the respect it deserves by choosing a shampoo that does not contain Sodium lauryl sulphate. This is a harsh, chemical foaming agent that can lead to scalp irritation. Our shampoo contains only natural, gentle foamers blended with aloe vera and jojoba oil to produce healthy hair and scalp.
These small examples are exactly that, small, and evidently the amount of ‘work’ you can do on your body knows no bounds. Diet, mind, exercise – there is endless information out there and I’m not even going to attempt to add to it. All I’m suggesting is that if we apply care to our body, even outwardly, it can help enormously with our perception of it.
