Plus Size Wellness......where to start?

Start With “Baby Steps“

This is a key Big Beautiful Wellness philosophy about beginning a Healthier, more ACTIVE and Positive lifestyle.

But the question is always..

What are the Baby Steps??

Count Your Blessings

To shake the negative state of mind that traps many of us in destructive patterns an ideal first step is to simply look at your life and list the wonderful things that you are or have.

For example..

You can read this. Be grateful for your vision. You are reading it on a computer. Be grateful for the computer. You are breathing. Be grateful for your ability to breathe.

Write It Down

So many women have benefitted from keeping a journal. Whether to record your thoughts & feelings, to list your blessings or to simply diary your day to day life. The act of releasing the words and then reviewing them is highly theraputic.

These may seem simplistic, but that is where it starts. List them. ALL of them. You have been abundantly blessed, when you start to look.

Choose your Friends Carefully

On the road to WELLNESS, we have to stay clear of the negative influences and people who chip at our Positive Frame of Mind. Talking about weight, looks, beauty products, diets can quickly redirect a HEALTHY focus on WELLNESS to an unhealthy focus on other aspects.
Choose your friends carefully.. Positive attracts positive.. Be the kind of friend you would want your friends to be to you.

Water. Hydrate. De l’eau

There is tremendous research confirming the benefits of water for the body. We need it for so many reasons. Sip, Gulp, Swallow. Just get it in you!

Add flavours. Add Lemon. Add Lime. Add Cucumber. Add Oranges.

Just Drink

Quit the Diet Drinks

The diet drinks are toxic. An ideal baby step is to remove diet drinks, and ultimately all sodas from your diet.

Stop the Fad Diets and focus on Healthy Eating

It is healthier to be overweight (or underweight) for your entire life than to be on a steady YoYo pattern.

Say ‘good bye’ to the DIET.

Say ‘Hello’ to nourishing your body with healthy foods, all day, every day.

Get the FACTS

Hiding from the truth does not make it go away. A wonderful baby step is going for a physical with your doctor. Have all the tests that are appropriate for your age and circumstance.

Get the FACTS about your true circumstances.

Pamper YOURSELF

Take some time to Pamper your Body. A hot Bath. A quiet cup of tea. A manicure. Figure out what you love and create the opportunity to make it happen. To really love the people you love best, you need to make sure you are full and nutured yourself.

Seek out WOMEN who are Sharing your EXPERIENCE

Beyond your friends and family, sharing your WELLNESS experience with other women on the same journey can bouy and motivate you!

Through walking groups, self – help groups, online groups, community groups, you could find your ‘wellness sisters’ to make the adventure even more fun!

Deal with those EMOTIONS, don’t Eat them.

A very common problem for many women is our difficulty managing the emotions.

Many women have sought out the help of counsellors and other professionals to come to grips with the real feelings.

“EATING our FEELINGS” could be replaced with ”SPEAKING our FEELINGS” or “WRITING our FEELINGS” or “SWEATING OUT our FEELINGS”

Give your LIFE a NEW TITLE

There were the ‘Kid Years’, the ‘University Years’, the ‘Single Years’.. why not start the “HEALTHY YEARS” phase of your life.

Simply announce that you have entered a new phase.. and start living it!

LEARN something NEW

An awesome Baby Step might be to sign up for a course, read a biography, visit an art gallery, museum or theater. Stretch those brain cells!!

Remember…you are COMPLICATED

We sometimes are so focused on one aspect of ourselves, usually our body, that we forget the other very important pieces!

You are more than your body. More than your brain. More than your spirit. SO much more.. Tip your head back, breathe deeply in, and accept that you are one COMPLICATED, many layered woman.. with SO MUCH POTENTIAL!

Post REMINDERS

Cover your world with positive reminders that you are beautiful, smart, amazing, loving, kind, patient, compassionate. Everything that you are. Make the note the first thing your eyes land on when the slide open each morning.

Breathe

Slow, deep full breaths in.. and slow full deep breaths out.. Fill those lungs, right down to the bottom. It will clear your head, help you manage emotions, and release some yummy relaxation.

Spend some time with ANIMALS

Walking a dog, petting a cat, gently scratching between the ears of an animal typically has a very fast relaxing reaction in both the scratcher and the “scratchee”.

Play your Favorite Music

Taking those first steps is often easier when you are loving the soundtrack that you have playing!

Choose music that inspires and motivates you. Save your soulful, introspective music for your writing times. When it is time to move.. let the music MOVE YOU!

Get CREATIVE

Paint, draw, sketch, mold, shape, carve, attach, glue, tape, glitter, forge, tie, build, assemble, chip, stain, frame.

You have a few choices there

Get REAL

To explain this, let me quote SUPERMODEL Cindy Crawford..

“Nobody looks like the magazine models. I wish I looked like Cindy Crawford!”

You may want to even consider giving up many of the “Womens” magazines.

The visuals are photoshoped. What you see there.. is not real.

Love the Skin you are in

All of these baby steps are intended to help you LOVE your body. We only get one. We need to love it, cherish it, nourish it.. Your body is a miracle. Treat it like one

Move Your Body

The simplest and cheapest thing you do RIGHT NOW… is MOVE.

Just Move. Wiggle. Squirm. Get up. Go outside. Walk. Run. Dance. Make Love. Dust. Take the stairs. Park far. Carry one thing at a time. Get up EVERY commercial and do something. JUST MOVE.

Reposted with permission