The world’s obsession with body image, comparison and restriction.

Online and all over social media there is a huge obsession with body size and shape – we are continually bombarded with images of what we should look like. Our reels are filled with pictures of countless women showing their abs with the added caption “what I eat in a day”. Before and after pics from endless weight loss plans. So many things on offer to us that make us believe if we do this plan, eat this food, lift these weights, we will look like them. And when we try, and it doesn’t work, that comparison becomes the thief of our joy.

Reframing our thinking away from restriction.

How unhealthy is this for our mental and emotional wellbeing? We are meant to love and nourish ourselves, not compare and criticise ourselves and our bodies. Every body is so uniquely different, as are the factors that determine our individual health and wellbeing. From the economic, social and physical environments we live in, to our cultures, genetics, lifestyles, and physical abilities. Not one of us is the same, therefore we need to focus on how we can be the healthiest, happiest versions of ourselves, rather than copies of someone else.

Helping people live healthy lives that are sustainable long term is a key focus at Whole Life Nutrition.

For many this feels like an unrealistic ideal...but what if we change our apporoah to eating? If we eat three meals a day, at a minumum, we have 21 opportunites per week to either nourish our bodies with wholefoods, or to eat foods that do nothing to help fuel or nourish us. The good news is, that it is not what we do sometimes that has a big impact, it is what we do MOST of the time.

At Whole Life Nutrition one thing we talk about are your “non-negotiables”.

For all of us there will be a moment or two in our week where we do things not only for our physical health but for our mental/emotional and social wellbeing. This might be going out for a coffee with a friend, seeing a movie or heading out for dinner with your whanau. At these times, we don’t want to feel the weight of restriction that says “I can come, but I won’t be eating anything because I am on a diet”. Do we really want to flick through a menu of beautiful food at a restaurant and say no because we now fear eating certain “unhealthy” foods? We want to find balance and move away from restriction and dieting, so we can adopt a healthy sustainable lifestyle. If you eat a burger and fries on a Friday night, you haven’t ruined anything. You still have at least 20 other opportunities that week to choose foods that are more nourishing for your body.

Maybe a starting point to wellbeing is freedom from comparing ourselves to others, and punishing our bodies with constant dieting and restricted eating. Following this, recognise you are a unique, amazing human being, who can achieve anything you put your mind to – you just need the right mindset, a plan and good support.