At Nature’s Relief, we have found that many people have been requesting products that assist with weight loss, especially women and especially in January where many people have set weight loss goals. We understand the enormous pressure that people feel to look a certain way. While social media may have positive benefits, it can also create a distorted reality of a healthy body image. A 2018 study from the US national library of medicine found a correlation between time spent on social media, negative body image and disordered eating. We tend to forget that social media is often made up of images of people presenting themselves in their best light. Many of these images are photoshopped, filtered and heavily edited to give us a distorted fantasy over realistic body expectations. As much as we are aware of this, it’s hard not to give into social pressures. However, there is a growing number of people who have recognised the unrealistic expectations that social media has created, and they have created a new movement, the body positivity movement.

Body positivity

Body positivity is defined as; “ a social movement initially created to empower and popularize overweight women and men, while also challenging the ways in which society presents and views the physical body. The movement advocates the acceptance of all bodies regardless of physical ability, size, gender, race, or appearance.” We support the body positivity movement completely and believe that everyone should be happy and healthy within their own bodies without discrimination. We also believe at health at every size. For some people, perhaps loosing weight will lead to a healthier body which is why we wanted to investigate whether it is possible to lose weight and still be body positive? We believe that by making conscious health decisions, you can maintain a healthy weight that you feel positive and comfortable with. Perhaps the best way to do this is to take the focus off weight loss as a goal and put the emphasis back on health. We want to create positive, functional, and happy bodies. We wanted to look at mindful ways to become comfortable in your own body and love every bit of the progress you make.

Positive self-talk and meditation for a healthy body image

When we look in the mirror (or at photos of ourselves) we do so with a critical eye which can form a negative body image. Some of the most cruel comments about your body, start with yourself. We would never dream about saying these things to another person, yet we constantly say them to ourselves. Eventually we start to attach our self-worth to our physical appearance and with so much negative self-talk, your self-esteem may begin to plummet. What if we changed the narrative and started speaking to ourselves as we would somebody we love? By engaging in a daily meditation practice, we can observe our thought patterns and let go of any negative feelings, giving these thoughts less power. There are many guided meditations online that can help you overcome some of these feelings. If you are new to meditation, it may help to set aside 10 minutes every morning to focus on this. Try taking a few drops of Nature’s Relief CBD calm to help clear the mind. Nature’s Relief CBD Calm can help calm the mind as CBD works by affecting the body’s endocannabinoid system which naturally produces cannabinoids, such as anandamide. This cannabinoid acts upon the body’s CB1 and CB2 receptors and plays a key role in regulating fear and anxiety.

Move to feel good!

Exercise should never feel like punishment and a number on the scale should not impact the benefits of a consistent work out routine. Exercise is an excellent way to feel good as it increases endorphins, dopamine, adrenaline and endocannabinoid — these are all brain chemicals associated with feeling happy, feeling confident, feeling capable, feeling less anxiety and stress. It is important to find exercises that feel good to you. If running isn’t your thing… try yoga! Just keep trying new things until you find the right fit for you. It may be beneficial to include Nature’s Relief CBD sport within your workout routine as CBD helps to reduce anxiety. CBD can also help with inflammation which will make your workout routine more enjoyable.

If you are feeling stuck and don’t quite know where to start; two of our amazing partners are offering incredible fitness packages to get you started in the comfort of your own home! You can find out more information about these packages from RunEx and Reset Collective below.

Love the body you are in

This is the body you have been given so you may as well learn to love and adore it. Learn to thank your body for how far it’s taken you and practice rituals of self-love. Treat and talk to yourself as you would a small child, with love and kindness. Feed yourself healthy and nutritious food, exercise/play outside in the sunshine, hydrate, get enough sleep, and mostly importantly speak kindly to yourself.