Why I threw away the scales...

She hoped on the scales and made a comment about her body, She was only 10 years old.

The daily weighing of my self, The comments I would dish out to myself about my body to myself, and to others, She was absorbing it all into her own young mind. My way of seeing myself, my body, was carving the path for my daughter in how she saw herself and her body in this world. That very day, I threw the scales in the bin, And I said to my daughter, we no longer weigh ourselves, the numbers on the scales mean nothing about us anymore. I still remember the day so clearly, I can still see us both standing on the steps of our Otumoetai home, placing the scales in the bin saying no more.

I knew it was up to me to change my habits, my way of seeing myself to have any impact on my daughter. There was no point telling her what to do, if I wasn't willing to do it for myself first. And man was it challenging at times, And boy did I fail many times, But the promise to myself and my daughter kept knocking at the door of my mind, So I had to keep working at it, every day. I had to trust that I would one day be ok with who I saw in the mirror, this body of mine. So I had to speak and think each day as though I did, Even though for many of those days I didn't really believe it, So in the end it came down to acceptance of who I was and what my body was. As each year passed, as new babies came along, my body continued to change, which meant more time in accepting each of those changes.

Today in our home, body issues don't come up. There are times when my weight changes slightly only because I can feel it in my clothes, but it no longer bothers me, it's just an awareness and I get to choose what I want to do about it. If I'm ok with it, that's just fine, If I feel uncomfortable, I make some changes for myself, But dwelling on it, focusing on it, talking about is never a part of our conversations anymore. Purely because of the lesson my daughter showed me those many years ago.

We only get one body, so why not love the body the way it deserves. It continues to serve you no matter how you treat it, Yet one day it may not. And just like anything, the more love you put it, the more you get back. Love your body, like you do your relationships with others, It will be one of the greatest gifts you could ever give yourself.

PS. Join me for 'Body Love' We start on the 1st August 2019

Why wait until tomorrow, next week, 6 months, next year to love this body of yours. Too often we give others compliments, yet not ourselves. It really isn't about getting the perfect body, but more about accepting your body as it is right now. Acknowledging all that it has done for you this far, The ways it has protected you, kept going no matter what you have thrown at it...it keeps on keeping on. The more you can speak kindly of yourself, of your body, The more you can change they way you see yourself, The more you will receive back in return.

Imagine waking up, walking into the bathroom and seeing yourself and not have to try and fight of those negative thoughts being fired at you. Imagine being able to look at yourself with compassion and gratitude.

I know this all seems a bit freaken crazy...to speak to your body in this way...I know it feels weird and like 'who does this' But let me tell you that once you can be ok with where you're at with your body, this is when you begin to look after you body better. You start to honour yourself more, You start to choose differently for yourself, in so many areas.

After photographing women for many years now, I have seen the difference it makes when you're confident in the body that you're in, no matter your shape or size... You hold yourself differently, You hold your head high because you're ok with being seen. And you deserve to be seen, You deserve to honour yourself in ways that make you feel good.

If you're ready to change the way you see yourself, Private message me for details on 'Body Love'

- We will work on Acceptance, Forgiveness, Love for self - I will share all that I did to come to enjoy who I am and own the body I have. - How to work through and let go of others opinions / words - Look at how you wish to see yourself moving forward - See how life can be so much more enjoyable when you gain acceptance and love for yourself.

No matter where you are in the world, you can all join in. Body Love - let's get you to a place of love. Message me for details.