EMBRACE With Taryn Brumfitt
I don’t know about you, but it felt like only last night I was on the dance floor at The Planet, knocking back an illusion or three and busting out my best moves to M People. And then I blinked and here I am. 41 years old, mother of 3, with a mortgage and saying things like “it’s a good day to get the washing done”. How the heckle berry did this happen? Life, it moves so fast doesn’t it? I certainly don’t have an issue with getting older, I’m grateful for every precious minute I have on the planet but I do wish it would slow down just a little! In the past few years since learning to Embrace my body I’ve experienced more adventure and laughter than I did the first 30 years of my life. So, whilst life is speeding up, it’s also becoming more rich and abundant, joyful and fun. I’m not taking life for granted, I am squeezing out every last drop and I want to invite all of you to join me, because there’s plenty of room on the dance floor. In my experience of connecting and working with tens of thousands of women across the globe I know the number one reason that holds women back – the way they feel about their body. Hating your body, or wishing you had ‘her body’ or her {insert any body part} reeks havoc on your life, your happiness and the relationships you have with loved ones. What I want you to know is that it’s never too late to learn to embrace your body, I was 35 years old when I did and I’ve never looked back. But how you ask? Well, the answer is quite epic and more words than I can type on this page, but how about we start with a commitment from you to learn to embrace your body? Take a moment out of your day to consider how hating your body has impacted your life, your kid’s life, your partners life? What have you said no to that you wish you could of said yes to? What would it mean to let go of the negative self-talk and just dive in the ocean, do a bomb in the pool and make peace with the change-rooms? (What about leaving the lights on? Ok, ok, that’s the next level!) Each edition of KIDDO I am going to be bringing you some bodylovin’ inspiration, we can start this journey together. You weren’t born into the world hating your body, you learned this this, now let’s unlearn it whilst there’s still time! I’ve got you – lets do this! Remember the band Sheppard, say Geronimo, of course you do! This month I flew up to Brisbane to dance (badly) in their new lm clip “Kiss my Fat Ass”! This song is going to be such a rad anthem for women all over the world. Seek it out, you’ll love it! Introducing… Incredibly talented singer @tanerelle Last month she went braless on the red carpet at an Awards ceremony and was told she needed to “lift” her breasts? {What the beep??} What was supposed to be a joyous occasion turned into a shitstorm on social media after naysayers voiced their opinions on how they felt Tanerelle should have lifted her breasts or worn a less revealing dress. This is what Tanerelle had to say… “To all the negative comments about today’s look, I don’t need to lift my breast to wear a f*!&ing dress. I’m a woman and my natural tits hang and I f*!&ing love it and I have no intention of changing it to suit your gaze. I’m out here living my dreams, focus on better things.” YES SISTER, SLAY! Doing it for the kids One of the most frequently asked questions I get is “How do I help my child have a good relationship with their body?” This is my response… You are the Queen or King to your child, they see and hear everything you do, so the most impactful thing you can do to help your child foster a positive body image is model positive behaviour. That means not speaking negatively about your body in front of them, it means getting in the ocean, kicking the soccer ball on the beach in your bikini, it means faking it sometimes (it can be tempting to say something negative about your body in front of them – but just DON’T) and above all, the best thing you can do is show them how YOU enjoy your body. Move your body for pleasure and not punishment (don’t go for a walk / run because you ate the cake, move your body because it’s fun!) fuel your body with foods that give you energy, respect your body, show gratitude for your body, and don’t take it all too seriously. If you are on this planet worrying about some dimples on your butt or thighs, I reckon in terms of the human race you’re one of the lucky ones. X Download a song for your kids and change lives! As some of you know we are fundraising to make our next documentary- EmbraceKids. We’ve just released a body positive song for kids with all proceeds ($1.29) going to the film. Download it here (WARNING:Thesongisincrediblycatchy!!) There are many other ways to get involved with our life-changing work, head to bodyimagemovement.com for guilt free shopping (100% proceeds go to Embrace Kids) and make sure you watch Embrace the documentary – it’s a game changer! The best of our socials… FOLLOW @bodyimagemovement for a daily dose of love and inspiration!