Meet Isabel - a successful middle-aged mother and coach who came to me wanting to speak about her diet. Isabel would like to eat less in order to shift a bit of weight and feel better about her body.  What she reveals in this episode will ring true for probably every woman raised during the era of ’thin is in’ and reminds us of just how pervasive and toxic diet culture has been for us all to live in. How Isabel’s mindset shifts during our conversation is quite amazing!

This episode is for you if you’ve ever struggled with your body image and perfectionism around how you look.

If you are struggling with a negative body image here’s what I suggest:

1. If you are at a healthy weight please consider how diet culture has programmed you to believe that you have to look a certain way to be accepted. How do you feel about this? Have you simply swallowed the idea that women have to be thin without actually questioning the validity of these beliefs?

2. Ask yourself this question - if I could no longer change my body through exercise and diet anymore how would I live? How would this change the focus of my day?

3. Find five things you like about your body and practice active gratitude for them. When I’m cycling up the hill every day I repeat to myself how grateful I am for my 50-year-old legs that they are fit enough to move me around.

4. If you think you’d like to lose some weight for your health then my suggestion would be to pack your diet with veggies and whole foods, find some exercise you enjoy and do it daily, and quit addictive foods like sugar and bread. When I started eating for health (rather than for weight loss) my weight stabilised and has remained the same for years.