Why movement is good for body positivity
We recently caught up with Sabine, Founder of Core Confidence, to find out a bit more about what they do and her thoughts and advice on loving yourself. Core Confidence brings together the benefits of both Movement and Mindfulness to promote body esteem and wellbeing for teens through workshops and mentoring.
What does body positivity mean to you?
Body positivity to me means living my life (mostly!) free of worry or concern about my size, shape or what I look like. This isn't a constant state of mind but rather a choice I get to make in each moment. And sometimes on occasion I don't choose the body positive choice. For me it's equally as important to recognize when I'm not feeling 100% positive about whatever it may be (breakouts on skin, fit of clothes etc) and not judging myself for feeling that way. This might seem anti - body positivity but it's totally not! Just like it's unreasonable to expect every day in our lives to be sunny and carefree, I think it's unreasonable to expect ourselves to be body positive ALL the time.
Have there been times in your life when you’ve struggle with your body image? If so how did you overcome this?
Yup! My lowest point of body esteem was between the ages of 19 - 22. There was a lot of factors involved (moving towns, new relationship etc etc) but at the crux of it my low body esteem was a projection of me not feeling good enough. This thought pattern led me to behaviours which saw the development of an eating disorder. This is an extreme end of low body esteem but one which sadly many of Australians are facing. I overcame my disorder by seeking medical help. Finding a therapy that worked for me (group!) and professionals who I connected with. This was a lot harder than I thought. I was studying Physiotherapy at the time and I thought I was an expert on what my body needed but this was far from the case. Google wasn’t helping the situation either. The Butterfly Foundation helpline (1800 33 4673) is a great resource to tap into if any of your readers are struggling. I am very thankful that my family encouraged me to reach out and talk, even whilst I was in denial about what was going on.
How do you feel your best?
By talking! As an extrovert I need to talk - about everything and anything. It helps me think and get rid of negative feelings. Secondly, by moving my body. Taking my dog for a walk or doing some simple stretches on my home office floor all put a smile on my dial (Bonus points for moving my body and talking at the same time haha).
Have you made changes in your life that have helped you on your journey to body-positivity?
One HUGE thing for me was getting off social media. Giving myself a break from comparing every bit of myself and my life with a friend’s instagram reel, influencers filtered vlog or celeb living-the-high-life snapchat. I think it’s about time I have one of these “detox’s” again!
The second is practising gratitude. Listing a few things I am grateful for each night really helps put body image into perspective. Perspective is key!
Tell us about Core Confidence and the idea behind it
I started Core Confidence because of my own issues with low body esteem, lack of self love and feeling completely alone in my struggles throughout it all. I wish I’d known even just a little about what an inner critic is, what self care rituals can do and the importance of mindfulness amongst a multitude of other lessons I’ve learnt via my journey, my qualification and from other experts. Core Confidence aims to equip young people to feel empowered, confident and in love with who they are today. We combine the benefits of movement with the practise of mindfulness at our workshops, events, social media pages and soon to come online course to promote Self Love and Self Acceptance amongst a supportive community. I just don’t want anyone to feel the loneliness that I did.
That’s why supporting campaigns such as #etelove is so important to me. Not only is the campaign raising money for important service providers but it’s also spreading much needed awareness on topics very close to my heart that impact almost all of us. Thank you :)
How can we all use movement in our daily lives to improve self image?
By firstly letting go of this notion that we must move our bodies to lose weight, tone up or look good in a bikini. In my opinion that’s forcing exercise from a place of fear. One of the greatest things I’ve learnt is to move my body from a place of love. Finding what I enjoy and listening to what my body needs. Whether this is a walk, group Pilates session, High Intensity Training, swim at the ocean, stretch in the living room, or sometimes - nothing… the list is endless. From this place of love we can then start to appreciate our body for all the amazing things it does rather than focusing on what it looks like.
What 3 tips would you give to someone about embracing the body they have?
- Accept that embracing your body doesn’t necessarily mean having to love it 100% all of the time. Just like we love our families/boyfriends/girlfriends/friends/pets despite their flaws and annoyances - so too can we love ourselves.
- Surround yourself with people who talk less about the latest diet they’re on and more about what epic adventure they’re planning or challenge they are overcoming.
- Remember: Your body is simply a vessel for your greatness. Just be you.
See more from Sabine on her Instagram @core_confidence_ and website
For more #EteLove stories read our Q&A with Ete Swimwear Founder Jess
To help support the Positive Body Image movement, we are donating 100% of Profits from the sale of our Be Your Own Kind Of Beautiful T-Shirts to the Butterfly Foundation and ProjectHEAL - Shop the T-Shirts here (as worn by Sabine)
