It’s simple. In the words of feminist ‘hench’ comedian Jessica Fostekew: “Put a bikini on.”
Have you ever visited any of the Austrian lakes during the summer? If not, you must go one day. Most of us think Austria is a great holiday destination for alpine skiing or a cultural citybreak to Vienna. It is both those things, but a secret – impressively well-kept by the Austrians – is that it can also be an amazing ‘beachy’ holiday. Austria has no sea coastline, but it does get properly hot summer temperatures and it does have many beautiful mountain lakes. During the summer months, these lakes turn into beachy resorts where the ‘beach’ is soft green grass (no sticky sand getting everywhere) and the ‘sea’ is fresh, pure alpine water. Granted, the water can be a bit chilly, but many people love jumping into cold water after sunbathing (not me!) and in any case, quite a few of the lakes have water temperatures that reach the late 20s in peak summer (much more me!).
I have been lucky enough to visit a few of these Austrian lake resorts and each time I marvelled at two things. Marvel number one: the stunning Austrian mountain backdrop: truly there are not enough words to describe how beautiful the Austrian landscape is during the summer – think of picture postcard alpine villages, lush wildflower ‘Sound of Music’ meadows and soaring dark green, forest-lined mountains.
Marvel number two: how insanely comfortable the Austrians are with showing off their bodies: whilst I was sitting on the grassy lakeshore in my full swimsuit (with hidden tummy control panel and underwire bra support), covered in sunblock, wearing a linen shirt to cover my arms and a floppy hat to protect my face, the Austrians were wearing as little as possible. The Austrian man prefers his speedos and the Austrian woman her bikini. Age didn’t matter – I was in awe of the grandparents! Body shape didn’t matter – if there are unspoken rules around what kind of body you need to pull off tight speedos or a tiny bikini, the Austrians did not appear to be heeding them. And I’m not even going to talk about the naked saunas….
There’s a lot to be said about being so comfortable in your own skin that you don’t mind showing it off. Much of this is cultural – children learn what’s culturally acceptable as they grow up and these ingrained experiences are hard to shake off as adults. On top of that, society puts immense pressure on us to look a particular way and feel ashamed if we don’t.
A lot of this is changing of course, particularly in countries like the UK. I definitely feel that today in the UK there is much more freedom to be unique and individual than it felt like when I was growing up in the ‘90s and Noughties. However, that doesn’t mean that the pressures have gone away and, in fact, plenty of new ones have also arrived to further complicate our feelings about ourselves.
When I am with my clients discussing their health objectives, we often acknowledge that it’s the emotional and mental burdens that are the obstacles to making changes rather than the logistical or practical ones. We can be self-sabotaging and self-doubting. This is where my job as a Nutrition and Wellbeing Coach comes into its own because my job is to set you up for success. If you work with me to improve your health, not only will we come up with a plan that fits your unique situation, but we will identify in advance the challenges that might scupper your best intentions before they happen. And I will be with you every step of the way to tweak and tailor the plan as necessary. So yes, food and exercise are important for health, but do you know what’s absolutely vital? How you actually feel. Do you feel well? How do you feel about yourself, the people around you, your life?
Come talk to me and, together, we’ll get you feeling better.
In the meantime, here are my top 3 tips to lighten your day whatever you’re going through:
Top Tip No 1 – LAUGHTER
What do you find funny? Having a laugh with friends? Comedy gold on TV? Or one of my favourites is stand up comedy. If you have 28 minutes right now, I guarantee that listening to Jessica Fostekew’s Powerhouse stand up show will brighten up your day no end. NB: It does have a ‘giving birth anecdote’ in it so just a warning if you have recently had a baby and it’s too soon to find any of it remotely funny. However, for everyone else, there’s a reason why ‘laughter is the best medicine’ is such an age old saying and Jessica’s overriding message is about not waiting to be happy, be happy now.
Top Tip Number 2 – JOY
Joy is one of those emotions that you feel so easily and regularly as a child, but as an adult we feel oddly self-conscious showing we feel elated about something. Joy is a freeing emotion that we can feel in a group (e.g. being in a choir, supporting your football team, having a party) or on our own (e.g. painting, walking in nature, listening to music). If you create the space for something joyful in your life, it will give you a mental respite from the thoughts that drag you down. Even a few moments can give you an emotional reset. I am very fortunate that where I live, we are surrounded by tall trees and they bring me such joy! I need only pause by the back patio door and spend a few moments looking out at them before a huge feeling of joyous serenity builds up in my chest. Feeling joyously serene sounds like an oxymoron, but joy does not have to be a loud, showy feeling, it can be an uplifting feeling of quietness and calm.
Top Tip Number 3 – AUTHENTICITY
Who are you really? Are you ever your true self? Constantly trying to fit into other people’s expectations of you is exhausting! And when I say ‘other people’, it’s not just the adults in our lives, it’s also the kids! I see so many parents trying to be all things to all people, including their children. Is it all worth it if your health (physical and mental) is suffering? There’s a part of you that needs to be selfish and thick skinned because in looking after yourself, you are also keeping yourself strong to look after everyone else. If you fall apart, what would happen to all your carefully laid plans? So actually, it’s not selfish at all, it’s selfless! When my two sons were tiny, I did the majority of the parenting duties at nighttime and early morning, but I am naturally a night-owl and I loathe (yes, loathe) getting up early in the mornings. As my boys grew, I slowly taught them that Mummy was not in full functioning mode that early in the morning and that if they were awake, they had to entertain themselves, e.g. with toys in a playpen, watching CBeebies on TV, or they could lie in bed with me but I would ignore them until I needed to get up to get them ready for breakfast/school/whatever. To this day (they are now 7 and 12), they wake their father up if they need anything first thing in the morning – haha! But I am still their Mum and they don’t love me any less. I tell you what though, it makes me feel more in charge, more like my authentic self, just to have that bit of extra time in the morning and to choose when my day starts.
So do something that’s just for you, who cares what anyone else thinks.