10 ways to improve your body image

10 ways to improve your body image

Low self-esteem and long-standing negative core beliefs can often fuel negative thought patterns of your body image and appearance. The first step to creating a positive body image is to question those negative thoughts and introduce yourself to healthier ways of viewing your appearance. The more you practice these new thought patterns, the better equipped you will be to block out you inner mean girl and banish those negative thoughts to create a more positive body image.

Your body image is a function of how you feel about your appearance and how well you feel your body performs and your general health. Some of the cues that influence your body image come from your own perspective and others are affected by social factors. For instance, if you feel that you are strong and capable you will have a better body image than if you feel uncoordinated or weak. Similarly, a chronic illness can cause you to resent your body for causing pain and impeding your life goals.

Another facet of body image, and perhaps the most prevalent negative aspect in society, is your feelings about your appearance. What you view as your appearance is largely determined not by how you feel but by how society defines ideals of physical beauty. Most people who experience body image disturbances are sensitive to these social definitions. They feel that there is a mismatch between how they look and how they "should" look.

The list of techniques below that help to build self esteem are taken from The National Eating Disorders website. They are really helpful ways to second-guess your negative thoughts are shift your perspective, which will help to see your body in a more positive light!

1. Appreciate all that your body can do.  Every day your body carries you closer to your dreams.  Celebrate all of the amazing things your body does for you—running, dancing, breathing, laughing, dreaming, etc.

2. Keep a top-ten list of things you like about yourself—things that aren’t related to how much you weigh or what you look like.  Read your list often.  Add to it as you become aware of more things to like about yourself.

3. Remind yourself that “true beauty” is not simply skin deep.  When you feel good about yourself and who you are, you carry yourself with a sense of confidence, self-acceptance, and openness that makes you beautiful regardless of whether you physically look like a supermodel.  Beauty is a state of mind, not a state of your body.

4. Look at yourself as a whole person.  When you see yourself in a mirror or in your mind, choose not to focus on specific body parts.  See yourself as you want others to see you–as a whole person.

5. Surround yourself with positive people.  It is easier to feel good about yourself and your body when you are around others who are supportive and who recognize the importance of liking yourself just as you naturally are.

6. Shut down those voices in your head that tell you your body is not “right” or that you are a “bad” person.  You can overpower those negative thoughts with positive ones.  The next time you start to tear yourself down, build yourself back up with a few quick affirmations that work for you.

7. Wear clothes that are comfortable and that make you feel good about your body.  Work with your body, not against it.

8. Become a critical viewer of social and media messages.  Pay attention to images, slogans, or attitudes that make you feel bad about yourself or your body.  Protest these messages:  write a letter to the advertiser or talk back to the image or message

9. Do something nice for yourself--something that lets your body know you appreciate it.  Take a bubble bath, make time for a nap, find a peaceful place outside to relax.

10. Use the time and energy that you might have spent worrying about food, calories, and your weight to do something to help others.  Sometimes reaching out to other people can help you feel better about yourself and can make a positive change in our world.

Healthier Jam Drops

Lots of your Nana's or Mum's sweetie recipes can be transformed into healthier and more nourishing versions with a few ingredient swaps. Subbing regular processed sugar for stevia and replacing plain flour with low-gluten wholegrain flours, you can replicate those old-fashioned favourites the healthy way.

Jam drops are one of those childhood baking memories I thought to make over. These biscuits keep really well and you can have them on hand all week for sweet treats. Their sweet and straight-forward flavour mean they are a hit with the kiddies as well.

Healthier Jam Drops

Ingredients:

• 110 grams of organic butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 
• 1/3 cup of stevia
• 1 organic cage-free egg
• 1 cup of ground almonds or hazelnuts
• 1/3 cup of wholemeal spelt flour
• 1/3 cup of quinoa flour
• 3 tablespoons of chopped coconut flakes
• low-sugar strawberry or raspberry jam

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and line two baking trays with greased-proof paper.
2. Use an electric mixer to whisk the butter, vanilla and stevia together until white and creamy. Beat in the egg. Add in the ground nuts and use the electric mixer once more to combine.
3. Add the flours and coconut and mix by hand to make a dough. 
4. Spoon out a tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball, flattening down onto the tray. Repeat with remaining mixture leaving 5 centimetres apart from each biscuit.
5. Use the end of a spoon to make a hole inside each biscuit. Fill with jam.
6. Bake for 15 minutes until golden. Depending on your oven, you may want to keep an eye on them after 10 minutes. My oven always cooks baked goods much faster than recipes predict!
7. Let the cookies cool on their trays for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Raw Chocolate Brownie

This recipe is taken from The Conscious Foodie, another blogger dedicated to providing yummy healthy treat recipes! What's great about this recipe is you don't have to do any baking, just prepare and leave to cool in the fridge for a fudgey and delicious end result.

Conscious Foodie's Raw Choc Brownies

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup walnuts
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
• 10 fresh dates (seeds removed)
• ½ cup cacao powder

Icing Ingredients:

• ½ cup cashews
• ½ cup coconut cream
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla powder
• 1 tablespoon cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Strawberries (or other berries) to serve

Method:

1. Process almonds, walnuts and cacao until the nuts turn into a fine meal and the cacao is well combined.
2. Add dates slowly until the mixture combines and starts to stick together.
3. Finally add coconut oil and process until well combined.
4. Press the combined brownie mixture into a small tray. Place in the fridge while you make the icing.
5. To make the icing, process all ingredients until smooth and then spread on top of the brownie.
6. Cool in the fridge for 3 hours, then cut into squares and serve with strawberries (or other berries). These brownies are best stored in the fridge. Enjoy!

healthy spinach quiche 'greek pie' inspired

Part quiche part pie, this dish has a few of my favourite ingredients, pine nuts, fetta cheese and spinach, combined much like the classic Greek meal Spanakopita. Yum!

However this creation is defined, I absolutely loved how it turned out and it was delicious warm for dinner or wrapped up cold for lunch.


Healthy Spinach Quiche

You will need a flan or pie baking dish for this recipe.

Crust:

• 1/4 cup of almond meal
• 1/4 cup of wholemeal spelt flour
• 1/4 cup of gluten-free plain flour
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of water

Filling:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 4 eggs
• 6 cubes of frozen spinach, thawed
• 1/2 block of light fetta cheese, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup of pine nuts
• 4 tablespoons of milk of your choice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl, sift in the flours and mix together. Make a well in the middle of the flours and pour in the olive oil and water. Mix together until the ingredients start to come together. Use your hands to form a dough. Add more flour in the dough is too wet. Form a ball and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
3. In a small fry pan, sauté the garlic and onions until soft and fragrant. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Mix in the spinach, fetta, pine nuts and the cooked onions. 
5. Take out the dough and sprinkle with flour. Cover your kitchen bench with some cling film and also dust with flour. Roll out your dough with a rolling pin on the covered bench until you get a thin stretched circle to cover the pie dish. Make sure you use flour as you go to prevent the dough sticking.
6. Lightly oil the pie dish and carefully transfer your rolled dough to cover. Press into the sides. Don't worry about it being perfect. Little bits of dough can be used to cover any patches or holes. It is important to not have any leaks in the dough to keep the filling intact.
7. Once you are happy with the crust, blind bake for 10 minutes until crisp and slightly browned. 
8. Now you can pour your filling in and bake for a further 20 minutes.
9. Serve with a green salad with some kalamata olives. 

vegan sugar-free mocha cake

Me: Love coffee?
You: Need. Now.

Me: Love chocolate?
You: Duh.

Me: Love cake?
You: Mmm. Cake... (cake cake cake)

This one's for you.

Ok let's do this.

Vegan Mocha Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 1 shot of espresso coffee
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 cup oat flour
• 1/3 of stevia granules (I use Natvia)
• 1/2 tablespoon ground flax seeds or chia seeds
• 3 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 3 tablespoon of cacao powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/4 cup almond milk 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• vegan choc chip for topping

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees fan forced (moderately hot).
2. Grease a bundt tin or cake tin with coconut oil thoroughly. You don't want that baby to stick! 
3. Whip together the coconut oil, stevia, flax or chia and vanilla. Whisk in the espresso and almond milk.
4. In a large mixing bowl, sift in the oat flour, almond flour, spices, baking powder and salt.
5. Make a well in the centre of the dry mix and gradually pour in the wet ingredients. Very gently (!) mix together the ingredients until just combined. This helps the cake to stay moist and not gluey when it bakes.
6. Pour the mixture into your greased cake tin and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake for 25 minutes or until the cake springs back when you press the top.
7. Let the cake cool slightly (few minutes) before turning onto a wire rack to cool. 

Renee Somerfield Diet and Fitness Routine + Vegan Fitness Model Meal Plan

 Apart from being super gorgeous, Renee Somerfield always seems genuinely happy and bright, with her positive energy oozing from every sexy shot she posts on Instagram. Her insane looks have attracted lots of attention from admirers, including plenty of girls crowning her as their ultimate fitspo. While Renee is a devoted vegan and stays active, she does admit she's "definitely always been skinny."

She reveals, "My physique is naturally very petite and I am quite tall (5’10). Growing up, this felt very awkward but I have grown to love and embrace my body! I work hard to keep my body looking healthy and fit, which means eating 6+ times a day and working out with resistance and weights to make sure I maintain lean muscle… I don’t like looking too skinny!"

A passionate vegan (for over five years), Renee finds it easy to eat healthy as she tried to keep her food the way mother nature intended avoiding animal products such as meat and dairy and following a plant-based diet. A typical day would include organic muesli, fruit, salad on rye bread or organic muesli, veggie pattie burgers, and wholegrain pastas. For more ideas on how to eat vegan, check out Renee's fellow fitness model and bestie Sheridyn Fisher's daily meal plan.

Enjoying her food, Renee loves to cook and uses a vegan cook book to make Thai dishes with veggies & tofu, tacos or burritos with beans and chilli (she touts herself the burrito queen), baked veggies with hummus or vegetable soup with beans and pasta. When eating out, Renee finds it easy to spot a healthy option on the menu or asks for her food to be prepared adjusting to her vegan diet. She also isn't afraid to treat herself in a healthy way like her fave dessert of chocolate soy ice cream or the occasional cocktail.

To stay lean and toned, Renee keeps moving and focuses on being strong and not skinny. Despite her diet and fitness routine, she stresses "Confidence comes from how you feel." Eating well comes from a belief to nourish her body with healthy, natural and nutrient-rich foods. Renee also think her positive mind set helps to maintain her desire to stay fit, keep her skin glowing and nail and hair strong. Giving her body love and respect is why Renee eats well and stays active, avoiding alcohol, processed foods, caffeine and getting adequate sleep.

Considering her crazy busy schedule, which includes doing two shoots a day in all different environments, Renee has plenty of energy and enjoys shooting outside, especially on beaches or exotic locations. Her bubbly and gracious personality sees her hired again and again, and those stunning looks help merchandise to fly off the shelves. Her instagram account alone has 750 000 followers and counting. A couple of selfies have fans going gaga over her amazing body and vivacious looks. This isn't by accident either as Renee tailors what she posts to create a specific image which the media has quickly picked up on calling her one of the best in the 'sexy selfie' game.

Renee agrees, "It's all about the content, I share what I'm doing everyday and that's usually in a bikini," she says. "As I've turned my Instagram and social media into a business, I make sure the content will benefit that."

Well the girl knows what sells!

Other than her strong sense of business and work ethic, one of Renee's top priorities is staying active. When it comes to spending time in the gym, Renee much prefers staying active outside to keep her workouts fun and outdoors. Her favourite ways to exercise are through long distance running, walking her dogs, sand dune sprints and Pilates with weights. It's no surprise as a passionate vegan, Renee is a big animal lover and her dogs often feature on her Instagram and once you see the size of one of them, you will imagine it keeps her running around! She also keep handy equipment on the go with her, like resistance band which allows her to exercise in hotel rooms.

Renee advises, "If you loathe going to the gym (like me!) then try an outdoor class, swap the treadmill for the sand or go for a bike ride with a friend. Working out is meant to be fun, not a chore!" A healthy lifestyle is a year-long habit for Renee who doesn't do any emergency dieting or extra training before a shoot.

"I believe in a healthy lifestyle, not a quick-fix diet. Making sure I am eating clean and moving my body ensures I am always bikini ready!"

Visit www.reneesomerfield.com or follow Renee on Twitter and Facebook!

Berry Yoghurt Pops

I'm often one of those people that while I am eating dinner, I am thinking about what may lie ahead for me for dessert. Having a sweet tooth can really derail your diet and undo your hard work at the gym that day. My trick is to have lots of healthy sweets and treats on hand to satisfy those cravings and stop you from downing hundreds of empty calories in a few handfuls of M&Ms.

Firstly let me stress that if you are having super strong sugar yearnings post dinner make sure you have eaten enough calories for your body that day and have incorporated enough balanced carbs into your diet. Sugar and high fat foods is usually what your body will long for if you are undernourished and low in energy. Don't be afraid to eat a big but healthy lunch and dinner. When I started increasing my size and calorie count of lunch and dinner, I found it easy to cut out snacks and stop the urge for something sweet. 

BUT if you have taken care of yourself that day but still need a treat (it is part of what makes life fun!), then these yoghurt pops are perfect for you.

Berry Yoghurt Pops

Ingredients:

• 1 large tub of natural plain or Greek yoghurt
• 1 punnet or 1 cup of strawberries
• 1/2 cup of raspberries
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 2 tablespoons of chia seeds

Method:

1. In a blender, mix the yoghurt, strawberries and honey together until creamy. Stir through the chia seeds.
2. Fill your popsicle tray half-way with the yoghurt mix, throw in a couple of raspberries and then fill to the top. Place the popsicle sticks 3/4 the way down the pop, leaving enough room to remove and hold the popsicle.
3. Leave to freeze for at least six hours. When you are ready to eat, take out of the freezer and few minutes before to loosen the outside (or run a little hot water over the base if you can't wait!).