Hello you beauties!

Today's post is a little different than usual. I've been thinking a lot about the past year and what has changed. And one significant change in my life has to be my attitude towards body confidence - mine especially. It probably helps to think about it now because it is being talked about a lot in the media these days

For anyone who knows me well, they will know that I am not happy with my body. And I know that I'm no where near skinny or slim, and yes I am medically overweight. But should that stop me from doing anything though? No. But does it? Yes.

I used to hate looking at myself in the mirror and would always avoid places like fitting rooms, and if I ever walked past a mirror in a shop, I'd hurry up. I'd hate when people took pictures of me, so I'd avoid it wherever I could (yes, that does mean me and my boyfriend have very few pictures together). I also haven't been swimming for years - not because I can't swim but because I don't have the confidence to wear a bikini or a one-piece. To some people, lack of body confidence might not seem like that bad a thing but to someone like me, it can massively affect your life.

I've seen a lot in social media with celebrities encouraging you to embrace your natural beauty and encouraging body confidence. But in my experience? That doesn't help. These celebrities are always stunning and I KNOW that I look nothing like them but there always is that pressure there to look like them.

And when you know that you definitely look nothing like them, it can be damaging. You're always thinking you're not good enough. There's been many times where I've thought my boyfriend deserved better just because of the way I looked. Why should he stick with me when there's skinnier girls out there? Isn't skinny what all boys want girls to be like? Of course it's not. Every guy has their own preferences (most just don't care at all what your body looks like) and it's just the media making us think that we all have to be skinny like the supermodels that are shown on TV, in newspapers and magazines.

I used to hate looking at my body. Every inch disgusted me. The fact that I don't have a flat stomach. The fact that my thighs are actually quite large and covered in stretch marks. I hate many things about my body, as do many other women/girls that I know. A year ago, there were many many things I would have changed about myself (basically everything). But that has changed.

In April, I met my boyfriend and I will admit that meeting him really helped me with my body confidence. Before I met my boyfriend, I was actually in a very on-off relationship with a guy who finally decided that he didn't want to get back together with me because I was too fat. Getting comments like that really does hurt and makes you feel worthless. That all changed when I met my current boyfriend.

He's always encouraging me to love myself as I am rather than trying to impress anyone else. And obviously that is the sort of support you need from someone. And because of that, I am definitely a more confident person now.

So how has my body confidence changed? Well, I'm no longer finding it as hard to go into fitting rooms and actually do it more often now so that I'm not risking buying clothes that don't fit or don't suit me just because I'm too scared to look at myself in a mirror.

I've also started wearing clothes that I would not have worn before because I was too self conscious. I've started wearing skirts a lot more recently and even bought myself a new dress at the weekend. Yes, I do still wear really dark tights to cover my legs as I do still feel very self conscious about them but my confidence is improving, hence why I'm wearing skirts more often.

And I'm actually starting to appreciate my body more in general, especially my stomach. It definitely isn't a flat stomach (and probably never will be) but the more and more I look at it, the less disgusted I feel by it. I think it helps that I have actually lost weight and that's helping me be more positive about myself. But the most useful thing is knowing that I shouldn't care what other people think and my boyfriend loves me for who I am.

If you want to share your experiences with body confidence with me, then feel free to by either commenting on this post or emailing me at instaurabeauty@gmail.com.

I'll be back next week with another post for you all.
Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

Yes, you have read the title of this post correctly! Today I will be bringing you all a health post, which is not something I have included in this blog before but I intend on including it even more in the future. I have never really considered myself a massively healthy or fit person but I have been motivated this year to look after myself a little bit more. And I can already tell the difference, as I am feeling great already and we're just over a month into the year. So I thought I would share my tips and tricks with you in case you wanted to find different ways to be a healthy person.

1. Diets never work
I am sure people hear this all the time but there are still some people who swear by 'diets' which is a really really bad idea. Yes, they seem to work at the time but once a diet is over (as most only last few a few weeks or months) and then a lot of people go back to eating exactly how they did before, which packs the weight on again. If you just eat healthily (but you can treat yourself to some junk food every now and then), then you don't need to worry about diets and can still be a healthy and fit person.

2. Aim to lose a couple of pounds a month
I know some people who obsess over losing weight and, if I'm honest, I sometimes get a little bit disappointed if a couple of weeks pass and I have only lost a pound or two. But losing too much weight in such little time is not healthy and so only losing a couple of pounds a week or fortnight is actually reasonably healthy for you.

3. You don't have to go to the gym
Everyone seems to think that to be healthy and fit, you have to go to the gym multiple times a week but I can tell you that it's not required. Yes, you need exercise and sometimes going to the gym is great, especially if you enjoy it, but there are also so many other ways to get exercise into your every day routine. I, for example, choose to cycle a lot. In fact, sometimes I cycle twice a day, every day of the week. And I love it. It's not too much at one go, but I'm still managing to find time to exercise I really am healthier now because of it.

4. You don't need to cut out all bad food
I think it's rare to find someone who would admit that they'd be able to live without fatty and sugary foods and a lot of people are often happy to know that they don't have to live without these foods. Yes, they're really not healthy at all but the only time they become really bad for you is if you're eating them a lot. I work in a fast food restaurant and used to each the food there sometimes 3 or 4 times a week and I quickly piled on the weight. Now I have cut it down to 1 meal from there a week and I have found myself to be a lot healthier. I have cut down on how many fizzy drinks I consume too. And I really do feel a lot better and healthier, even though these fatty foods are still significantly in my diet. Limit rather than cut out completely.

5. Don't snack when bored
I used to do this all the time. It's just like your body automatically thinks that you're hungry as soon as you start to feel bored. And I always used to reach for sugary and salty snacks just to give myself something to do. That's really not a good thing to do, so now what I do is just drink water as soon as I feel like I'm bored, or eat a piece of fruit (secret: fruit seems to fill you up quicker) and I have become healthier because of that.

6. Don't weigh yourself everyday
When people are trying to lose weight (and I will admit, I've been guilty of this in the past), they seem to weigh themselves every single day and get disappointed if it takes a while to see a difference. That's because you're not going to be losing weight everyday. Weigh yourself just once a week at the most and you'll soon see the difference.

I know some people might not take me seriously as I am not a massively healthy person but these are some tips that I always swear by so I hope they gave you some help too.

I'll be back on Wednesday with another post for you all.

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Byeeee!