As the festive season of overindulgence approaches, Karen Jones encourages us all to embrace healthy habits and focus on fitness
A recent survey by Dove claimed that just 10 percent of British women feel happy with their bodies. The majority, the other 90 percent, felt their weight was a real issue, and two thirds of those questioned admitted they would consider resorting to cosmetic surgery.
I was once one of those unhappy women. I have over 33 years’ worth of weight gain and loss experience under my belt, but I’m happy to say I’m no longer part of that 90 percent.
I know how it feels to be both four stone overweight and two stone underweight. I’ve hated my body; I’ve loathed exercise and I’ve been very unfit and unhealthy. But through the power of choice, I have turned all of this around.
Now I love my body, and I know that having the body I always wanted was in my control all along.
If I can go from hating my body as a teenage mother to loving my body as a woman, through exercising, nourishing and looking after myself, then so can you. It all started when I took up running 11 years ago. I now have a successful fitness career off the back of exercise, and even run my own bootcamp company Happy You, Happy Body Bootcamp.
I’m passionate about helping people get fit in order to live happy, long, active lives. I felt the best way for me to spread my message of positivity was to write my book Happy You, Happy Body.
Not everyone is concerned with having a so-called ‘bikini fit’ body, and my book isn’t about getting a ‘perfect’ body. It’s about being as good as you can be, and gives you the tools to get the perfect body for you.
It’s crazy how one career path has taken me down another. For instance, I soon discovered I could talk fitness and exercise all day long which is why I’ve now gone into public speaking. This helps me reach an even bigger audience and spread the fitness word.
Both women and men are under increasing pressure from advertising and media to reach an unrealistic standard of beauty, which is the key force in driving appearance anxiety.
What it’s vital to realise is being happy with your body begins with choosing to make changes in your life. It’s your life – the key to success is to be open to change and embrace it.
The only thing standing between you and the body you want is you and the choices you make.
This is an extract from Happy You, Happy Body by Karen Jones. Out now.
