Well here we are again…Mid August (and for my Australian followers, nearly at the end of this freezing winter and gearing up for some warmer weather finally!) so with that in mind new stuff is now in stock from Kiyonna and SWAK. There’s some gorgeous new dresses ranging from bright fuschia’s and teal’s to your staple blacks. All of which are of course flattering, beautiful and affordable! We’re still shipping worldwide for a flat fee with free shipping throughout Australia and we also offer a layby service for those of you wanting to pay off your frocks. I am always on the hunt for new labels, thinking I might try my luck at the next Fashion Exposed Expo being held in Melbourne soon. Of course if anyone knows of any labels they would like to see in store, do drop me a line as I’d love the feedback.

So with the clothing update out of the way let’s move on to the next topic – the way society makes us feel. As I mentioned above, here in Aus we’re nearly at the end of our winter and moving into Spring and of course, warmer weather. Now obviously you aren’t all here in Aus, however I’m sure you’ll all be able to relate to this.  As the weather changes, retailers and the media make it known that they love this time of year with it being a prime opportunity to sucker in the female population to ‘lose those winter kilos’. Mind you it’s nowhere near as bad as what it is gearing up to Summer however none the less, the adverts are there in full force. From gym’s and diet programs offering discounted memberships and no joining fees, to pharmacies discounting the latest and greatest fat buster wonder pill, I can guarantee if you haven’t seen a cheesy, confidence de-railing advertisement yet, it will only be a matter of time!

I get it, I really do. I understand that a change of season is prime marketing time for those in the ‘health’ or ‘diet fad’ industry however I have to ask the question….at what point do we say enough is enough? Like do we really need to be reminded every time we turn on the tv, radio, open a magazine, get on a bus or train or even when we’re in a public shitter reading the back of a toilet door, that the time has come to ‘lose those winter kilos?’ Do we really need to be answering the question (in our own mind, to ourselves) that’s being asked by some random advertisement, as to whether or not we’ve eaten too many baked dinners this winter? At what point did we lose complete awareness of what we’re doing and how we look? I mean I don’t know about you, but my jeans tell me if I’ve eaten a few too many baked dinners and hot jam donuts,  I don’t need some bullshit advertisement reminding me, nor do I need to continually hear and read about all these companies that are ‘genuinely concerned’ about my health. Because you know, that is what it’s all about apparently.

I think we know when we haven’t been as good to our bodies as what we should have. Everything is good in moderation however when it’s colder we tend to eat more because our bodies crave those warm hearty meals. There is nothing wrong with that. Same way as there is nothing wrong with putting on a few winter kilos. Now I am NOT saying we should be unhealthy and I am not saying that packing on a whole heap of weight is a good thing. However what I am saying, is that it’s common to put on a few extra kilos during the colder season and you will find that as it does get warmer you do tend to eat less and you don’t eat the same heavy winter foods, so those few kilos that you may have put on, will most likely come off just as easily. And if those extra kilos don’t budge or you feel like you want to get fitter or be a little healthier, then hey go for it. But do me a favour. Do it because YOU want to do it (for YOU). Do it because your jeans are saying they’re too tight. Don’t do it because some diet pill manufacturer wants to add to their bank balance of squillions.

And if you don’t feel like you’re ready to change your lifestyle (or if you don’t want to, which some people don’t) then do yourself a favour and buy yourself a pair of jeans that actually fit instead of procrastinating over your old ones that are 2 sizes too small (which were probably one size too small to start with because you would’ve either a) bought them a size smaller in the hope that you’d fit into them because you were on a diet or taking one of those miracle fat blasting wonder pills that were due to work any day now or b) you bought them a size smaller because you know jeans have a tendency to stretch so figured if you laid down to zip them up and could deal with being suffocated on 2-3 occasions they would end up fitting correctly….until you decided to wash them that is!)

Been there, done that. It’s a vicious circle and it’s an unhealthy cycle. People are always going on about being healthy and the importance of having a healthy body. And yes, having a healthy body is important. It’s imperative because we only get one and one would hope it’s going to last you a long time! However there is no point in having a healthy body and an unhealthy mind. You need to feel good from the inside out. You need to learn to accept that not all of us will be the same size as what we were 10 years ago. Things change. Our bodies change.  It’s ok to put on a few kilos every now and then. And if you feel like you’ve put on a few too many or put on weight to a point where you’re not comfortable with yourself or you don’t feel healthy then do something about it in your own time, the right way, for the right reasons.

So the moral of today’s blog?

  1. Don’t be too hard on yourself!
  2. Don’t be suckered in to some other bullshit money wasting ‘quick fix’ diet fad
  3. And last but not least….be kind to yourself. Look for the positives and be grateful for what you do have, because we are more fortunate than we know…YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL and deserve to feel it every day.

Until next time

x