Ok ladies, hands up.

Who around here loves their body?

By my powers of guesstamation (yes, a new word I’ve conjured up), I’m thinking there may not be many hands in the air right now. But I ask you this. Why on earth is that?

Why is it so hard for many of us to love our bodies as they are, right now. Yep, right this very minute. Take a look at yourself and think about it. Do you love what you see?

It seems to me that appreciating our female form doesn’t come naturally. And if like most of the population, you’ve indulged a little (or a lot) over the Christmas period, then it becomes almost impossible in January. Just take a look around you.

January is THE month for dieting. The month us mere mortals are often encouraged and manipulated to feel ashamed of and disgusted with our Christmas-fed, plumped up bodies. Magazine racks bulge with glossies featuring weight loss articles, celebrity bodies are critiqued by the harshest of journalistic eyes and daytime TV shows tell us that the only way to welcome in the New Year, is by fighting the flab.

I went on Facebook on New Year’s Day and was astonished to see how many of my friends – note, they were all female – had posted comments about their weight, body or diet. And I bet I’m not alone. Think about your friends, the women you know. How many of them have told you they’re on a mission to lose weight or how they hate their bodies right now?

In January, more than any other time of the year, women are too often made to feel that they are lacking somewhat in the body department. We are manipulated into thinking that somehow the way we are isn’t good enough. That we need to sort ourselves out and loose weight sharpish. In the world of womankind, slimmer always equals better. Especially this month.

Putting my unhealthy chips on the table (pardon the pun), I’m not ashamed to say that I’m one of the many who has definitely put on a little weight over the festive period. I see it and I feel it. My clothes are just that little bit tighter and my face that little bit rounder.

Would I like to lose the weight? Most definitely. My body shape is more limbs than curves so I don’t carry extra poundage well.

But… and here’s the thing.

Whilst there are definitely areas of my body that could do with a little improvement and polish, I’ll be damned if I’m going to diet or exercise myself into oblivion this month, just because I feel like I should or feel under pressure to.

In regards to cutting back and shaping up, I’ll do it my own way, in my own time and for my own reasons.

And I’ll be doing it not because I hate my body as it is now, but because I love it and want it to be even more awesome.

It’s about time we stopped partaking in the sport of female body bashing and started to look at the female form with a greater love and respect.

And it begins by us all learning to love our shapes, regardless of how much we weigh or how much extra junk we may be carrying in our not so skinny trunks.

So to everyone who’s on a mission to lose weight, shape up or get fit this January, I salute you and wish you well.

Just don’t forget to appreciate your body the way it is right now and show you curves and lumps and bumps a little love from time to time.

For it’s true what they say, you’ll never be as beautiful as you are right now.

Till we meet again,

Kate

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