Five Reasons to LOVE your flaws!

Hi there beauties!:)

For far too many years I didn’t like my body in fact, I hated it! This is why when approached to write for a certain publication that I have a huge amount of respect for I decided to choose “body love” as the subject! Enjoy & love the skin you are in!

Five Reasons to LOVE your flaws!

1) Realize your flaws really aren’t flaws at all! The fact of the matter is we are all uniquely different! Beauty comes in different shapes & sizes. Can you imagine how boring the world would be if we all looked the same talked the same or had the same hair color? What makes us beautiful is what the next person doesn’t have.

2) Remember society’s perception of beauty constantly changes! This is not your job to keep up with. Rather it is your job to recognize your beauty from within! What is seen as a flaw in society today can be seen as beautiful next year (twiggy, big butts, straight hair, curly hair)! Learn to laugh at this ever-changing narrow view of what is “in verses out”! Create your own society with your peer group that allows all body types & flaws to be seen as beautiful!

3) What you see as flawed someone else sees as beautiful! When I first met my boyfriend I was self conscious about my backside. Here I am this tall girl with a backside that can give Kim Kardashian a run for her money! The fact of the matter is he thinks I have one of the “best butts EVER! This is something I’ve always tried to hide

4) You have other positive attributes that don’t have a thing to do with your looks! Are you an artist? Can you surf? Maybe you’re a good writer or maybe you make delicious food! Whatever it is that feeds your soul! Whats your passion? This should become your focus! Your body is the carrier to get you there. It is the tool of your self expression, your instrument! Take care of it & don’t abuse it.

5) Take the emphasis off your perceived flaws & start seeing each & every day as a gift!
When I was in the midst of my eating disorder I woke up one morning to the most beautiful sunset I had ever seen! I can remember having a terrible headache from forcing myself to vomit for hours the night before. As I looked at the sunset everything I thought negative about myself seemed to disappear as the Sun light started to grace itself across my body through the window. I began to see my curves as beautiful my skin as flawless & so it began this love affair to love myself by appreciating the beauty all around me♡

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Andrea L Cox is the owner of http://www.thehealthyhaven.net & http://www.alkalizewithandrea.com

Andrea is a fitness model turned health coach who has written two books on the raw vegan healthy lifestyle and detoxification! After healing herself of bulimia and anorexia Andrea set out to spread the word on cleansing on a cellular level to create optimal health! Andrea has appeared on numerous news stations TV shows and magazine publications. She runs yoga juice cleanse retreats both in San Diego and Mexico! Her You Tube channel is approaching close to 2Million views. Her website for retreats is http://www.alkalizewithandrea.com Her other programs may be found at http://www.thehealthyhaven.net

 

7 Tips To Slowing~Down to get more done!

Hey there friends:) Ok well this isn’t exactly a “she she poo poo” video like the one I sent you last week. It is something however that I feel is vitally important in order to achieve the healthy lifestyle I know you want!

 Check out the video above!

I also wanted to share my to 7 tips for slowing down! 

1) Honor yourself by taking time for YOU!!! Its vitally important that you know this is YOUR time! You are doing this firstly for you and secondly to be a better person for those around you. If you cannot love yourself enough to do this, it simply won’t work to your advantage!

2) Find someone who will hold you accountable for your “time out sessions”! Having someone who will remind you from time to time to stay on track with your goal of slowing down will greatly improve your ability to do so. I have a girlfriend who whenever I ask her to go to a yoga class, she’s in! These are the types of people you will need in your corner to make this change of taking time for YOU easier for you to adopt!

3) Meditate 20 minutes every morning and evening. The verdict is in! Meditation not only reduces oxidative stress in the body but also reduces anxiety! Recent studies show it could also lead to a longer life span! Think you don’t have 40 minutes a day? Think again! I’m here to remind you that YOU matter enough to make the time to meditate!

4) Yoga anyone! Any questions? Thought so! 🙂

 5) Drop the guilt! So many people who have children or aging parents that they care for use it as an excuse to not slow down! From soccer practice to cheer leading to the grocery and cleaning their home. There simply isn’t enough time to slow down! Lets think of it differently! What are you teaching your children by constantly being in a rush and taking no time for yourselves? What are you telling your spouse when you get short with them because you are overwhelmed? I rest my case.

6) Nap lie you are in kinder~ garden!  Studies show a 90 minute nap completely restores a sleep deprived body! You simply operate better when you are rested! Even 30 minutes is enough time however to get a mini reprieve! Try lying on your back with your feet elevated! Place a cool cloth over your eyes and a bit of lavender essential oil on your forehead and chest. Ahhh can you feel it?!

7) Got sleep? When your body is sleep deprived it is impossible to be or do your best! If you want to achieve anything in life, it starts with developing good sleep habits! Aim for 7-8 hours per night!

 

Andrea L Cox is the owner of http://www.thehealthyhaven.net & http://www.alkalizewithandrea.com She is a fitness model turned health coach who has written two books on the raw vegan healthy lifestyle and detoxification! Andrea has appeared on numerous news stations TV shows and magazine publications. She runs yoga juice cleanse retreats both in San Diego and Mexico! Her You Tube channel is approaching close to 2Million views.

Self esteem issues. How to turn it around!

 

 

Today I want to share something with all of you that may seem contradictory to the way I appear on the internet. It may also seem that I’m sharing this to “fish” for compliments etc. I assure you I am not. What I’m about to share has been a very real truth for me for some time now. As embarrassing as it is to talk about, I’m actually beginning to see the beauty in the suffering it has caused me.

I’ve always had a low self esteem and never felt pretty. I’m not sure when or how it came about. I don’t blame the media and no one ever told me I was ugly growing up. My sisters and I would often argue and use unkind words to hurt Each other but I put little emphasis on that being the cause. 

This low self esteem has caused me to pass up social events, projects, modeling gigs and even a few news appearances.

The majority of my positive outlook about myself and my looks came from a ten year relationship I had with a beautiful kind soul. I was 17 when I met him. He always told me what a beautiful face I had and how angelic it was.He rarely placed any emphasis on my body. It was always my face. He often said “our bodies just carry us through life”. I’ve always been grateful for him and our time together. 

The past few weeks I’ve spent a lot of time alone, meditating and doing yoga. This has allowed me to reflect inward and focus on the purity, love and goodness of my heart. Alone time to me is sacred. Being an empath I am VERY sensitive to other people’s energy! I’ve learned to be cautious of who I spend my time around.

I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned during this time of reflection is how clean and beautiful it feels to NOT wear any make up on my face. A little essential oil and I’m done. Last night I came home and was a bit shy around my boyfriend being “bare faced”. A reminder that I still have much more internal work to do.♡♡♡

Thank you for all owing me to share.

Andrea

http://www.thehealthyhaven.net    www.alkalizewithandrea.com