Body Image

Sweaty Skin Folds & Thigh Chaffing

June 3, 2020 by Kerri Fullerton

Warmer weather is such a welcome change after a cold winter.

Time to get back outside, exercise and lounging in the sun.

It all sounds so delightful.

Until…

We have to talk about boob sweat, skin fold rashes and thigh chaffing.

These are very real conditions that can put a damper on enjoying the season.

3 Ways To Manage Sweaty Summer Skin Folds

Use the blowdryer to dry off completely when you get out of the shower. This means under your breasts, between your toes, back fat folds, tummy folds…everywhere. Most dryers have a cool (or at least ‘not hot’) setting.
Apply an antiperspirant to the affected area. This can be your regular deodorant stick/spray. You may need to reapply during the day.
Keep an anti-fungal cream on hand. Yeast likes to grow in warm dark places. So skin folds are a favourite place for a red itchy rash to show up. If the cream isn’t helping within an application or two, please have your health care provider take a look at it.

You’ll likely need to repeat the cleaning, drying and antiperspirant steps every time that you exercise or get overheated and sweaty. Keeping some wipes handy can help when a shower isn’t possible.

What about thigh chaffing?

Thigh chaffing can take the fun out of wearing summer dresses and skirts.

There are some great options out there. Try them out, see what works for you.

Body Glide. It’s a stick that you apply like a deodorant that creates a barrier over your skin. This can be applied anywhere where you have skin rubbing skin – not just your thighs. I’ve seen other similar products recommended over the years – the Facebook group Caring For Our Fat Bodies is a great resource.
Thigh Bands. Google this and you’ll find a huge array. I learned about them from a Refinary29 article. If shorts aren’t your thing, these are a pretty alternative.
Shorts. Bike shorts work well because they hug your thigh. You don’t want anything loose as it will cause it’s own chaffing. My only complaint is that I find them hot and that leads to it’s own. Check out the Thigh Society. I haven’t purchased from them yet but I will be!

If you have some tried and true solutions or favourite products, please drop a link in the comments 👇

Until next time,

Overcoming Food Issues For Good

January 28, 2020 by Kerri Fullerton

If you’ve struggled with your weight or food at all, you’ve likely spent a good number of hours googling different diets, lifestyles, cleanses, and hormones. You know that overcoming food and body issues can be overwhelming and confusing.

Did you know that the first low carb diet was introduced in 1863? Since then it’s made many comebacks under different names with different tweaks, the current version being keto.

The first vegetarian society was formed in 1847. Currently we have Game Changers promoting a plant-based diet and the more politically driven vegans.

What’s my point?

We have been talking about ‘what’ to eat for centuries. We love to talk about the biology of food and weight; the merits and pitfalls of certain types of foods and ways of eating.

One would think that after hundreds of years we would have come up with a consensus right? But no, the debate rages on.

So what have we missed? Why is it that more and more people are struggling with their food and their bodies?

The Triad that is YOU

To overcome, like really-deal-with-overcome, food issues, we must deal with the triad of what makes us human: our mental, physical, and emotional beings. And we must deal with them all at the same time.

It is this triad that makes up YOU. And YOU are unique. YOU bring your history and experience and beliefs to every single part of your life, including your diet*. It’s no wonder that we haven’t found one way of eating that suits everybody. *Note: when I use the term diet here, I mean simply ‘what’ you eat. A cow’s diet is grass.

We’re very comfortable working in the physical sphere. This space feels safe – let’s talk about hormones, sugar, carbs, fats, animal protein, plant protein, leptin, weight… This is where we’ve kept the conversation for centuries.

More recently we’ve acknowledged the mental and emotional parts of ourselves as contributing factors but we’re still not comfortable there. They’re mentioned in passing in most of the current weight loss systems out there. Even if their massive impact on your well-being is acknowledged, they’re rarely addressed with as much focus as the physical. You’re expected to figure this part out on your own. And when it’s not part of the program, it’s left as ‘one more thing’ and we all know how that goes. So we keep on talking about the biology of food and weight.

Just like a stool needs it’s three legs to be strong and present to hold YOU up, so does your overall well-being. If you’re consistently neglecting even just one, the stool cannot hold YOU up.

So the next time that you consider making changes to your diet, ask yourself if you’ll be giving attention to the other parts of the triad as well.

How will you work on the emotional part of eating?

What steps will you take to manage your food habits and external triggers?

And as always, I’m here to help if you need it.

Dedicated to helping you find peace and power with your body,

Kerri

P.S. Have you downloaded your Body Appreciation Meditation yet?

Give the Gift of Body Positivity

November 21, 2018 by Kerri Fullerton

I’m often asked about what books to read when starting to embrace body positivity, health at every size and the anti-dieting world.

This time of year many will take some time off (I hope that you are one of them). Many will exchange gifts with their family, friends, and co-workers.

Here’s a list of a few books that you could consider gifting for yourself or someone else. Maybe you can take advantage of some Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.

Enjoy!

Big Fit Girl by Louise Green Fitness is a really important piece to pursuing health. But it can be tricky if exercise has negative associations for you. Fellow Canadian Louise Green does an amazing job at inspiring plus size women to embrace their inner athlete. I had the pleasure of interviewing her not long ago. You can watch it here.

Self-Compassion by Kristin Neff This is essential reading for anybody who’s ever struggled with the ‘inner critic’. Developing compassion for yourself is quite simply the best thing you could ever do. It will allow you to develop body positivity when it feels impossible to love the skin that you’re in.

Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch As you may know, I am 90% done my certification in Intuitive Eating. This is the way to bridge the gap between the anti-dieting movement and the health movement. Keep an eye on your inbox – I’m going to be running a group program in the New Year!

Body Kindness by Rebecca Scrichfield This is a visually appealing book so it feels less like a text book than some others. Great practical tips on how you can learn to love your body and start taking good care of it.

Embrace by Taryn Brumfitt The Body Image Movement has been incredible to watch. Taryn trained for a body building competition in an attempt to achieve the ‘perfect body’. What came from that was a documentary (I cried watching it), this book and an international movement.

Did I miss a really good one? Please share your favourites in the comments below. I’m always looking for new books to read.

In this diet and appearance based world of ours, I find it imperative that fill my mind with different messaging.

Dedicated to helping you achieve peace and power with your body,

Dr. Kerri

P.S. Have you watched Your Diet Escape Plan yet?

Why I DON’T Do Affirmations

December 12, 2017 by Kerri Fullerton

Based on of the idea that you can ‘fake it till you make it’, affirmations are supposed to be powerful and life changing. But is it really all that simple? Celebrity Psychologist Sherry Gaba preaches, “As you repeat your positive affirmations, you will begin to believe the words. You will face outside stress with newfound confidence”[i]. Yes, I agree that we need to get rid of the negative mental chatter. But I cannot agree that by looking in the mirror each day and saying, “I am beautiful” that we will magically believe it. No matter how often we tell ourselves something, we cannot will it to be true without a basic belief in our own self-worth.

Back when I loathed what I saw in the mirror, I would try anything I could to make myself feel better. For months, I started my day off with a set of affirmations that was suggested to me by the experts of the online self-help world. If it worked for them, then of course it would work for me, right? Every day I would look in the mirror and tell myself that I was beautiful, that happiness is a choice and that my confidence is soaring; but every day I felt like a fraud. I couldn’t see my beauty and I couldn’t see my worth. The problem wasn’t in the affirmations themselves, it was in my mental state. For years I’d been trained by the beauty and diet industry to see where I wasn’t enough, and there weren’t enough words in the world to change that.

You see, if you believe that you are ugly and worthless while continually telling yourself that you are beautiful and loved, you’re starting an inner war[ii]. The conflict between the positive affirmations and low self-esteem creates tension within the body. Every positive statement you make is met with the voice of your inner self telling you ‘it’s a lie!’ Research suggests that the end result of this internal conflict is the increased intensity of those negative thoughts[iii]. Ultimately, the more you try and trick your mind into believing something is true, the more your mind believes it’s not.

So, what do I recommend? What did I do? I started with appreciation. Instead of telling myself that I was beautiful, I asked myself ‘what can I appreciate about my body today?’ Developing gratitude is a great first step towards building a healthy body image[iv]. Some days all that I could think to say was “thank you for not dying while I slept” or “I appreciate that my lungs kept breathing and my heart kept pumping”. It was a start. From there, I slowly started to appreciate other things about my body. My mindset didn’t change overnight, but slowly I began to realize the strength and power within myself.

Now I can look in the mirror and at least feel body neutral instead of body negative (and sometimes that’s enough for me). Mostly, I’m free from my obsessive body thoughts. I’ve realized that my life has a greater purpose than to worry about my bikini body. More often than not, I even feel body positive. I encourage all my Rebels to work on their self-appreciation and personal gratitude. Our bodies do so much for us, and a simple ‘thank you’ can make a world of a difference on both our mental and physical well-being.

Until next time,